Mastering The Mount by Matt Thornton
32 reviews · 4.84 / 5
Matt Thornton · Combo
Survive and Escape by Matt Thornton reviews, page 2
Survive and Escape by Matt Thornton has 43 customer reviews in this archive, averaging 4.95 out of 5. 95% are five-star and 0 are one or two stars. Reviews run from July 10, 2021 to June 24, 2026. All of them are published below in full, unedited.
43
Reviews
4.95 / 5
Average rating
0
1–2 star
100%
Verified buyers
Reviews 26–43
Outstanding fundamentals
I have bought a lot of great videos from BJJFANATICS, but this is probably my favorite due to the focus on and explanation of fundamental movements. Like a lot of people, I’ve been guilty of giving up on ‘basic’ techniques that seemingly didn’t work and looking for new options. I’m finally realizing that these fundamentals work well, and it was my understanding and/or execution that was the problem. Matt Thornton’s details on this topic are excellent.
Response from BJJ Fanatics:hugging::call_me_hand::skin-tone-2:GOLD
Anything by SBG is top quality... loved it.
Response from BJJ Fanatics:hugging::call_me_hand::skin-tone-2:Loved it.. really solid instructional
Loved it.. really solid instructional
Response from BJJ Fanatics:hugging::+1::skin-tone-2:game changing - gi , no-gi, or self defense all the same
This was really a game-changing video . First Matt teaches how to make your pins INCREDIBLY heavy and then he shows how to survive and escape under the worst possible conditions. When i bought this i expected to see escapes but the Top pinning ideas were a huge bonus and worth the price alone. My training partners are SUFFERING :>)
Response from BJJ Fanatics:hugging::call_me_hand::skin-tone-2:So Good!
Matt Thornton is such a good instructor, and this material will make you so much more confident.
Response from BJJ Fanatics:hugging::call_me_hand::skin-tone-2:foundation
great goto side and full mount positions
Response from BJJ Fanatics:hugging::call_me_hand::skin-tone-2:Fantastic material
I am a huge fan of Matt Thornton and his delivery of fundamental Jiu Jitsu. This material epitomises the SBG approach to coaching for me and, from an outside perspective, demonstrates why the standard of their athletes and coaches is so high.
Response from BJJ Fanatics:hugging::call_me_hand::skin-tone-2:mindblowing
I never followed SBG or their method... until I pick this instructional by chance. simply one of the best instructional i ever seen, everything is perfectly explained and held together. the iron pillow is simply a turning point in your grappling technique.
Response from BJJ Fanatics:hugging::call_me_hand::skin-tone-2:Matt Thornton is a great teacher
Its a really good dvd
Response from BJJ Fanatics:hugging::+1::skin-tone-2:Base, Posture, Connection
This instructional opened my eyes to a different level. Thank you very much! Worth it!
Response from BJJ Fanatics:hugging::+1::skin-tone-2:Base, Posture, Connection and Pressure ***(Long review)***
This instructional by Matt Thornton has the aim of making students more comfortable while on the bottom and teaching several fundamental positional and submission escapes. Surprisingly, by default Matt Thornton teaches a lot of material to make your topside control more efficient and effective. The topside instruction covers the more effective use of weight and body position on your training partner. In addition, he teaches several topside submission techniques (i.e., papercutter, shoulder of justice and step over armbar from side control). Positional escapes are covered in real depth and include classic side control where the opponent has one arm passed over your neck (elbow pressing the head and arm covering the shoulder and upper arm) and the other arm next to your hip, modified scarf hold, reverse modified scarf hold and the mount. One notable omission was that escapes from cross face & underhook side control were not covered in the same depth as the other positions, with a reference in the seminar that there was insufficient time to cover this position. However, this position was taught from the top (i.e., shoulder of justice) as a submission and there was instruction how to minimise the pressure from the bottom position when on the receiving end of the shoulder of justice. From my perspective for a fundamental positional escape instructional, this is an important omission. From my experience one important aspect that is worth noting is that Matt Thornton’s positional escaping techniques are effective, even when you are being pinned by a much larger person. As noted previously the instructional covers some submission escape techniques or defences including papercutter escape, darce defence, armbar, kimura from side control and kimura from north-south. As is the norm with a Matt Thornton instructional it is massive totalling 7 hours and 76 chapters. Strangely at least for me I found this instructional more engaging and interesting than many shorter instructionals. The format of the instructional is unusual in that it also includes chapters filmed at a weekend seminar. Importantly the seminar material is just the instruction provided at the seminar and does not include film footage of the participants practicing the material. Not surprising for a 7 hour instructional there is some re-visiting of concepts and techniques, however I found this beneficial in my learning. Matt Thornton speaks clearly, is engaging and his directions are easily understood. He uses his black belts to demonstrate techniques in a live setting so you can see the application of technique against resistance. As part of this demonstration process, he coaches and assists with identifying where improvements should be made in the application of the technique. Most of the material was filmed with a fixed camera and the range was appropriate. There were occasional times I wished that the instructors would change the angle of their demonstrations so for example I could see clearly how they were positioning their feet. Generally, sound was reasonable, however the microphone attached to Matt Thornton would occasionally distort the sound as his neck pressed into it. If you are interested in improving your knowledge of fundamental BJJ with a focus on positional escapes or if currently you are constantly being pinned by larger people or tapping out due to pressure, then this would be a good instructional to add to your library.
