Company: Shintai Ryu Martial Arts Association
Tape Name: Combat Sambo
Tape Cost: $159.95
Length of Tape/Time: 5 DVDS
Number of Moves/Techniques: Numerous
Return Policy: ?
Instructor: Richard Rowland
Company's Address: RT. 2 Box 432 Ridgeley, WV 26753
Company's Phone Number: 1-888-949-2743
Web Page:
Shintai Ryu
E-Mail:
SRMAA
Primary Grading Criteria:
1. Production/Tape Quality: 3
2. Instructors demonstrated skill level: 10
3. Comprehension Score/Immediate Understanding: 10
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 would 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: 7
9. Would I purchase more of this company's products: Yes
10. Overall grade based on cost vs. value: 5
Grand Total: 75% (Good = 3.5 Stars)
Secondary Grading Criteria:
1. Beginners benefit: Good
2. Intermediate benefit: Good
3. Advanced benefit: Good
4. Time to benefit: Up to you
5. The need to buy additional tapes to understand this one: None
Written Summary:
Never judge a DVD from its production quality and bad editing. At first I was like, oh boy, a one camera set up, with bad lighting and the guy teaching doesn’t seem to know he is on camera. While waiting to speak and demo and likewise when he finished teaching a technique he would just sit there kind of uncomfortably waiting for somebody to yell cut. Now that I have got that out of the way, I can honestly say Rich Rowland is an excellent teacher.
I have studied a lot of martial arts over the years, but I have never studied Sambo. I was really impressed with the techniques shown. At certain points, as knee bars were being applied or ankle locks I cringed while watching. I kept feeling my ankle in sympathy for Rich’s training partner. Rich is very careful to point out more than once, to please be careful when training these locks. He stresses that unlike chokes or arm bars, where there is some lead time from when you feel the lock go on , with a knee bar or ankle lock you can’t really feel it until it’s too late. You have to really be careful with your training partner and not just depend on him to tap.
Sambo techniques are spread out over five DVDs and I highly recommend them to anybody who thinks there is only Brazilian jiu jitsu on the planet. It makes me want to find a good Sambo instructor and gingerly dip my ankle in the water, so to speak.
Rick Weisbrot (Reviewer) - With 30 plus years of martial arts training, Rick currently trains students one-on-one in Manhattan, focusing on combative principles that anyone can apply.
