Disclaimer: The FCC requires me to inform you that I received my copies free of charge from Victory Belt in exchange for a review on this site. This is insulting to my intelligence and yours.
You want to learn about MMA, why not learn from the best? Victory Belt’s Anderson Silva DVD series comes in three parts: Takedowns & Takedown Defense, Boxing, and Striking Combos.
In Takedowns & Takedown Defense, Silva covers the double leg, single leg, throws from over-under, throws from double underhooks, and setting up takedowns with strikes. The Boxing section covers footwork, basic strikes, parrying and blocking, evasive movements, and clinch fighting. In the final installment, Silva goes over boxing and Muay Thai combinations for attacking and countering.
If you’re familiar with their books or other DVD offerings, you know what kind of quality to expect. The disc is wonderfully shot and shown in multiple angles to give you the full perspective of each technique. I can’t speak for the Portuguese translation, but the narration clearly describes the action. As a nice little addition, Anderson lets you know when he used some of the techniques he demonstrates in fights.
I only have one major complaint: there’s a serious lack of non-instructional content. There’s a video of Silva sparring at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym, but…that’s it. It would be nice to see an interview like what they did on Machida’s series. Maybe a short documentary on his life and career as well. I understand there’s a conflict with licensing material from Zuffa, but they could work around that if they didn’t want to pony up the cash.
That said, I would recommend this series for budding fighters and those serious about increasing their knowledge of MMA. Be forewarned: these instructionals are not intended for entertainment purposes. It is advised that you do not try to watch each DVD in one sitting, unless you want an effective sleep aid.
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