Fundamentals Are Everything
Excellent series by Matt Thornton. He has the most thorough understanding of the fundamentals of Jiu Jitsu of any teacher I've observed next to Rickson. Well worth the money, bravo!
Response from BJJ Fanatics:hugging::+1::skin-tone-2:Matt Thornton is a master
Matt Thornton is a master teacher. He always teaches solid fundamentals and keeps the big picture in mind. One of the powerful insights from this video is that to survive is to win! And there are several tools in this video to help you survive.
Response from BJJ Fanatics:hugging::call_me_hand::skin-tone-2:Survive and escape Matt Thornton
This product is a must great instruction on how to survive all positions and on how to use your weight correctly
Response from BJJ Fanatics:hugging::call_me_hand::skin-tone-2:Game Changer
Changed the way I use my weight. a great way to use pressure and weight to control my opponents.
Response from BJJ Fanatics:hugging::call_me_hand::skin-tone-2:Learn to be more structurally sound when escaping side control and mount
I wish I bought this instructional much earlier. I am still learning to be much more proficient in escaping mount and side control using Mr. Thornton's method and I can say I am getting more success. If I ever have my own students I will definitely teach this first to them so they will have more fun in their Jiujitsu journey.
Response from BJJ Fanatics:hugging:Made me better
Summary: The main criteria for me is that this instructional improved my understanding of Jiu Jitsu and made me better. It exceeded my expectations. This is why I give it five stars. I'm planning to get the Matt's Closed Guard instructional next. Good: Sure, I need to work on the moves and the ideas presented here to reliably use them. Still, even without much drilling I already was able to successfully use the ideas provided here. Yesterday after a roll one of my partners came to me saying "What did I do wrong? I felt that I was making a mistake." When he got me into side control I used the "Iron Pillow" position advice to deny him access to my neck and arms. He got frustrated when he could not think of an attack to use on me even though he was on top. Good points: - Matt provides very good advice on the best way to attack and then how to escape these most difficult attack. I like the approach of learning both sides at the same time. I do not think I saw this approach used to this extend in any other instructionals. I learned many important details for attacks as well. - The explanations are very clear - I like the suggestions on how to drill the moves Bad points: - The instructional is a mix of a multiday seminar video with some in-studio footage. I don't have strong objections against using seminar video, however I feel it may be of lower quality. - Pretty frequent audio mishaps when the microphone is hit during the demonstrations. - The instructional structure can be more crisp. Some repetitiveness.
Response from BJJ FanaticsThanks for your review! :hugging:Great fundamental info
First thing is first. I purchased several instructional’s from BJJ fanatics and I liked a few and I did not like a few. As soon as I told him I did not like a couple they immediately refund my money so I never hesitate to purchase from these guys. Absolutely first class. I like this DVD because it is not only a great fundamental series but it gives me some insight but I never really Was previously taught. I can see this being an instructional but I go back to you several times. Very good instructional. And once again I give this company double thumbs up for standing by their product. I never hesitate to purchase from these guys.
Response from BJJ Fanatics:hugging::call_me_hand::skin-tone-2:
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Every number on this page is computed from the 43 reviews above at build time, out of 87,673 in the full archive. See the methodology for how the corpus is collected and what is excluded.