DVD Review - Brutal Bouncer by Russell Jarmesty

Summary - A seven disc set of no nonsense techniques, that will give you the upper hand in a live situation, plus the psyhcological tools to help you 'switch on' instantly and finish the job fast!

Russell Jarmesty is a martial artist that needs no introduction to those in the martial arts industry; his credentials and achievements are second to none and this year Russell picked up an award at the British Martial Arts Awards 2016, for DVD of the Year (Brutal Bouncer) and came runner up for Martial Arts Man of the Year.

In addition to this DVD set, Russell also has an Instructor App called Mean Streets, both on the App Store and Google Play; drawing on his fifteen year's experience on the doors in Manchester, his blend of Karate and Applied Jiu Jitsu have been tried, tested and evolved into the techniques that you see on this DVD today.  The key to any good martial arts styles is to regularly pressure test the techniques against live, resisting opponents, this is why the UK has seen a surge in popularity in Brazilian Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts.

To realistically pressure test live situations that on the streets have no time limits, rules and referees, one can go out every weekend in any town centre and sure enough, there will be someone willing to have a fight, which isn't a very smart idea, unless you're a lover of prison food.  The other way, is to work on the doors and provided you stay within the realms of the Law, one is able to study how fights escalate from verbal cues and body langauge, to the point when it's going to 'kick off'. In addition, the use of de-escalation techniques can also be used, studied and improved upon, whilst working the doors. These skills are vital if you are teaching realistic self defence classes through the week and want to teach students applied martial arts theory and practice.

Disc one is the intro disc where Russell starts to explain what to expect on the whole set and sets out his teaching methodology and psychological concepts; the main thrust of this disc is of being aware of your environment, to develop a healthy paranoia when you are out and about. It deals with psycholgical issues and the different attitudes people can display, as well as breaking down awareness levels.  Mirroring people's actions and the use of body language are touched upon and looking at the body language pre fight.  How to deal with adrenaline and adrenaline dumps, taking the initiative, verbal de escalations and the best advice of all - you can't beat a good kick in the bollocks!

Disc two involves more of Russell talking rather than showing the meaty stuff, as there's more to everything than showing hundreds of fancy techniques, that will end you up in a gutter or on a slab.  Here he talks about his takes on the techniques and scenarios that you will most likely encounter out in the real world, not just in a club but in day to day settings.  What to do when you have to go first, covering 'The Moment' when it kicks off and the use of reasonable force. Not everyone needs annihilating!  Verbal cues and keywords that help you 'go', also verbal distractions that you can used are talked about and explained in later discs. How to use pre emptive strikes on the bag are shown on the bag and tips on how to train strikes on the bag in all directions. 

Disc three is where the meaty part of the series starts with thoughts on the need of finishing a fight in three seconds and on why that three seconds feels like minutes in a live situation; here Russell shows why using the back of the hands when using a closed guard is better than in a stance with palms facing the opponent.  What if scenarios are covered together with training drills, body movement and options when up against the wall, or when your opponent is against the wall.

Hammer fists, knees, elbows and forearms are introduced, plus face bars and neck cranks as opposed to guillotines, as well as letting the punch go and smothering the oppoent. Single and double grabs from front side and rear are demonstrated with option for all positions.  Working on the inside and outside of the body and the use of pre emptive strikes are covered in more detail and how to set these up and using conversation to set them up ends this disc.

Disc four goes one step further by showing scenarios and how you can apply the strikes and body parts discussed in Disc 3; this is where you can see the influence of Trevor Roberts, whom Russell has trained with for many years and still does today.  Chokes from behind, various disengagements and lots more Jiu Jitsu techniques, mauling and smothering are covered in greater detail, with the emphasis of spending as little time as possible on the ground.  Russell shows how to incorporate vertical grappling into these scenarios, with lots of drills and ideas demonstrated.  Russell uses bag work to show how fast you can gas just by going all out with strikes for ten three second rounds with three seconds rest. 

Disc five is what Russell describes at the Torture Side; when you're in the shit, you have to do shit things, you have to be prepared to go all the way and it mirrors the title of the box set. It's a brutal world out there, whether you're on the doors or in real life.  Russell discusses how you can change the assailant's mind from coming back and doing what he said he was going to do.  

Eyes, fingers and groins are covered and how to dismantle someone quickly and with as much pain as possible. If you are going to put it on, put it on! Hold those fingers like they're you're own, never give them back and let it go if it has to go and go for something else.  

Disc six goes through more scenarios, with lots of tips and pointers, as well as the use of common sense and awareness of your environment, as well as the use of slaps over punches and the best time to use slaps.  Knife scenarios are covered, but it's not the fancy shit you see on the movies and in great details, it's Russell's take on the issue after life on the doors. Using coins in your pockets is covered and shows you how deadly a coin be when thrown at some one (don't panic, Russell uses plasterboard to demonstrate - no people where maimed or killed in the making of this DVD set). Multiple attack scenarios are covered and how to get switched on and ready to go and thus concludes the DVD set.

Disc seven is a bonus disc and Russell teams up with Ian Goer who runs NAP Ltd, the company that has made and distributes the DVD's; on here are a handful of real life fights that have been captured on You Tube and social media, some of which are well known and both of them comment on the fight action, which I thought was a neat idea. Showing real time fights as they happen with running commentary gives the box set that finishing touch and ends with Russell's thoughts on society as a whole.

Afterword - this DVD set is not designed to scare the living daylights out of people and make them hide behind the couch and never step foot into the outside world.  The world can often be a very brutal place at times and the most brutal of incidents can happen in the local supermarket or in a local park, just as much as they can happen in pubs and clubs.  Russell has put himself in really bad situations time and again in his job as a doorman and is able to pass on applied techniques that work under the most intense pressure.  As a doorman myself, I can identify with everything on these DVD's, these are the real deal; if you want to learn hundreds of different moves, there are plenty of martial clubs out there, but if you want to learn tried and tested bread and butter techniques that will get you home in one piece, then this is the box set for you.  

The box set can be purchased at http://www.jarmestymartialarts.com/shop/