What top people in the sport are saying!
BJ Penn:Dave is the best in the world at combining Judo and Jiu Jitsu. I wish i could get him to come teach at my school.
Mike Swain:David Camarillo’s Possition Impossible DVD combines the best of Judo and Jiu Jitsu for a more compleate fighter. This is a must have for any competitor looking to get the edge.The long awaited Dave Camarillo: Position Impossible DVD set is here! Finally the instructional that bridges the gaps between Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Judo and transforms both into the ultimate art! Dave Camarillo who has competed at the highest levels of both arts shares his secrets!
This three DVD set is packed into five seperate missions that will
Mission 1: Secrets of the JudokaMission 2: Secrets of Jiu Jitsu for Ne-WazaMission 3: Flying AttacksMission 4: SubmissionsMission 5: Transitioning to Attack
Throws, submissions, flying attacks, drills, and insight from one of the most dynamic competitors and instructors around, Dave Camarillo. More than any other set we’ve ever produced we expect this to revolutionize the martial arts world.
To reach your full potential in excelling your game you must approach the arts you are combining properly with an open mind to learn. When it comes to learning the two arts you have to experience them in their natural state. This state is natural in that it is not plagued by rules of another art that will confuse the student. A good example of this is when a student is trying to compliment their Judo game by learning Jiu-Jitsu, or complimenting their Jiu-Jitsu game by learning Judo. Being open-minded is key when it comes to learning, practicing, and gaining experience in both arts.
The learning process cannot be hindered by the tendency of a close-minded student to apply only competition rules of one art to another. This confuses and limits the potential of the student to have a holistic view of the art he or she is learning and it defeats the purpose of learning that art by setting limitations on their ability to learn. In a more specific example we see Jiu-Jitsu students making comments like, “I would never use that throw in a Jiu-Jitsu competition,” when learning Judo. This creates a situation where the student is limiting him/her-self from learning all that Judo can really offer. Instead, they will only pick up a few throws and have trouble applying them in a competition, or other stressful situation, because they have shut themselves off from certain techniques or ideas, and in doing so have disrupted the flow of free sparring (randori). In free sparring you learn ways of setting up throws, and all that it encompasses; timing, coordination, speed and overall technique. And with limiting yourself to only a few throws you are diminishing the possibilities in training to only a fraction of what they could be.Even if certain throws are not desirable in Jiu-Jitsu competitions, it is still necessary to learn them for many different reasons. If you are refuse to learn a throw like Seio Nagi because it exposes your back when you land on the ground, you are setting yourself up for disaster when it is used against you. The best way to understand any technique is to attempt it and have it attempted against you. This goes with anything in the arts. Your worst case scenario, when it comes to any technique, is to have a lack of knowledge of it. For example, in Judo we see many Judokas with little understanding of the triangle choke from the guard. The reason is simple. If you are not being attacked much with a triangle, your awareness, defense and escape for that technique will be weak. The same limitation applies to anyone who uses the excuse “I would never use that throw in a competition”.
Another important reason for the Jiu-Jitsu practitioner to learn a throw like Seio Nage is so that s/he can reach his/her full potential for that throw. There are many different types of Seio Nage. By accepting that they must learn many aspects of Judo, and continuing their training beyond just learning a few throws, they will have reached a level that enables them to successfully use a technique like Seio Nage and limit chances for a negative outcome. They will be able to drop low on the technique with enough speed and timing so that their opponent does not have the ability to set up their back attack and does not have the space to put in their hooks. Again we see the importance of separating the rules that confuse and hinder the learning process of the student. When learning Jiu-Jitsu for increasing your defenses and attacks in a Judo competition the Judoka must use the same rationale by not applying Judo rules while studying Jiu-Jitsu. If you apply Judo rules when learning Jiu-Jitsu your game will not excel. For example, your training partner goes for an armlock and the only way you know to get out of the armlock is by standing up, which in a judo competition stops the match (matte). But, what happens if your training partner or competitor goes for a quick armlock not giving you enough time to stand up? Your only options are either to tap out quickly or get hurt. Instead of just standing up to stop the match, you should learn how to escape an armlock properly. In fact, this should be your primary reaction to this situation.If you practice ne-waza using the “stand up rule” anticipating a restart of the match, you are creating a situation where you become dependant upon that rule to protect yourself from attacks like chokes and arm locks. The proven effect of this training within the rules of judo has diminished the understanding of proper Ne-Waza (mat techniques) in many Judoka. It negatively influences the athlete to not learn techniques to defend against attacks since all you have to do is pick your opponent up to have the referee save you. The problem with this is that sometimes you are in such a bad situation that you do not have the leverage to pick your opponent up. Therefore you must have the technical understanding to defend, escape or protect yourself in bad situations. Another example of this is when Judokas turn their back after being thrown or knocked down in competition. Instead of developing their guard, they tend to ball up, or turtle, and wait for a restart. The end result of this is also a loss of opportunity to attack or losing against someone with good attacks from the back. This is a trend in Judo all over the world. And I believe that if the approach to Ne-Waza was taken as seriously as it is in Tachi-Waza (standing techniques), we would see a substantial gain in technique and results.
