Many of you are likely familiar with Tim Sledd as he was one of our first guests on the GiReviews Podcast.

Tim owns and operates Small Axe Jiu Jitsu, Andre Galvao's first-ever affiliate academy (which Tim spoke in length about here).

As you can tell, Tim and I are prone to some foolishness but Tim takes his Jiu Jitsu very very seriously and not only is he a good friend of GiReviews, but a fantastic instructor.

I'm a big advocate of the idea that just because you can do something well, doesn't mean that you can teach others to do it.  I would much rather learn a technique and learn from a good instructor versus a world champion.  Having an instructor that is a world champion and a truly good teacher is much more rare than you think.

With that said, I've always been impressed by Tim's ability to be remain humble despite being a very good instructor and learning techniques from the best BJJ practitioners in the world.

His ability to learn these techniques and then explain them to others is excellent and when I found out he was creating a new DVD on the Leg Drag Position, I was ecstatic.

Leg Drag Workshop DVD by Tim Sledd

The DVD is comprised of 3 parts: Indiana University (IU) Workshop, Ground Zero Workshop, and Bonus Material.

Chapters and Content

• IU Workshop
  • Intro to Positions
  • Concepts
  • Cross side to Leg Drag
  • Closed Guard Pass
  • Half Guard
  • Butterfly Guard Pass
  • Slip Knee to Mount
  • Passing Spider Guard
  • Closing
• Ground Zero Workshop
  • Basic Leg Drag Position
  • Mendes Position
  • Reverse Position
  • Attack From Side Control
  • Back Take
  • Closed Guard Pass
  • Half Guard Pass
  • Butterfly Guard Pass
  • Slip Knee to Mount
  • Sider Guard Pass
  • Questions
  • Drills
  • Closing

• Bonus Material
  • Basic Takedown
  • Mount to Leg Drag
  • Leg Drag from Rear Mount
  • De la Riva Sweep
  • De la Riva Sweep 2
  • De la Riva Sweep 3
  • Outro

*It's of special note here that while some techniques are included in both workshops, the instruction is varied to address the needs of the attendees at those workshops and it's definitely worth watching Tim explain and teach them both times.

Bonus Material

Yes, I know I'm supposed to talk about this last, but it's my favorite part.  In this section, Tim shows how to achieve the leg drag position from mount, rear mount, 3 different De la Riva (DLR) sweeps, and from the basic BJJ clinch takedown (my favorite).

My favorite part of BJJ is the combining and stringing together moves/positions.  I believe it's what sets each belt level apart from the belt below it and you can truly assess Tim's skill level with how he applies the more ‘modern' leg drag with some classic BJJ sweeps and positions.

IU Workshop

I really like that Tim refers to these as workshops.  As a teacher, I know when I go to a seminar, it's going to be somebody talking ‘at' me the entire time and often times BJJ seminars are no different.  But I also know that if I'm going to a workshop, that I am going to be doing work and getting better as a teacher.

When you attend one of Tim's workshops, expect to put in a lot of reps but also expect to walk out with mental and muscle memory that will allow you to use the techniques you learned in the future.

I really enjoy the ‘Concepts' section of this workshop that gives a LOT of Why's and How's to the position, as well as a lot of things you ordinarily wouldn't notice just from watching like where Tim has his weight and how the leg drag would work against opponents of different builds.

My favorite technique in this section is the ‘Durinho Pass.'  Tim showed it to me one time and I've been using it for roughly a year to pass half guard with a lot of success.  I don't always go to the leg drag from it, but it's very rare that I don't get a pass when I do it correctly.

At the end of the workshop, Tim discusses that once you're familiar with the leg drag, you'll see it everywhere.  He goes over a number of different places you'll see it from such as the berimbolo.  Being a horrible berimbolo player myself, I love the option to come up into the leg drag!  I also really like that Tim gives out a lesson plan during his workshops to help attendees retain what they learned that day.

Ground Zero Workshop

In this workshop, Tim really stresses the Leg Drag as a position, and not a pass.  I believe this is similar to how people like Nino Schembri view the omoplata as a position and not a submission.

I'd get out a pen/pencil and paper or be typing on your computer while watching this. The number of details is insane and they all make a huge different between being able to do it versus white belts and versus advanced belts.

My favorite part of this workshop is not only the Leg Drag instruction, but also the questions and drills sections at the end.  Tim shows a lot of awesome drills to increase your leg drag skills outside of longer techniques.

Fun note that only teachers will pick up on, but Tim always snaps his fingers when he is speaking about his hands.  This is to help you have an auditory que on where to look and also so he doesn't have to keep differentiating between saying left/right.  This is an awesome veteran BJJ teacher tool that I first picked up from watching Roy Dean, and I've seen Tim do it in person, so it's really cool to see Tim do it in his workshops.

Overall Impression

I really like that Tim sticks to some more solid pressure-passing style Leg Drags versus the more common ‘ankle grab' leg drag.  He does so because even when you have ankle control, you still have to get past the shins, and hips to pass, which is incredibly difficult against a seasoned guard player.

1. The amount of information on this DVD is fantastic – not too much to overwhelm and be worthless, but not too little either
2. The instructional is phenomenal – Tim is an excellent teacher and provides every key detail
3. The techniques are well chosen – Most of these are techniques I haven't seen elsewhere, on YouTube or otherwise

Overall, I think this DVD would be a great value at $75+ and it's an absolute STEAL at $35.  Click here to check it out!