Info
Braulio is one of the most creative people in the history of BJJ and he shows it here in this instructional. This instructional is focused on the wrestling position known as the cradle, but Braulio shows how it can be used in Bjj with the gi. The whole instructional is on this one topic and how to apply it as well as troubleshoot it.
Organization
Braulio goes step by step first showing the concepts behind the moves and then how to apply them. Next he troubleshoots problems and shows how to deal with common reactions. Finally he shows how you can use it to pass various guards. Everything is in the correct order and I like how he showed the concepts and finish first.
Instruction
Braulio has a lot of charisma and that helps when it comes to an instructional on a fairly narrow topic. I feel a bit bad for Placido(everyone's favorite uke) because he had to be twisted up in a ball for so long. Any pain Placido had to endure was worth it though as Braulio shows how to apply pressure and keep things tight as you pass the guard. Braulio's details make all the difference and he shows how to use it too go straight to mount, how to free your leg if they trap it in half guard, etc. The details he gives about how to use the gi to set things up really helps and any problem I've had with the position is covered in this.
Value
Personally I feel it was worth more than I paid for it, but I use the lapel cradle all the time. One thing to keep in mind is that this instructional is only 1 move. If the move doesn't connect with you then this won't be useful to you. For me it is useful because it can be used against a variety of guards, but not only that, it can be used against guard recovery. It isn't extremely expensive, so if you have any interest in the topic I'd recommend picking it up.
One thing that made me really like Braulio is the fact that he actually updated this instructional and added more content. About a year after this came out he added a section showing several ways to pass lapel guards, spider guards, etc. Everyone knows these guards are annoying to pass and the lapel cradle shows you how to fight fire with fire so to speak.
Personal experience
This is something I was able to add to my game immediately. I started using it to pass guard and it either got me to side control, the back or mount. For me its greatest strength is its ability to stop people from recovering their guard. In BJJ people often shrimp and ball up, which is the perfect opportunity to use the lapel cradle. It can be used to pass tricky guards such as lapel guards, lasso guards, etc. and I've actually used it for that a few times. However I used it much more to control people when they are trying to recover from a bad position. To be honest the only bad part is I feel bad for my training partners because the positions Braulio shows are uncomfortable. Be careful if your partners have bad necks/backs. The positions can actually cause people to tap out from the pressure/twisting.
The lapel cradle has quite a few steps, but once you get the hang of it, it is fairly easy to hit. It has changed the way I play and I find myself using it fairly often.
Conclusion
This is a very useful position that can be used in multiple places and Braulio explains it in detail without being boring or long winded. If you're looking for info on how to apply the cradle in BJJ this would be my first recommendation. Even if you're just looking for something new in regards to passing and control this is worth it. Also if you're wondering about it applicability to No-gi, it can be used with some slight adjustments. I've done it multiple times no-gi, but the setups need to be changed. Overall it's a great instructional on a topic that hasn't been explored much.
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