Mastering The Twister [Paperback]

MY PERSPECTIVE
First let me say that this book and it's predecessor "Mastering the Rubber Guard" have totally changed my game. I always disliked grappling because the moves never worked well for shorter guys like me. I only practiced grappling to supplement my stand up fighting, because I disliked it so much. I did Shooto and BJJ, but I was always very "blah" about it. But now, I love grappling, and I have the excitement of learning something new every time I experiment with the moves in Bravo's books. And most importantly... these moves actually work.

ABOUT THE BOOK
While the first book was Bravo's bottom position game (guard, half guard, "pyramid") this book is his top game (mount, side control, and back). Like the first book, this book shows each move in step by step detail with full color photos taken from two angles. Also like the first book, he teaches all of the moves in a flowing sequence so you can get a good idea of how transition from move to move. Also like the first book, the first portion is dedicated to his childhood and his love of drugs. If this bothers you, then just flip through the first several pages until you see pictures of guys doing ju jutsu. Or, just rip out the first section entirely and throw it away. You'll still be left with exactly what you were looking for; a ju jutsu book that has a ton of great info and is worth every penny you paid for it.

PROS AND CONS
If you are new to BJJ or a hardcore gi lover, then you'll find this book to be chock full of great material. You'll probably see setups that are a little bit complicated for you, positions you've never even imagined, and some basic no-gi strategy that probably no one but the advanced students in your school know about.

On the flip side, intermediate students and gi haters will find themselves frequently skipping over setups and no gi strategies that they are already very familiar with.

Personally, I like that the book has a lot of subtle strategies and techniques, and I'm sure that I'll return to this book again and again every time I can't quite figure out what I'm doing wrong. However, I was dissapointed that this book didn't have the same "wow" factor as the first one. Maybe if I had read this book first and the other one after, then I would feel the opposite way; I'm not sure. But after reading the rubber guard book, I didn't feel that Bravo's top game was quite as Earth-shattering as his bottom game.

That being said, I still feel that this book is full of great info and absolutely necessary to complete the system that Bravo began to lay out in his first book. The quality of the paper, photos, and writing EASILY makes this the best martial arts book I've ever seen (much less the best BJJ book out there). And I think that if you don't buy this book, then you are truly missing out on a whole new world in grappling.

wow wow wow, Eddie Bravo has realeased a very eorthy sequel to last years Mastering the Rubber Guard.
Im going to give a few explanations, because naturally, some people are going to be dissapointed at things that others love
Firstly, this book is NOT a guide to the twister and how to get into it, it covers eddies entire top game, truck(twister control position) included
it covers submissions transitions, and entries into a host of submissions from the top, and offers a method of reaching teh truck from almost any position, eddie also gives a huge section on finishing the twister, what to do if you cant finish it, such as transitions, an sother submissions from the truck.

eddies top game is very leg riding based, which is in my opinion, the best method for shorter guys to attack larger opponents, but tall people will benefit aswell
thats the beauty in Eddies book, there are moves from every position that are better for longer and shorter grapplers, so anyone can benefit from this book

as a negative, some people will be annoyed that Eddies first chapter is basically an autobiography, he states how he was molested by a babysitter as a child, and enjoyed it......
while I find his contemporary american style writing hilarious, anal retentive people will say things like"as a sensei, you have to be respectful of youre entire audience" or crap along the line sof that
I like what he writes, and if I didnt, id ignore what I thought was unnessecary, the book is there whether you like it or not, best make the best out of it.

regardless, Mastering the Twister and Mastering the Rubber Guard are bar none the best book set out there for grappling, and victory belt is going to keep making more

5/5 if you want a grappling book, which is exactly what this book was written for

Just like his book on the Rubber Guard, Eddie Bravo's 'Mastering the Twister' is an innovative, effective and insightful system of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu without the gi, that both intermediate and longtime practitioners will benefit in many ways from.

Like 'Mastering the Rubber Guard', this isn't just an encyclopedia of moves and positions, but a complete gameplan and system. There is a flow-chart that details each position as it transitions to the next, and Eddie goes into excellent detail on the intricacies of each technique. Like other Victory Belt published books, this is as good an instructional you will get short of a DVD video release. Highly recommended.

This is advanced BJJ however, so beginners will be adviced not to just jump in without a firm grasp of the basics. It should also be noted that Mastering the Twister is a direct "sequel" if you will to Mastering the Rubber Guard, so it will be good to start with that book first, though not totally necessary. What MTRG did for the bottom game, MTTwister does for the top game.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 18 reviews  4.7 out of 5 stars