My introduction to Marcos Torregrosa was early this year at the IBJJF Chicago Open. As I was watching random matches one of his matches caught my eye. Thankfully, it was pretty early in the match because for that tournament he absolutely tore thru the other lightweights in route to a gold before collecting a silver in the Absolute. Marcos ended the year as the top-ranked Masters black belt at both lightweight and absolute. This review is going to cover his BJJ Escapes App, available for $9.99 from iTunes. The app consists of 20 chapters covering the following positions: mount, side mount, back control, 50/50 and the following submission defenses: triangle, armbar and ankle lock. Don’t forget to download the PDF of the map at the bottom of the article for your reference.
Technical Details:
BJJ Escapes is available for iOS devices (iPad, iPod, iPhone) as a download from iTunes, here. The full run-time of the app is approximately 90 minutes and as I mentioned earlier covers 20 chapters. Visually the app looks very good. There are no fancy graphics or effects just a high-quality video of the techniques demonstrated. The techniques are demonstrated from multiple angles so that you’re able to see all the details. My only complaint is that the sound could have been a little louder. Even with the volume on my iPad maxed out I had a hard time hearing everything if I wasn’t in a quiet room.
Marcos does a very good job of explaining each technique and covers all the details adequately. Each section consists of a handful of high-percentage techniques and concepts that everyone should be familiar with. I will add that about half of the techniques he shows are favorites of mine and ones that I use almost daily.
Wrapping It Up:
If you’re a white or blue belt looking for quality instruction on escapes I’d definitely recommend checking out this App. The map above will give you a good idea of what’s covered and if those are techniques you’d like to incorporate into your game (and these are all solid basics that everyone should know) it’s time to make a $9.99 investment in your BJJ education. Be sure to follow Marcos at his website, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to keep up with him. Also, don’t forget to check out his BJJ Sweeps App which is $9.99 at iTunes.
