Mario Sperry - Master Series 2
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CRAAAAACK!! The man is on a tear. No doubt about it. No doubt. Not one. Tape set after tape set. This is a great follow up to Master Series 1. Mario still reigns supreme over the sport BJJ tape market. Long live the king!! Threes thing stand out on this tape set: passing the guard, passing the half guard and the clock choke. You get in-depth coverage of each of these. You walk away feeling like you really know these positions a lot better.

Again, like Master Series 1, this tape set assumes that your opponent is as good or better than Mario Sperry. This is an important thing to keep in mind when buying this tape set. Spend some time watching the World BJJ Championship tapes from the last couple of years. Ask yourself how closely the BJJ you see the fighters using matches what you see on tape sets. I am here to tell you that the BJJ you see at that level has never been taught on a tape set until the Master Series. It is not to say that the BJJ that we have learned over the years is bad or ineffective. Nothing could be further from the truth. What I am saying is that the guys fighting in the Worlds know the same BJJ that you know. They know what you and I know, and they can shut it down and counter it with ease. At that level everyone knows the typical submissions and their counters. Therefore, you have to have a much deeper game plan to beat your opponent. Master Series 1 and especially 2 is a glimpse into the mind of a top level BJJ fighter. Its time to take your BJJ up to the next level.

That being said, there is nothing complicated or difficult about the moves on this tape set. If the moves were overly complicated, I would be skeptical about the effectiveness of the moves. Fancy moves are not Mario's style. You could happily buy this tape set without first buying Master Series 1. I would recommend owning both at some point. This is really one large tape set with all the moves interwound with each other. I will warn you that many tapes reference each other and assume that you have seen the other tapes or even Master Series 1. I do not recommend buying individual tapes. Actually, I never recommend this for two reasons. One, the tapes are a hell of a lot cheaper when bought as a set. Two, individual tapes often reference and build on material from other tapes. This is very true of Master Series 2.

More so than Mario's other tape sets, this set has the private lesson feel. I think it is because of the depth to which he teaches the moves. Every time I have a question or a potential counter that I could use to thwart his move, Mario answers in fine style. All your questions are answered.

What would a Mario tape set be with out a bold statement or two. For example, Mario states that you should never pass the guard standing up. That's news to me. All the best passes seem to be standing. It is probably still true unless you are fighting someone of Mario's caliber or someone that has practiced the moves on Master Series 1 and 2. Most of the reasons for this statement were shown on Master Series 1. Now Mario shows you how to pass the guard on the ground. You get the depth and precision that you would expect.

One last point. Missing from this tape set is Murilo Bustamante. Murilo, who does not speak much English, did most of the demonstrating on the first tape set. Mario, however, did most of the explaining. It was kind of awkward for Mario to explain a move while he was the one being choked, etc. The moves on Master Series 1 were a combination of moves from both Mario and Murilo. Master Series 2 is all Mario.

Overall, this is a great tape set. Mario has come through again. Does it top Master Series 1? Hard to say. The moves of Master series 2 are an extension of Master Series 1. It as close to private instruction with Mario that most of us will ever have. Long live the king!

When you get down to it, this tape is just about single leg takedowns. What makes this tape great is the linking and connecting of techniques together. Often the tape sets will show a move in isolation and then move on. I am left to think, "Gee that move will not work, because the opponent's natural reaction is X." The counter to "X" is never shown. Mario never leaves you wondering. He always assumes that his opponent is smart and skilled. Therefore, he covers the situations that naturally occur in a fight. This is one reason why Mario has the best tapes. Mario shows realistic takedowns and the counters to realistic counters. In sport BJJ your game must change. You can't use many of the vale tudo or wrestling takedowns. The uniform changes things. All of these takedowns are simple and straightforward.

It seems that with this tape series Mario has slowed down to give more depth and detail. Mario starts the tape by making a very bold statement, "I never pass the guard standing up." To find out why, you need look no further than Master Series 1 for your answers. For those who have this tape set, you will remember that Mario and Murilo show a series of sweeps from the closed guard. Most of them started when your opponent stood in your guard. You might be wondering, "Gee, if you can't stand, how am I going to pass the guard." Well, sitting seems to be your only other option. Mario really only covers two guard passes on this tape. The traditional Knee Between the Legs and Mario's patented pass he used to win the 1997 World that he showed on the World Championship Techniques tape. So really in the end he only shows one pass. I am going to cut Mario some slack here for repeating this guard pass from the World Championship Techniques tape for two reasons. One, it is a great pass. Two, I am not sure how many people own this tape. I don't think it was ever really for sale. It was a bonus tape. I urged people to sell their Grandmother (or father, your pick) to get this tape.

