James Finizio · Combo
The Building Blocks of Bottom Half Guard by James Finizio reviews
The Building Blocks of Bottom Half Guard by James Finizio has 34 customer reviews in this archive, averaging 4.97 out of 5. 97% are five-star and 0 are one or two stars. Reviews run from September 1, 2021 to March 27, 2026. All of them are published below in full, unedited.
Who reviewed The Building Blocks of Bottom Half Guard by James Finizio
13 of these reviewers gave their belt rank when they submitted the review. BJJ Fanatics asks for rank, age and years training at the point of review, so this breakdown is self-reported by the customer.
| Belt | Reviews | Average rating |
|---|---|---|
| White | 3 | 4.67 |
| Blue | 3 | 5.0 |
| Purple | 3 | 5.0 |
| Brown | 2 | 5.0 |
| Black | 2 | 5.0 |
Where to buy it
The Building Blocks of Bottom Half Guard by James Finizio is currently listed on the BJJ Fanatics storefront at $79.00 USD. View The Building Blocks of Bottom Half Guard by James Finizio on BJJ Fanatics
The reviews
Building Blocks of Bottom Half
Half had been my go-to position for over ten years and still there are details in this that are new and exciting. Additionally, the whole thing is presented in a way that it should be easily accessible to a new grappler. This whole thing is incredible
Building blocks of half
Half had been my go-to position for over ten years and still there are details in this that are new and exciting. Additionally, the whole thing is presented in a way that it should be easily accessible to a new grappler. This whole thing is incredible
Stellar Material
This is a wonderfully planned and detail-oriented instructional. I know and have rolled with James personally and he is truly worthy of the title professor. He is strong but doesn't utilize it, instead purely relying only on technique, smooth transitions and trapping/baiting. He doesn't hunt, he just moves you into detrimental positions and waits for you to make mistake and then it is over. This video incorporates some of his best techniques and what is great about the content is how each move chains to the other leading to chain sweeps, chain submissions or both which helps enhance learning for beginners and intermediates to recognize and learn BJJ as a whole. This helps eliminate fragmented learning and allows one to see the whole picture, the forest that is BJJ for the trees that is learning one technique at a time. I was honestly hoping he would have released another instructional by now because when he does I will buy that one in a second. Guys if you like to play half guard and want to become dangerous from it or if you get stuck in half guard a lot and need a way out to better positions, then this is the instructional for you. James Finizio is a top level black belt under the great Pedro Sauer. That should say it all right there.
One of the Best Half Guard Instructionals
Very helpful! This is a wealth of knowledge presented in a very efficient and easy-to-understand way. This has become one of my favorite instructionals that I have watched multiple times and continue to benefit from all the useful details. Highly recommend this one.
Quality stuff here
This instructional was not expensive and I was looking for something interesting about half guard. Here I was very happy with the discover of the lockdown
Love the framework - Great Clarity
The frameworks along with the clear technique is top notch.
Cool stuff
This is cool stuff. Not the usual half guard material - the kind of stuff that someone will show you at an open mat and you'll keep using.
Good content
Very detailed
The Building Blocks of Bottom Half Guard
No Gi Bottom Half Guard
good
good
Covers all half guard details
James' instructional covers topics, positions and techniques which are not covered in other half guard instructionals and acts as a valuable supplement to my half guard strategy. Must have if you're working on your bottom half guard game.
Great!
I liked the recovering from bad 1/2 G techniques and the variety of the sweeps.
Amazing half guard bottom instructional
One of the best instructionals I've ever seen on the subject. Amazing positions from a Pedro Sauer disciple.
Half guard review
It teaches the fundamentals of bottom half guard to survive
Great Instructional
Lots of details that make a big difference!
A very effective technique!
There are so many details that I have never seen before! It's really amazing!!
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗Bottom Half Guard
The instructor does a great job of breaking down complex techniques into manageable steps. I've been able to incorporate what I've learned into my training with great success.
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗Excellent Intructor
James does a great job of covering all the details that make the techniques work. The more my understanding of jiu-jitsu increases, the more I appreciate his instruction.
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗Great for those who are comfortable with being in bottom half
I personally love bottom half guard position and are always thinking of ways to build on it, I have more in my arsenal thanks to this instructional
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗Half guard no gi
Really enjoyed it. Pedro Sauer and his students are a guarantee of quality. Prof Finizio confirms the reputation
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗Awesome Instructional!
This video not only shows GREAT technique but also breaks it down so all levels can learn and benefit from it. The fluency of concept and level of detail given is refreshing!
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗👍🏻great
powerful and helpful videos for white belts recovering and frames set up 👍�
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗🤙🏻Great instructional
Great coverage and amazing insights on the stages of half guard!
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗🤙🏻Great instructional
Good
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗👍🏻Solid effective mechanics
That's one piece of solid gold! Again, the details are extremely well laid out. Simple and highly effective. Too many people show too many steps in an attempt to make highlight reels rather than teach effective Jiu-Jitsu. Thank you for making it straight forward and showing why it works, not just showing techniques.
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗👍🏻Great instructor. Breaks down techniques
Great instructor. Breaks down techniques into very understandable, actionable sequences.
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗👍🏻Great instructional
Very good and useful instructional, it completely changed my bottom game and my half guard
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗👍🏻Great instructional video
Great instructional video
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗👍🏻A lot to unpack!
Wow, there is a lot of great stuff in this instructional! From concepts to specific techniques, it's going to take some work (and a lot of drilling) to internalize all this info but just the first section has sparked a few "aha" moments that are going to change my half guard game for the better!
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗🤙🏻Get it
Been traveling the east coast the last 5 years, and I’ve come across some really awesome coaches but nothing compares to James and his approach to teaching… this instructional is really awesome and I’m so glad to be able to (re)learn some of super useful techniques James has up his sleeve. I recommend this instructional to anyone at any level. Regardless of where you’re at in your Jiu jitsu journey, this will improve your game!
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗🤙🏻Excellent Instruction
As a beginner, I found the instruction very thorough and easy to understand. As the title states, James really does break things down into easy to comprehend building blocks. In addition, the video quality and sound of the videos are excellent!
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗love it! :call_me_hand::call_me_hand::call_me_hand:
Explained very clearly on every single detail, Great!
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗🤙🏻Just buy it and dominate
This is one of the most detailed instructional videos you can purchase. This instructor knows his stuff and it shows. Stop reading and buy it
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗🤙🏻Essential Half Guard
James provides a very practical framework for understanding halfguard. Broken into a few smaller positions inside of halfguard itself, James provides movements and techniques to move up the hierarchy of positions as well as different attacks and sweeps from each area. One thing that James shows that is unique to his material is some very specific techniques from disadvantageous positions on bottom that can make all the difference against a skilled or larger opponent. The video is recorded well, the audio is fantastic, and the techniques are excellent. The material is presented very thoughtfully and there is no fluff in any of the instruction. This is essential watching for any beginner, and there are some fantastic techniques/concepts for better understanding linking upper and lower body movements for more advanced practitioners.
Response from BJJ Fanatics🤗🤙🏻