Amazon.com: Jiu-Jitsu University: Saulo Ribeiro, Kevin Howell: Books

Product Description

Saulo Ribeiro—six-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion—is world-renowned for his functional jiu-jitsu knowledge and flawless technique. In Jiu-Jitsu University, Ribeiro shares with the public for the first time his revolutionary system of grappling, mapping out more than 200 techniques that carry you from white to black belt. Illuminating common jiu-jitsu errors and then illustrating practical remedies, this book is a must for all who train in jiu-jitsu. Not your run-of-the-mill technique book, Jiu-Jitsu University is a detailed training manual that will ultimately change the way jiu-jitsu is taught around the globe.

About the Author

Saulo Ribeiro is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion. Ribeiro, along with his jiu-jitsu achievements, is a lawyer and judge and now head instructor at the world-famous University of Jiu-Jitsu based in San Diego, CA.

Kevin Howell is a political science professor based in Huntington Beach, CA. He holds a brown belt in judo and a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Product Details

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Victory Belt Publishing (November 17, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0981504434
ISBN-13: 978-0981504438
Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.1 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,547 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
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	91% buy the item featured on this page: Jiu-Jitsu University 4.9 out of 5 stars (42) $26.37
	3% buy Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Technique (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu series) 4.6 out of 5 stars (127) $19.77
	2% buy Mixed Martial Arts: The Book of Knowledge 4.9 out of 5 stars (48) $23.07
	2% buy Gracie Submission Essentials: Grandmaster and Master Secrets of Finishing a Fight (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu series) 4.8 out of 5 stars (12) $19.77

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Customer Reviews

42 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.9 out of 5 stars (42 customer reviews)

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33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Basics, good insights, November 17, 2008

By	Honkeywrench - See all my reviews

This is a fairly comprehensive survey of the basics, covered in a belt-by-belt perspective. The photographic quality is emblematic of the new style of MA tutorials, with clear pictures, and techniques portrayed from multiple perspectives in a top-down, linear fashion. It's the same style used in Couture's "Wrestling for Fighting" and several other recent works.

There are scads of GJJ books on the market, so I will only cover what makes this one different from the rest. One noticeable difference is in the belt pedagogy. In the Gracie books, the techniques assigned to belt levels (if at all) are often apparently randomly selected and organized. Ribeiro, on the other hand, assigns a principle goal of each belt, and then organizes techniques in accordance with the goal. The main thing to realize is that many (most?) classes put defensive techniques and offensive techniquest together at each belt level, with proficiency, as well as learning some advanced techniques, being the key to getting the belt. Ribeiro, on the other hand, groups like techniques. Therefore, the reader's class will likely be out-of-step with this book. Ribeiro is presenting a pedagogy, not an encylopedia of techniques, so if you're considering this book, keep that in mind.

Amazon won't let you see the TOC yet, so I will break the chapters down.

White belt: The goal is "survival," which seems completely reasonable to me, at least as a focus. This chapter covers the correct positions to attain and to hold while you're under another player's mount (top, side, back, etc.). Ribeiro lists the mistakes he thinks players typically make when defending against submissions in these positions, and some of his techniques are slightly different from what I've seen taught elsewhere. The point here is that the new player hasn't learned, or at least, isn't proficient at, escapes or submissions yet, and he needs to learn how to survive while thinking of his next move. I found Ribeiro's pointers to be useful...things I wish I would have learned on my first day of class (instead of being thrown to the wolves).

Blue belt: The goal of the blue belt is to focus on escapes. Escapes are discussed from the the above positions, and, as in the earlier (and later) chapters, Ribeiro lists mistakes players typically make, as well as his own unique techniques.

One primary difference, then, is that this book provides no offensive techniques for either the white belt or the blue belt. That's okay from the standpoint of this book being a supplement to actual classes, but would be quite interesting if the book were akin to Ribeiro's classes. My school failed where Ribeiro succeeeds -- focusing on survival, or at least, defensive techniques, for the lower belts -- but my school was also, I think, more conventional in that it required excellence in dozens of offensive techniques in order for blue belt to be acheived.

Purple belt: The goal of this belt is to become proficient in the guard. The earlier pattern continues.

Brown belt: The goal of this belt is to learn guard passing. The earlier pattern continues, and a variety of basic and advanced techniques are presented.

Black belt: The goal of the black belt chapter is to learn submissions.

