Ground Kembativz: Street Solutions For Common MMA Setups With Kelly McCann
“Ground Kembativz: Street Solutions to Common MMA Set-Ups” with Kelly McCann is the sixth volume in the “Kelly McCann’s Crucible High-Risk Environment Training” series. In this DVD, produced by Paladin Press, McCann addresses how to deal with some of the most common situations you may face if you must fight an opponent with MMA (mixed martial arts) skills, whether you train in MMA or just be a fighter. you’ve picked up a few things along the way.
If you want simple, no-frills, solid instruction in combative self-defense, you won’t go wrong learning from Kelly McCann. He is a straight shooter, who speaks as he sees it, and who focuses on combatives for those who must use abilities when they really count. He doesn’t teach “martial arts” or competition skills, he teaches based on the Crucible motto, “Nothing we do is legal competition, because your life is not a game.” This DVD is McCann’s answer, or his street solutions, to some of MMA’s most popular setups or attacks.
The show is filmed in what appears to be the Crucible garage. There’s a car with “Crucible” on the door behind McCann. It’s also a bit dark, but not where you can’t see the instructions clearly. But it wasn’t filmed in Paladin’s studio. The filming is done very well, with clear picture and sound, and other scenes and information are added to the show to stand out and add variety. There’s also a good menu system so you can easily find the sections you want to review and practice. So the production values are very good.
But what makes this DVD really valuable is the instructions. McCann opens with an introduction that has him leaning against the car and looking at some notes as he describes why he made this DVD and the differences between MMA and the street. After the introduction, McCann goes into the settings or situations that he addresses on the show. These include: The Clinch, Takedowns, Muay Thai Leg Kick, The Triangle Choke, The Rear Naked Choke, The Armbar, Standing Armbars, and The Mount Position. He then just closes with a couple of short words at the end of the montage position section.
Most of the DVD has McCann teaching responses and things to do against the attacks listed above, but in a couple of sections he teaches offensive tools like his variation of the Muay Thai leg kick and a standing quick arm bar. Some of the defenses involve pulling out a knife and fighting your way in, but McCann stresses that these responses are only for the most serious situations.
This show is an excellent companion to McCann’s other combat DVDs such as Jim Grover’s “Combatives” series, “Situational Self-Offense” and his other Crucible shows. It covers additional techniques and strategies to tackle some of the attacks one might face on the street. I highly recommend this DVD and all of McCann’s shows.