Company: Paladin Press
Tape Name: Hardcore Submission Fighting/Volume 1/Submission
Holds, Chokes, and Neck Cranks, and Arm and Leg Locks
Tape Cost: $34.95 or all
3 tapes in the series for $90.00
Length of Tape/Time: 70 minutes
Number of
Moves/Techniques: 24+
Return Policy: Don't worry about it on this one, it's a
keeper!
Experiences in dealing with this company: Unbelievable (Fantastic!)
The
Instructor: Nicholas Starks
Company's Address: Paladin Press, P.O. Box 1307, Boulder,
CO, 80306
Company's Phone Number: 1-800-392-2400
Web Page: http://www.paladin-press.com
E-Mail:
sales@paladin-press.com
Primary Grading Criteria:
1. Production/Tape
Quality: 10
2. Instructors demonstrated skill level: 9
3. Comprehension Score/Immediate
Understanding: 9
4. Degree to which this will make someone a better Martial Artist:
9
5. Score on delivery vs. hype: 9
6. Degree to which we'd recommend this product:
9
7. Wasted Time (The higher the number, the less "fluff"/repetition):
9
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:
9
Grand Total: Revised to 92 % (Good = 3 stars) Original score was 100%
Secondary Grading Criteria:
1. Beginners
benefit: Very Good
2. Intermediate benefit: Very Good
3. Advanced benefit:
Fair
4. Time to benefit: Immediate: Some immediate, greatest benefit with practice
5. The need to buy additional tapes to understand this one: None
Written Summary:
This 3 tape video
series by Nick Starks was one of the first submission type series that we had the
opportunity to review. At that time Stark’s video’s were given our highest rating
HOWEVER after seeing countless other video’s and a year later we have come to the
conclusion that there are many
other grappling video’s that are far better than
Stark’s Submission series. As a result this video series has now been given a lower
grade. I believe the new grade more truly reflects where these video’s stand in
relation to the other grappling orientented tapes. (we at MAVR are constantly trying
to bring you the reader the most accurate reviews possible).
So where
does this leave Stark’s Submission series now? Well this 3 tape series still has
something to offer the viewer. I look at this series as kind of like the poor man’s
Rolls Royce of video tapes. If you can’t afford some of the more expensive video
series and you are looking for a lot of techniques for your dollar value than you
may still want to consider this series. There are a lot of techniques presented
on this first tape in the way of arm bars, leg locks, chokes, takedowns, counters,
etc. etc. A beginning student could be kept busy for quite some time with the techniques
presented in this tape. Some of the techniques I really liked and felt they were
well explained while other’s left me saying there is no way that would work on a
living breathing resisting opponent. I also noted that Mr. Stark’s made several
technical errors during this 1st video. For example while doing the triangle choke
sometimes Stark’s would lock his one leg in behind his other knee then at times while
demonstrating he would fail to do this. To me at times his techniques looked somewhat
unrefined. Another example is when Stark’s is in the Mount position and is going
for the arm bar he grabs the person’s wrist while moving his leg into position for
the lock. This to me doesn’t make much sense, sure it could work on someone who
has no clue as to what you are about to do BUT against someone who has any grappling
experience there is no way you will get that arm bar by grabbing the person’s wrist.
I also felt Starks should of gone into greater detail on some of the moves and
he should of shown more setups to make these moves work.
Bottom Line: There
are some good techniques on this tape (series), but there are also a number of things
that make this series less than ideal. I believe that if Starks were to redo this
series today he himself would pick up on some of the mistakes that he has made during
the filming of this first video. If you can’t afford the Rolls Royce than this series
does have something to offer both in the way of technique and value.
M.O.
