“The Crucifix Building Blocks by Dave Jacobs” BJJ App Review

I first came across the crucifix position from my old rolling partner David L. (Team Passos JJ).  David L. taught me to hate this position…well, I didn’t hate the position, I just hated being in the crucifix position that he placed me in each time I repeated the same stupid mistakes.  I never learned how he identified the moment that the crucifix was applicable before we switched academies. So, I jumped at the opportunity to grab this crucifix program on Digitsu by BJJ Black Belt Legend Dave “The Rock” Jacobs, “The Crucifix Building Blocks.”  This is a great video series on various entrances for and attacks from the crucifix position.  Prof. Jacobs details each entrance and demonstrates each technique from various angles so you see all the details.  Whether you’re doing stand-up/take-downs or fighting from various guard positions, there’s a crucifix option that can open your game.  Watching the video format was like being at a two-day seminar with a “pause” and “rewind” button.  Each lesson section was concise and always followed by real-time demonstrations from various angles.  Prof. Jacobs also provides drills that will help you steer your opponents to opening the door to more opportunities to use the crucifix.  The video lesson sections are broken down by entrance position, submission attacks or drills and you can easily go back and forth between lessons through a super-easy to use interface.  I even learned how David caught me so easily many years ago. 

Coincidentally, I attended a crucifix seminar with Prof. Jacobs (months after buying the app).  The seminar last over 2 hours and he just touched the tip of what the video series offers. His seminar permitted for less than a quarter of the information on the app but the information was very consistent with the video and worked out great on the mats.