Gene Simco's Master Text 2nd Edition Review

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Brazilian Jiu-jitsu: The Master Text � Second Edition

Before I begin my review, I would like to mention that I am reviewing this book from the point of view of a BJJ black belt and an instructor. I want to also mention that I am Gene Simco�s BJJ instructor. Now on with the review�..

The Master Text Second Edition is the largest book BJJ on the market with almost 800 pages. Keep in mind that this Second Edition is a revised version of the original and not intended to be a Part 2 or sequel. Look for a lot of improvements and additions, however, I don�t expect the book to be completely different from the first. This is important for consumers to realize, especially those who have the original Master Text.

The production of this book is excellent. When this book was first released, there was a problem with the binding being weak. However, Simco quickly resolved that problem by forcing his publisher to improve the product and offered his customers the ability to exchange the copies with the weak binding for a new one with the improved binding free of charge. It is great to see someone who stands behind their product.

The graphic design and layout of the Second Edition is very good and a big improvement from the original. The look is professional, aesthetically pleasing, clean, and easy to follow.

The photos are black and white, however, clear and crisp. I had no problem making out the details of the techniques from the pictures. I know a few people will wish that the photos were in color, however, the cost to publish an 800 page book in color would probably put the book at a price range that would be beyond what most people would ever be willing to pay.

The first 150 pages discuss the history, theory, principles, rules, etc� of BJJ. Simco goes into great detail into all these areas. For those who have been involved in BJJ for while, you may be familiar with some of information presented in these sections, however, I believe it is a great read for some who is new to art and wants to know more about BJJ besides the techniques. Even for those are familiar with the art, I believe the history section will be very interesting

The next 300 pages focus on sport BJJ techniques with the gi. Sections are, for the most part, separated by position. The techniques themselves are very good. If you are looking for high percentage techniques rather than crazy flashy techniques, you will definitely find his book useful. This Second Edition offers a good number of new techniques and refinement of the basics. For certain techniques, Simco would show the technique and then show the counter to that technique. I know that some people like to see a technique and then counter, however, I did not prefer this format in this section. Don�t get me wrong, I think the counters themselves are great. The reason I did not like this method of presentation for this section was that is could have had a little more consistency to it and occasionally became confusing to me. Counters are taught for some techniques, but are not taught for others. If this method of presentation is used, I believe it should be done for all techniques or not at all. By doing this, you will see things such as a few guard techniques in the guard passing section and vice versa. I would have rather seen all guard technique in one section, all guard passing techniques in other section, etc� The idea of showing a counter can still exist by just providing a reference to another section.

The sport BJJ section is then followed by 150 pages dedicated to no gi submission grappling. Though I did not like the �show a technique and show the counter� in the sport BJJ section, I thought it fit well in this section. Why? Because there was consistency. For virtually every technique or position, Simco taught the counter. Once again the techniques were very good. Solid high percentage stuff. Nothing too crazy and flashy. When I was going over the sport BJJ section, I would wonder why a simple wristlock or armlock was not taught from certain positions, but I found them in this no gi section. Simco seems to give the reader the benefit of the doubt that they understand that all the techniques in the no gi section can obviously be done with the gi. So in the sport BJJ section, he seemed to want to show more techniques that were dependant on the gi,

The last 125 pages focus on vale tudo/NHB. Simco begins with teaching some basic boxing, then goes into closing the gap and takedowns, then goes into groundwork. Personally, I don�t have much of an interest in NHB fighting, nor do I know too much about it, but it seems like Simco provides an excellent overview of this aspect of BJJ.

Overall, The Master Text Second Edition is excellent and retains the position as one of the top BJJ books on the market. This book is a huge improvement on the original from production to technique. For those who are looking for a book that gives you a good sampling of all aspects of BJJ with practical techniques, this book is highly recommended. If you look at the number of pages and amount of information you are getting, this book is a great deal for $70.