helpful MMA books/dvds

[monji112000]

What books/dvds have really learned something from.

I have read only 3 MMA style books worth buying ( I have read allot).
BJ's MMA book
Randy's Wrestling for the fighter book
and Bas's big book of MMA

of course if you are not a novice you may not want the first two books.

The Chute DVDs look good , and when I get cash I was going to get some of the NYSANDA dvds.

again...What books/dvds have really learned something from.
What books/dvds really suck?

[Ben Gash]

I've got several, and as an intro to MMA training, especially for a TCMA practitioner, the NYSanda discs are really good. They're packed full of solid fundamentals but aren't at all patronising (when I was at university they used to say "they're not basic skills, they're essential skills). They introduce you to the language and mindset of MMA really well, which then helps you get the most from other DVDs.
Mark Hatmaker's ABCs of NHB is a really good set, packed with information and technique. They're also based around training drills and methodologies, which make them very useful.
I've also got the Complete Grappler by Hatmaker, and this is really good. The teaching of individual techniques is fairly brief (there are 400 of them), but they're taken through endless variations and permutations, with counters and re-counters, which enhances the knowledge. The important things to remember about this set is A) it's mostly about positional work. It's designed to be supplemented by ABCs and "the Submissions Encyclopedia" and B)Hatmaker's a wrestler, not a BJJ guy, and so he works to a different paradigm, although personally I find that interesting.
Erik Paulson's "Combat Submission Wrestling Essentials" set has loads of great techniques and useful drills, but I would say you need some prior knowledge before getting them. The Pummelling disc in this set is superb, and worth getting the set just for that
Randy Couture's "Fight and Win" series has some good stuff on it, but I'd say it's most useful for seeing how he makes use of the skills rather than teaching the skills themselves, so again prior knowledge is required.
Yeah, those "Secrets of Chute Boxe" DVDs look interesting, although the Youtube clips I've seen suggest some iffy dubbing.

[Nick Forrer]

I've also got the Complete Grappler by Hatmaker, and this is really good. The teaching of individual techniques is fairly brief (there are 400 of them), but they're taken through endless variations and permutations, with counters and re-counters, which enhances the knowledge. The important things to remember about this set is A) it's mostly about positional work. It's designed to be supplemented by ABCs and "the Submissions Encyclopedia" and B)Hatmaker's a wrestler, not a BJJ guy, and so he works to a different paradigm, although personally I find that interesting.
.

The more grappling you do the more you will realise how poor Hatmakers stuff is. Save your money for something better (see below)

[Nick Forrer]

These are the DVDS you must own IMO

Striking:

NHB 1 by Steve Morris

Simply outstanding breakdown of fundamentals of stance and striking for NHB. Never seen anything else with this much detail.

General MMA:

Fundamental JKD series 2 by SBGi: 5 discs breaking down clinch, striking, top game bottom game and escapes. Best Intro to MMA I have seen

Intermediate level BJJ:

Carlos Machado infinite Jiu Jitsu set

Best set on BJJ bar none in terms of instruction, content and production quality

You can google all of these.

[Ben Gash]

I got it cheap on ebay ;)
I generally never agree 100% with everything on a disc anyway, they're there as a collection of reference materials to give me ideas to work with. The advantage with Hatmaker is that he has very good teaching skills, which is kinda important on a disc. I've got stuff from very skilled grapplers that is almost unwatchable.
I think that SBGi may well be my next port of call for materials. Some of their volume 3 stuff looks interesting.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Truly, your experience level will dictate how useful anything is.

Bas Rutten's Big DVD of Combat, the dvd version of his book, is great, BUT Bas does many things "Bas's way", so...

There is a fine line for learning from instructionals, I have found that beginners should NOT attempt to do so UNLESS they have a good point of reference, like a Judo BB learning BJJ from a DVD series to familiarize himself with it.

Intermediates can get SOME good stuff IF they know what they are looking for.

As with all things, experienced MA can get TONS of useful stuff from almost anything, especially of the person instructing is Top level, one can pick up the "little" things that make so much difference.

[AmanuJRY]

Many books by Erich Krauss, he's the guy that helped BJ and Randy write their books. I got alot out of 'Mastering the Rubber Guard' by Eddie Bravo and Erich.

I also believe the classic books on strategy by Sun Tzu and Musashi are a wealth of wisdom inside the ring/cage.