Anyway, the moral of the story is to be clear on what you want when choosing a supplemental text. This book presents sound techniques and an interesting approach to study, but one that is likely to be completely out of sync with what the reader needs to learn in order to get ahead in class. Other books present laundry list of techniques without any sense of order or purpose.

Hope this helps.

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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the best BJJ book I have seen., November 17, 2008

By	Robert Ysline (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

I just got Saulo's book and I am elated. It is definitely the best BJJ book on the market and will take a special place in my BJJ book collection.

This is why I gave it five stars...

Comprehensive: This book covers a complete system of white to black belt and is the first time I have seen the belt system put together in a way that makes sense. Saulo uses the belts as guidelines for what you should learn before you move to the next belt. I wish I had this book 3 years ago when I started. For guys like me that have been around a while, I plan on going back and brushing up on elements that I have missed. This is a great book when it comes to finding the holes in your game.

Troubleshooting: Just like Saulo's popular DVD series, he outlines the do's and don't do's of every move. He explains everything well and I have already had several epiphanies regarding moves that I thought were perfect. I thought these little pointers were game changers.

Scope: If it wasn't enough that Saulo covers the major positions of BJJ, he also adds plenty of "bells and whistles". I like how he shows many current positions and discusses the evolution to and from these positions. Instead of teaching how to pass the standard closed guard or spider guard, he shows how to pass some of the trickiest modern guards out there. Even better, he shows how to use similar body movements to beat just about anything. It felt like a trip into jiu-jitsu theory and application all in one.

I can't wait for Jiu-Jitsu University 2, though I am not sure how much material Saulo would have left. It looks like this one has a lifetime of knowledge invested into it.

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome! , November 18, 2008

By	Jiujitsu Dave - See all my reviews

Simply awesome! This book has it all. There are so many things about this book. The clarity of the instruction is great! Some books out there try to be too casual in the explanations and end up not getting the proper points across. This book however does get the points across. There are multiple angles of just about every move, so there are no detailes missed visually. The descriptions are very well written, that way no detail goes un-spoken. If you still have a hard time understanding, there are case studies in the book which help get the points across and give a very good demonstration of the techniques.

Saulo has a unique teaching style. In this book he either sets your foundation or re-works what you have. He goes into moves and explains not only how to do them, but how they work and very interestingly, what makes them not work! If you are looking for a good, one book collection, this is the book to get. If there was a Bible for jiujitsu, this would be it!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Jiu Jitsu University: Very well worthwhile read
The organization and format of this book is very good. This is not a glance-over book.

The photos are usually shot from several angles (laid out side by side) to... Read more

Published 12 days ago by JT Bergstrom

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Jiu-Jitsu book as of 2009
If this is not the best book on Jiu-Jitsu then I want to buy whatever is better.

Everyone has pretty much given the run-down on this superb book so I will just touch... Read more

Published 12 days ago by H. Martin

4.0 out of 5 stars Awesomely written; but no takedowns
This has to be the best jiu-jitsu book I have ever read. It has excellent pictures, great tips, and very detail oriented. Read more

Published 21 days ago by Zach Black

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent treatise, some omissions
I have not much basis of comparison with other bjj books, however, I have seen plenty of instructionals and done my share of googling. Read more

Published 22 days ago by One more opinion

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have
This is a must-have for anyone wanting to learn Jiu-jitsu. This book is easy to follow and teaches you the basics and the higher levels with step by step procedures and ease. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Richard Pellegrini

5.0 out of 5 stars Reuban
Best BJJ book I've ever bought. I have nearly 20 and this book explains even the simplist things to a level I didn't think possible. Saulo Riberio is truely a BJJ genius.

Published 1 month ago by Reuban Walsh

5.0 out of 5 stars A good book for your BJJ library
JJ University is a good reference book. The photos are high quality and the author shows each technique from multiple angles. Read more

Published 1 month ago by The Agnostic Apatheist

5.0 out of 5 stars Must buy
I was intially a sceptic of this book and now think it is excellent.

It is one of the best BJJ books and covers so much material and in ways that others never really... Read more

Published 1 month ago by Mark Patterson

5.0 out of 5 stars Home Style JiuJitsu
An easy to understand text book for Martial Artists of some experience. Combined with the instruction of a good teacher, one could learn a lot of JiuJitu. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Edgar

5.0 out of 5 stars Saulo Ribeiro's BJJ Philosophy and Course
This book has deservedly received a lot of great reviews. There are a couple factors that distinguish this book from other jiu-jitsu books covering different areas of the game... Read more

Published 1 month ago by J. Park

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