Closed Guard – Reverse Kimura System from Drew Weatherhead (Because JiuJitsu)

Closed Guard – Reverse Kimura System from Drew Weatherhead (Because JiuJitsu)

INTRODUCTION: If you’re on IG, you’ve most likely heard of @because_jitsu’s meme page. The guy who runs it is Drew Weatherhead, a Canadian blackbelt out of Alberta. He put out a lot of clips of him utilizing a “new” position called the Reverse Kimura.

Despite the cool sounding name, and the fact that I’m a white belt that knows nothing, this is not the first time the term “reverse kimura” has shown up, as BudoVideos already put out a Reverse Kimura DVD 3 years ago.

The Reverse Kimura seems to be less of a submission and more of a gripping system that opens you up to a myriad of options depending on what YOU want to do OR how your opponent reacts.

This review is my experience with watching the instructional and how it compares to BudoVideo DVD that I’ve watched. I have yet to implement all of them in my training, and I plan on updating this review when I do get the time to use more of the techniques shown.

Note: I’ll use the following abbreviations for the two instructionals BV – BudoVideos RKS – Reverse Kimura Series

PRODUCTION QUALITY: RK:CG – Two camera angles shown that adequately show what and where you should be focused on when working the position. The video quality is great, and despite a camera focusing issue here and there in the early clips, it’s actually fantastically shot. The techniques are shown in short bite sized clips that can be easily rewatched. There’s no extensive changing of position, because if you don’t know what his legs are doing behind his partner, the other angle being shot is inlayed on the screen for you to quickly switch your eyes to. Audio is well done, and there doesn’t seem to be any lapses in quality as the instructional goes on.

I’m not a huge stickler for production unless its REALLY bad, in which case, it’s an absolutely annoying experience. Frankly, I would prefer more instructionals implement a two camera layout so that there wouldn’t be a need to reset and change position. Having it there is great for whenever you want to know whats going on at the other end immediately, and you don’t have to wait for them to reset and go through everything again (or god forbid they just move on without showing you everything)

BV: Single camera angle. Audio is great, but he doesn’t utilize the microphone that Drew uses in his series.

WINNER: RKS – The only way to make the production quality any better is to shoot on 8K cameras with cinema lenses, so I took away 1 point. Do not take this as a dealbreaker, because BV had great production, but it just didn’t have the extras that made RKS easier to watch.

CONTENT & INSTRUCTION: This should help anyone wondering about “Which one should I get?”

The BudoVideos DVD is just…different. Despite being shot in a NoGi format and RKS shot in a Gi format, the position is bilingual, and the material you learn in either DVD should translate. However, there are more important differences that should be noted.

The BV instructional is one 45 min. long video. The RKS instructional is 38 short videos that are precise and succinct and clearly labeled with what they’re teaching. I followed the instructionals as they were laid out on the site, but after learning the basic position and reactions to it, you’re pretty free to switch to whatever technique grabs your attention. That’s the beauty of the layout as well as the instruction.

Just a quick run through the contents of BV shows that it does not seem to have NEARLY as much content as the RK series. While the BV series has a Closed Guard section and a Half Guard, Mount and Passing section, RK has a FAR more extensive lineup of techniques that he shows from just the closed guard alone, and I’m fairly certain that the RK series has more instructionals coming out from more positions, so the marginal advantage that BV has rn will more than likely be overshadowed as RK expands. At the same time, it doesn’t seem like the BV series has any technique that the RK series DOESN’T have, and in fact, The RK series has WAAAAY more techniques to show.

The other major difference I noted was that they teach the actual grip differently. While the positions seem the same, BV teaches you to actually lock the figure 4 grip while the RK series shows you to keep it open for the simple reason of maintaining tension and control. The reason this is important is that of the counters to the actual position.

The BV series doesn’t clarify what the potential counters to setting up the position could be, but the RK series delineates 7 of the most common responses (as well as encourages you to send him any you encounter for him to address in future updates). This is great, because as someone that constantly questions “how could I beat this”, he really does offer you solutions to those issues.

The other reason the RK series is better is that he’s systematized the positions into three ‘ranges’ – Long, Middle (Homebase), and Close Range. He clarifies the advantages of each position and what options are more prevelant (i.e. Close Range is best for back transitions, Middle is for sweeps, etc.). This really helped me in terms of how to chain the movement. Having a “Homebase” and with the emphasis on maintaining control, RK really offers you a step by step approach to implementing techniques.

The other variation that I found was that the actual instruction in BV didn’t really help clear up any potential kinks you might need to address with SETTING UP the position, namely dragging the arm across. While it was a nogi instructional, the addition that RK adds is much more insightful and really goes in line with what John Danaher and Xande Ribeiro put out with their Closed Guard DVDs.

The actual instruction in both instructionals is fantastic, but as a starting point, the RK series seems to introduce the position in a more fluid manner and with the ability for future updates, it offers more expandability for those who get it (sort of like how Lapel Encyclopedia gets more chapters as time goes on, if Drew goes that route).