Saturday, March 10, 2007
Lock On Volume 2 review
Here is another review that was posted on Amazon:
5 Stars Excellent "Instructional" Hapkido DVD, March 8, 2007
Reviewer: Thomas O. Morrison (Ogdensburg, NY United States) - See all my reviews
The second volume of "Lock On" focuses on "Armbars and Elbow Techniques" and follows a similar format to the first and has the same high production values and ease of access through its chaptering system.
This volume comes off as a bit quicker paced than the first and has more variations to these locks. Again the emphasis is not so much on all the myriad parts of Hapkido, but rather on these specific locks, and to a lesser extant, the footwork, strikes, positioning that go with the locks and their variations. This volume goes a bit deeper in this than the first one does and is very much "concept" based instead of rote technique based. It's clear that Mr. Burrese encourages experimentation and creative application of the techniques past the fundamental level of understanding.
The DVD runs a total of 83 minutes and starts off with a brief introduction and then an explanation/examination of the elbow joint. From there various locks are explored, including a basic (standing) Armbar, variations thereof (including some cool techniques using a knee to create the Armbar), Armbar Escorts, Step Under Armbars, Armbreaks, Crossed Arm (elbow) Techniques, Elbow Clamps, and some very basic "Ground Fighting" (really just a few finishing techniques on the ground). For each category, the basic lock is explored in a fairly static sense and in a dynamic sense. From there, helpful and clear pointers are added and then variations in footwork and positioning are added. Various situations are shown, ranging from same side wrist grabs and punch defenses to using it offensively.
During the narration, Mr. Burrese adds in notations on effectiveness for self defense or for demonstrations, making it clear that some techniques are more for show and others aren't. He makes several references to levels of force and although he never goes into a great depth on it does give enough information for experienced practitioners to pick up on and understand. He is also very clear about showing that these are just one small element of Hapkido and that including the strikes, falls, breathing and other elements of the curriculum are necessary to understand and learn the art as a whole.
As an instructor, this is an excellent reference DVD. His clear narration and obvious experience provides a great model to follow when teaching and puts words to a lot of the "little tips" you show and teach but maybe never really explained verbally (I love how he handled the whole "anchoring" concept). This is truly an "instructional" DVD instead of a demonstration one. The focus is on teaching the material and providing ways to take the concepts and run with them.
For a student learning Hapkido, especially one that plans to someday instruct, this is a very valuable resource and well worth the money. I'd rather see someone buy high quality instructional DVDs like this set instead of having to buy lots of cheaper ones and try to get past the "demo" flavor and self-promotion that is often seen. I heard there may be a few more in the set covering other locks, I'll be happy to buy them and will appreciate them in my collection.
Overall, high quality instructional DVD that I highly recommend to students and instructors alike.
5 Stars Excellent "Instructional" Hapkido DVD, March 8, 2007
Reviewer: Thomas O. Morrison (Ogdensburg, NY United States) - See all my reviews
The second volume of "Lock On" focuses on "Armbars and Elbow Techniques" and follows a similar format to the first and has the same high production values and ease of access through its chaptering system.
This volume comes off as a bit quicker paced than the first and has more variations to these locks. Again the emphasis is not so much on all the myriad parts of Hapkido, but rather on these specific locks, and to a lesser extant, the footwork, strikes, positioning that go with the locks and their variations. This volume goes a bit deeper in this than the first one does and is very much "concept" based instead of rote technique based. It's clear that Mr. Burrese encourages experimentation and creative application of the techniques past the fundamental level of understanding.
The DVD runs a total of 83 minutes and starts off with a brief introduction and then an explanation/examination of the elbow joint. From there various locks are explored, including a basic (standing) Armbar, variations thereof (including some cool techniques using a knee to create the Armbar), Armbar Escorts, Step Under Armbars, Armbreaks, Crossed Arm (elbow) Techniques, Elbow Clamps, and some very basic "Ground Fighting" (really just a few finishing techniques on the ground). For each category, the basic lock is explored in a fairly static sense and in a dynamic sense. From there, helpful and clear pointers are added and then variations in footwork and positioning are added. Various situations are shown, ranging from same side wrist grabs and punch defenses to using it offensively.
During the narration, Mr. Burrese adds in notations on effectiveness for self defense or for demonstrations, making it clear that some techniques are more for show and others aren't. He makes several references to levels of force and although he never goes into a great depth on it does give enough information for experienced practitioners to pick up on and understand. He is also very clear about showing that these are just one small element of Hapkido and that including the strikes, falls, breathing and other elements of the curriculum are necessary to understand and learn the art as a whole.
As an instructor, this is an excellent reference DVD. His clear narration and obvious experience provides a great model to follow when teaching and puts words to a lot of the "little tips" you show and teach but maybe never really explained verbally (I love how he handled the whole "anchoring" concept). This is truly an "instructional" DVD instead of a demonstration one. The focus is on teaching the material and providing ways to take the concepts and run with them.
For a student learning Hapkido, especially one that plans to someday instruct, this is a very valuable resource and well worth the money. I'd rather see someone buy high quality instructional DVDs like this set instead of having to buy lots of cheaper ones and try to get past the "demo" flavor and self-promotion that is often seen. I heard there may be a few more in the set covering other locks, I'll be happy to buy them and will appreciate them in my collection.
Overall, high quality instructional DVD that I highly recommend to students and instructors alike.
# posted by Alain @ 10:42 PM 
