Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #75709 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-01-01
• Rating: Exempt
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Full Screen, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 60 minutes

Customer Reviews

Basic but practical
Geoff Thompson presents a basic overview of so called practical throws leading to neutralising an attacker. At just under an hour long, this features Thompson discussing which judo throws he believes to be the most effecient and effective to real self-defence situations based on his own experiences.

I was impressed with this dvd for the following reasons; it was practical - he happily dispensed with throws that would win points in judo competitions but would leave you open to an attack. He also spares us the vast variety of Japanese names of techniques - obviously if you invested time in judo you would need to learn these, but this dvd is concerned with self-defence first and foremost.

Possibly the greatest and most blindingly obvious inclusion in his theory and evaluation of techniques is the "blow before a throw" concept. This is Thompsons attempt at reconcilling judo with its jiu-jitsu heritage and possibly, in my opinion, the most important thing a judoka could remember when transfering their skills from mat randori to street self-defence.

I bought this dvd because a) I have dipped in and out of judo/jui-jitsu for several years without grading and b) now that I am finally able to invest the time and effort, there is nowhere local to practice...

My fellow martial arts enthusiasts had been raving about Thompson for years but I really didnt have much of a clue as to who he was. Anyway I saw this dvd, thought of the respect the man seems to generate and bought it with a plan to get an overview to refresh what I had learned and glean a few tips on basic technique.

Why only 3 stars?; It could have been a little more indepth in explaining such things as foot placement etc. I came away wishing he had just explained things or shown things a little better. Also it would have helped if after showing a technique at full speed it automatically showed in slow motion - I know dvd technology allows us to do it manually but that can become a hastle and detract from what is being shown. The footage is very basic but not shoddy - the fact that it is obviously filmed in a cellar gym adds something spartan to it!

I will be purchasing the next volume fairly soon but this is a good start and is not just for judoka - it is applicable to everyone.

Unsuitable for children
Wanted DVD to help with our sons judo. This is definately not suitable for children! The quality of the film is also terrible - very amateurist.

Not what we wanted
Customers need to know that this video is not suitable for children. It deals with how to fight people outside pubs, whereas we had hoped for a DVD that taught a young beginner how to learn new techniques in Judo.
Also, the film is very badly filmed - the speaker's head is chopped off!