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Darrell Gohlar's Vale Tudo Takedowns DVDs are must have set. For those that are unfamiliar with Darrell he is a top caliber wrestler and has fought in several of the major NHB events. However, for me his biggest claim to fame is the fact that he teaches wrestling to the Brazilian Top Team. You would think that with Mario Sperry, Murilo Bustamante and the rest of the crew you wouldn't have a need to have others come in and train you. However, the Brazilian Top Team realized that to stay on top of the fight game you need to be constantly improving and raising the level of your game. So, the Brazilian Top Team hired Darrell to improve their wrestling game (Actually, Victor Belfort asked Darrell help him prepare to fight Dan Henderson and then Sperry asked Darrell to show him few of the takedowns.). The results have been pretty obvious. The Brazilian Top Team members have been able to take down Olympic wrestlers like Matt Lindlen and Dan Henderson.
The incorporation of wrestling into Vale Tudo fighting is not an easy task. Punching, kicking, and kneeing make Vale Tudo wrestling a very different animal than standard wrestling.
I was worried that this DVD set would be just a re-hash of Mario Sperry's Vale Tudo takedown tapes. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there is almost no overlap between the two sets. Sperry deals mainly with how to take a guy down once you have him pushed up against the fence. Darrell deals with takedowns from the middle of the ring. So these DVDs act as a great companion and addition to Sperry's Vale Tudo tapes.
Darrell has really had to develop a complete game plan for shooting in and taking someone down. This set, similar to Sperry's, is made up an interconnected web of moves. This is not a standard catalog of takedowns. You really walk away with a certain amount of confidence that you have an answer for most of what your opponent might do to counter you.
The tape starts with a series of connected moves that evolve out of your attempt to do a double leg takedown. Darrell assumes that your opponent will sprawl, drive your head down and us the guillotine choke to thwart your takedown. He walks you though the "if he does this, then I will do that" strategy.
The DVDs move on to single leg takedown down while you are standing holding your opponents leg. Again, Darrell shows you a variety of ways to take the guy down. It is also nice to see a realistic discussion of punching. Each of the takedowns shown keeps in mind that punches and knees are a reality when fighting.
The second DVD deals mainly with the situation where you are standing and are in a clinch with your opponent. Darrell deals with all the standard clinches and how to get the advantage. Once you have the advantage, he shows you how to proceed with the takedown.
The last part of this DVD deals with what to with an opponent that is against the fence. This is just 4 techniques and is the only area that has any overlap with Sperry's tapes.
The only thing that keeps me from giving this a 5 star rating is the camera work and some issues with the video. There is no doubt that the set was professionally done, it's just that the camera guy could have done a better job. The video quality issue is just that some scenes are brightly lit and other are just normally lit. Kind of like a white balance problem. Many people would not even notice these problems, but I watch enough of these tapes to notice them. Great techniques and great teaching are not enough to get 5 stars.
There is no wasted time on this set. For $30 you get almost 2 hours of instruction. This is one of the best deals going. Darrell is a native speaker of English and is very clear and articulate. There is nothing hard about the moves shown and you don't have be a huge monster to pull them off.
Bottom line:
This is one of those rare tapes that moves beyond being a catalog of techniques and puts it all together for you. The takedown strategies shown by Darrell really work. That is another rare thing. Watch any Brazilian Top Team fighter and you will see these exact same techniques and game plan at work. This is a must have set for those looking to improve your takedowns. For those that have Mario Sperry's Vale Tudo tapes, this is like having a bonus extension. This set will add a completely new dimension to your game.
If you want a more detailed discussion of takedowns, I would consider getting Kevin Jackson and Mike VanArsdale's Ultimate Takedowns. This is bible of takedown tapes and will give you an in-depth look at the whole wrestling takedown game.
As a side note, this DVD makes a great companion with the Sperry's Day of Zen DVD. On Darrell's DVD you learn many of the moves you see Sperry and the other Brazilian Top Team members training. Darrell's makes a lengthy appearance on the Day of Zen documentary too.
One last cute comment: Apparently, Darrell and the Cigarette Smoking Man from the X-files have something in common. Both, are aspiring screen writers.