Another reason why this approach to training should be taken seriously goes back to my example of Judoka not having a developed “triangle awareness”. If a Judo dojo does not incorporate the techniques of Jiu-Jitsu, they are losing a lot of potential knowledge and decreasing their chances of progression. In a situation where triangles are not applied because of the “stand up” rule, or the lack of technical knowledge to teach it, then the precedent set in the dojo is one of a stagnant learning process. By opening your mind to learning the different ways of training and drilling, the entire dojo grows as one. Students will naturally progress together so that as techniques are introduced, the defense, escapes and overall understanding of those techniques tend to follow. Individuals learn simply by being exposed to properly taught techniques with an open mind. Thus, if the Judoka is being attacked on a regular basis by a triangle, naturally his/her technique to defend it improves as well.
What should also be noted, that as far as technique goes on the ground, besides pins, Jiu-Jitsu has more to offer than Judo. This is in part because a very important aspect of becoming more technical on the ground lies in how Jiu-Jitsu is practiced. It is generally practiced in a controlled and a far slower manner than Judo. The main reason for its slower pace lies in its technical approach. And if Jiu-Jitsu is not experienced at a slow tempo than the student will lose the details and small technical elements of the art, and techniques, and in turn will lose the likelihood of gaining all that it has to offer. Accepting these concepts is a first step in allowing the student to progress.
Now when the student has a decent understanding of both Judo and Jiu-Jitsu, the next step is to combine what they have learned. The best way to do this is to mix the strategies and goals of both arts while practicing one. Although, the Judo and Jiu-Jitsu practitioners should be open-minded to each perspective art, the basic learning of an art in its natural state should still continue, meaning when you are at Judo practice you still need to combine your Jiu-Jitsu techniques in the context of a Judo match. The best way to do this is to practice randori with the option of ne-waza when the battle hits the ground. The speed from Judo will mix with the technique of Jiu-Jitsu and you will find yourself attacking your opponent quickly and proficiently. Since Judo has limited time on the ground (some more limited than others depending on the referee) you must learn to see windows of opportunity and capitalize on them. Likewise, in Jiu-Jitsu, you must utilize your Judo throws in the context of a Jiu-Jitsu match. This is with the understanding that your opponent can jump to guard, therefore your throws have to be well placed and you too must use those windows of opportunity as they present themselves. You will also use the base that Judo has given you with your Jiu-Jitsu technique to keep good posture and to place yourself in a good position to pass the guard. Gripping is also a major plus gained by extensive Judo training. This is widely used in the tireless breaking and gaining of grips and gripping patterns for many different situations but primarily to gain the initiative.
When it comes to my Martial Arts career, I must admit that, my overall grappling game is a combination of two separate and very different arts. That understanding alone has allowed me to reach my full technical potential. With Judo being my background it was easy to pick up on the movements and theory behind Jiu-Jitsu so long as I did not apply the rules of one to the other. This transition to Jiu-Jitsu, and the eventual mixture of both, allowed me to excel in both arts at world level and gave me the ability to convey that type understanding to others. If not for my training methods, which consisted of learning Judo first, then Jiu-Jitsu as a separate art, I would not have been able to reach my full potential. If someone wants to reach their throwing potential they must practice Judo.
If someone wants to reach their ground game potential they must train in Jiu-Jitsu. Major issues with reaching your full potential arise when you choose to do a “little” of this or a “little” of that. If certain techniques are never introduced, they will never be experienced nor will there be a base of knowledge and understanding of those techniques. In the end, the chance to create your own game is limited only by the rules you self-impose on your training because these will ultimately dictate behavior.