Company: Iron Warrior Federation / Marco Lala
Tape Name: Top Control Series
Volume 2
Tape Cost: $ 39.95 (special : 4 for 99.97 ) + $6.50 ship. 1ST Tape ,3.25
ea.add.
Length of Tape/Time: 50 Minutes
Number of Moves/Techniques: Too Many
Too Count, with lots of variations
Return Policy: 30 day money back guarantee
Experiences
in dealing with this company: Excellent
The Instructor: Marco Lala
Company's
Address: PO Box 979 ,Yonkers ,NY , 10704
Company's Phone Number: 1-800-573-7655
Web
Page: http://www.fightingsecrets.com
E-Mail:
marcolala@fightingsecrets.com
Primary Grading Criteria:
1.
Production/Tape Quality: 9
2. Instructors demonstrated skill level: 10
3. Comprehension
Score/Immediate Understanding: 9
4. Degree to which this will make someone a better
Martial Artist: 10
5. Score on delivery vs. hype: 10
6. Degree to which we'd
recommend this product: 10
7. Wasted Time (The higher the number, the less "fluff"/repetition):
10
8. Playback Score/Watching it over-and-over again: 9
9. Would I purchase
more of this company's products: 10
10. Overall grade based on cost vs. value:
10
Grand Total: 97 %
1. 80%-100% = 97 %
2. Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent
= Excellent
3. 0-5 stars = 4.25 stars
Secondary Grading Criteria:
1.
Beginners benefit: Good
2. Intermediate benefit: Excellent
3. Advanced benefit:
Excellent
4. Time to benefit: The more you practice, the better you get
5.
The need to buy additional tapes to understand this one: none
Written Summary:
This tape
is a continuation of volume 1, so please refer to the review of volume 1 for general
background on this two part series. The same positive comments apply to this second
volume. As far as content is concerned, the following is a list of positions and
drills covered:
1. Top hold position continued
2. Vertical 4- corner hold
( the mount )
3. Floating hold / uki gatame
4. Mounted triangle hold
5.
Hands and knees position
6. Flat on stomach position
7. Working off knees to
get into a top position such as scarf hold
8. Spin-and-pin drill
9. Mount/guard
rolling drill
10. Turnovers of opponent in turtle position
11. Striking possibilities
against someone in turtle or hands and knees position
12. Osae komi kata (predetermined
sequence of top positions, done as a continuous pattern)
Admittedly
this is a bit of reviewer bias, but one of the few things this reviewer was not too
crazy about was the treatment of the top-hold position as a position of equal value
to the side position or the mount. The idea of moving from position to position is
to either achieve a submission or to move to a superior position. To end the fight
in a NHB or street context, strikes can also be included to achieve this aim. The
idea of holding down an opponent for a certain length of time seems to be oriented
mostly to sport competition, such as in Judo. As a transitional position, fair enough,
but only to move to something better.Then again, when it comes to kicking an opponent
who is on his hands and knees, Mr. Lala correctly makes the point that it is ironic
how certain events call themselves NHB, when they disallow such tactics. In demonstrating
these techniques Mr. Lala once again clearly shows how self defence oriented his
mix of striking and grappling arts is.
This tape once again follows Mr. Lala's
format of showing many of the smaller, yet important details of the techniques, showing
possible variations, counters to escape attempts and using, as usual, multiple angles
where and when necessary. In this reviewers opinion, the Osae komi kata alone is
worth the price of this tape. Once again, this reviewer finds himself looking forward
to the next Marco Lala tape.
E.P.