The tape is mainly about the guard pass where you are in your opponent's guard and get one of your knees in-between you and your opponent. I have seen the move taught before. However, Mario brings razor sharp clarity to what you are doing. He lays out the game plan and you get to step into his head and see the world from his eyes. He also, like every Mario tape, walks you through all the counters to your opponent's counters. In the end, this tape is just trying to show you how to open your opponent's guard. That's it! If you want to pass go, you have to get tape 9. Tape 9 takes off where this tape leaves off and shows how to pass the open guard. You really should buy these two tapes together. Do not buy them separately.

This tape leaves off where tape 8 stops. Tape 8 got you the point where you have broken your opponent's guard and now face passing the open guard. Mario shows how to defeat several types of open guards. For those that love the "spider guard," you will know when your sparring partner gets his Master Series 2 tapes. That will be the day he stomps your spider guard. I mean this literally!!! You will know it when you feel it.

The term "spider guard" gets tossed around quite a bit. There is often confusion about what it actually is. To hold someone in the spider guard you grab the end of each of your opponent's sleeves and then place your feet just above the crook of your opponent's elbow on his biceps. Pull on the sleeves and push with the feet. You can really frustrate your opponent. Or, so I thought. The methods that Mario shows to defeat the spider guard are so simple that I feel embarrassed for not thinking of them myself. I can only shake my head.

The rest of the tape is a web of moves and strategies for passing the open guard. All of this assumes that your opponent is someone as good as , if not better, than Mario. However, I am here to tell you that these counters come in handy when you are fighting the clueless. Mario prepares you for almost every eventuality.

Again, make sure to buy tapes 8 and 9 together. These two tapes must be seen together to understand Mario's method of passing the guard from start to finish. In showing how easy the Spider Guard can be defeated, Mario made good on his statement that, "There is no guard that can't be passed, there are only guys who don't know how to pass." Well, now you can add your name to the list of those in the know.

This tape is a great example of how fighters like Mario are operating at a totally different level than everyone else. Think of the half guard counters you know. You won't see them here. Your opponent is too skilled to let you get away with the run of the mill counters. Mario walk you through what can be truly called "advanced" passing the half guard. I have never seen these moves before. You do see some fighters using these moves in the Worlds. Mario is letting us view a higher level of BJJ that nobody has been willing to put on tape. The moves, while somewhat complex, are not hard to execute. What makes this tape even more interesting is the way the techniques vary based on who is winning or losing the fight. Your reaction to a given situation will be dramatically different if you are either ahead or behind on points. You must adjust your tactics if your opponent decides to ride his lead and stall as time runs out. Or, your opponent might try riskier moves if he is behind on points. This is the type of coaching one would expect if you were Mario's student preparing to enter the World's. This stuff is priceless . . . for all other things there is Master Card.

I am unworthy. I am unworthy. This tape rules. This tape has some great moves. More importantly this tape is an example of why I only review full tape sets. Never, put a lot of stock in reviews of partial tape sets. Would you trust a review of a movie if the reviewer had only seen the last 20 minutes of the film? This tape completes the half guard tape by showing what to do when you have someone in the half guard. This information was only briefly touched on in the tape 10. You might want to watch this tape first before watching tape 10. Mario shows how to go from having the half guard to a superior position. All new stuff that I have never seen on tape before.

The rest of the tape deals with sweeps from the closed guard. All new stuff, all realistic and great moves. One great move after another. Moves you can use right away.

At first glance this tape would appear to be a quick way to make a buck on the Mario submitting Royler Gracie and Wallid Ismail choking Royce into next week with the same choke -The clock choke. I figured that this tape would not have much to do with the rest of the tapes. I was wrong.

This tape fits with everything that went before it. Quite simply, an opponent will often turtle rather than allow you to pass his guard and get your points. This tape is a natural extension of the passing the guard tapes. Mario walks you through how to apply the clock choke the Mario way. Painful and nasty. He then shows you a series of variations designed to stop you opponent from countering. Once again, you walk away feeling like you have some depth to your understanding of the clock choke. Simple and straightforward and very effective. Just ask Royler.

The rest of the tape is an extension of Master Series 1. Mario shows more sweeps for when your opponent stands in your guard. Last but not least, Mario shows Americana from the scarf hold. He does not really teach Americana. It is assumed that you already know it. What he does show is how to setup the lock and how to control your opponent. To preface this move he states that "If you can't make something as basic as Americana work, how can you expect to make fancy moves to work." Very true.

Bill Lewis BJJ33@aol.com
© Copyright Bill Lewis 2000 all rights reserved.