Company: Vee-Arnis-Jitsu, Inc.
Tape Name: Vee Arnis Jujitsu - Stop Techniques 1-12
Tape Cost: $40
Length of Tape/Time: 1 hr 12 minutes
Number of Moves/Techniques: 12 Self-Defense situations
Return Policy: Defective only, no satisfaction guarantee
Experiences in dealing with this company: Great
The Instructor: David James
Company's Address: 4202 Ave U, Brooklyn, NY, 11234
Company's Phone Number: 718-252-8944
Web Page: http://www.vajjujitsu.com/
E-Mail: info@vajjujitsu.com
Primary Grading Criteria:
1. Production/Tape Quality: 100
2. Instructors demonstrated skill level: 100
3. Comprehension Score/Immediate Understanding: 100
4. Degree to which this will make someone a better Martial Artist: 100
5. Score on delivery vs hype: 100
6. Degree to which we would recommend this product: 100
7. Wasted Time ( The higher the number,the less " fluff" /repetition ): 100
8. Playback Score/Watching it over-and-over again: 100
9. Would I purchase more of this company's products: 100
10. Overall grade based on cost vs. value: 100
Grand Total: 100% (Excellent)
Secondary Grading Criteria:
1. Beginners benefit: Excellent
2. Intermediate benefit: Excellent
3. Advanced benefit: Excellent
4. Time to benefit: Immediate, or a few weeks
5. The need to buy additional tapes to understand this one: None
Written Summary:
The "Stop Techniques" are said to stop anything someone is doing to you, such as pushing you, shoving you, poking you, blocking you from moving or leaving, etc.
A total of 12 technique are shown! I liked the variety of the techniques on this tape better than the ones on the previous tape. There were more techniques for your dollar, more explanations, more concepts taught, more was shown to help you understand this self-defense system, and this one I felt opened-your-eyes a little more, to the possiblities within the VAJ system of self-defense.
While taking notes I caught 11 of the 12 techniques shown, missed one, but I'm sure it's in there somewhere. Here are the ones I saw and got on paper:
1. Defense against someone blocking you: Front kick with upper cut
2. Defense against someone blocking you: Front kick with finger into eyes
3. Defense against someone blocking you: Front kick with knee into face
4. Defense against someone blocking you: Front kick, upper cut, man goes back
5. Defense against someone blocking you: Front kick, palm strike, finger into eyes
6. Cross hand push and cross hand push into choke # 1
7. Front hand push
8. Two hand push
9. Two hand push into choke # 2
10. One hand front choke
11. One hand front choke and head goes back
12. ????, missed one of the 12 while watching and taking notes!
Don't let this list of techniques, or those on any of James other tapes, make you think "Big deal, I know how to handle those situations". They are handled in a different way! This is light years beyond what any dojo I've seen teaches with some 1-2 combo to help you handle those specific situations and attacks. The techniques James shows are profound enough, that with a little imagination, you'll begin to see a pattern-of-flow with the VAJ concepts and techniques, that help you not only in these situations (often differently than you think) but any situation. You're often shown a flurry of 6-12 blocks/strikes/kicks/chokes/takedowns/submissions, in each of the 12 self-defense situations, that ANYONE can do with very little training, and that will render your opponent helpless!
Sure, his tapes show you techniques, but along the way he teaches the bigger picture of concepts. Concepts are in my opinion more important, so you'll get what he's trying to teach you, and become better equipped to know what to do in other situations, without thinking "Hmmm, ok my opponent did this, now what do I do?". The more of his stuff you watch, and the more you watch it, you eventually get to the point of thinking "I know what he's going to do next". It's like knowing the plot or end of a movie, before it gets there! That's the difference in concept vs technique. Concepts you understand and you can see down-the-road so to speak, which leads to becoming self-sufficient. Techniques you have to remember and often become overwhelming and complicated! This tape is a basis for seeing inside the beauty, simplicity, and ease of the VAJ way of self-defense. It is truly different! If that's something your interested in knowing, then you've got to own this tape. And even if you're not necessarily interested in the VAJ way of self-defense, try one tape, maybe this one, and you'll see how ANYONE with limited-to-no-skill can be effective with what David James teaches!
Just like the previous tape, more pearls-of-wisdom were offered:
1. "First thing to do in an attack is control the mans focus". Distractions shown - slowly raise both hands like giving-up but puts your hands half-distance to his face, for quick palm heel or gouge to eyes. Both hands up also allows you to block anything coming to either side of your face. Then slightly wave one hand as a distraction, while talking to attacker, and consider doing a quick below waist kick. James believes in premptive striking, not waiting to be hit, then using the element-of-surprise, and a decisive first strike, followed by and onslaught of quick non-stop blows!
2. "closest point (your weapon) to closest target" James flows from one strike to the next using this concept, and once you get the concept, each blow is fast, becomes and unstoppable flurry, and you don't have to think about where to hit next, or what your next strike will be!
3. "follow through with your palm heel strike to his chin, continuing to push his face, keep going (running forward with while holding chin from palm heel), smashing his head into the back of a wall as hard as you can"
4. later we hear "throw his body down (face down on ground), you're through with him, and stomp the back of both his ankles (breaking the small bones in them) and leave"
5. lots of times on James' tapes after something like that he'll say "get the hell out". No reason to wait around if he has buddies!
6. "You think we're too mean or brutal, the streets are brutal, and so is what someone will do to you out there"
7. we also hear "lets keep it real and lets keep it simple"
8. and my favorite one off this tape: "You don't like what I teach (don't think it works), come on down, show me something different that works (simplier and more effective for anyone), and I'll give you my dojo".
Mr. James every-now-and-then eludes to this tape being more beginner type VAJ training, compared to his more advanced training. Don't let that statement fool you, because this isn't like beginner self-defense, or advanced self-defense, that's taught at any other school! Having said that, the most common questions I get asked via email about the VAJ tapes, is which David James tape should I start out with, and if I can only buy one-at-a-time, what order should I buy them in? This one would definitely be a good start in my opinion. Sometime soon, I hope to create and post online, an order of buying, viewing, and training with his tapes. Another question I get asked is, how do you train with this stuff? Mr. James is of course the expert in advising you on that, but if you don't feel like calling him too, I'd say simply find a partner, go get some shin pads, a "cup", goggles with an elastic band, or even better an old motorcycle helmet with plastic shield, and slowly start trying what he shows, one technique at a time, til you got it. Nail down all of the ones shown on one tape, then try to mix up the techniques on that tape, where it makes sense to do so, and then on to another tape, learn it the same way, mix that tape up, then mix it up with what you saw on previous tapes, til you "got it", repeat, grow and learn!
5 out of 5 Stars! Add this one to the top of your list of "must have now" self-defense tapes!
EM
FYI - I have a list of various video martial arts instructors who haven't sent us their material for review. In some instances, many of them aren't replying to requests for us to do that! Hmmm, wonder why? ;-) If by chance you can make a small donation of even $1 or so, to help support this sites expenses, and help us buy tapes, it would certainly help me buy tapes companies don't want us to REVIEW! If you haven't seen something reviewed, it's often because video instructors don't want us too! But hey, it's America, freedom of speech, right? So the reviews shall continue!!!
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