Review - Dynamic Outside Ashi: Leg Attacks(Jason Rau)

 

Info

This instructional goes over the outside ashi position in depth. In the mid 2010's this position was very popular, but then fell out of favor. In the last 2 years it has had a bit of a resergence however.

The outside ashi was considered weak by many people and lots of people(Craig Jones) advised other to avoid it. People that used it were getting countered and losing. Jason Rau is here to show you how to stop that in this instructional and make outside ashi a go-to leg entanglement again.

 

Organization

This instructional is divided into 4 parts although looking through the chapter list you wouldn't know it. The 4 sections are basics, standing opponents, kneeling opponents and sitting opponents. Out of all the sections I think the basics is the most important and informative. 

The basics section goes over positioning in outside ashi, grips, reaping and most importantly trouble shooting. The standing, kneeling and sitting sections are fairly self-explanatory. This makes it easy to find things later and since there aren't a ton of techniques you won't be searching for 20min for a certain detail you forgot.

Instruction

Jason Rau is fairly straightforward, but detailed. I think most people might expect him to be more like John Danaher in the way he teaches, but he is quite different. There are no long stories, repeated points or slow speaking parts. Jason gets right into things, which makes this instructional a bit short. This could be good or bad depending on your outlook. Jason does go into a ton of detail on the mechanics of the position and how to avoid common pitfalls though, so don't think he is skipping over things just because of the length. 

Many people are wary of using the outside ashi because of 3 counters. Recently when people have entered the outside ashi they have been countered with and inside heelhook, a berimbolo or a smash pass. Jason goes over how to stop all 3 on the first disk. I'd never seen most of this info and I was really happy to see it included. 

Jason also shows some transitions to other positions such as the Z-lock and butterfly ashi. Although the main focus is on the outside heelhook from outside ashi, he also shows alternatives such as the Aoki lock that you can use when you can't get it.

Something he doesn't show though it entries. Outside ashi is somewhat easy to get into, so Jason skips this part. Some people might be disappointed with this so I thought I'd mention it.

 

Value

This instructional isn't terribly expensive and the info is very good. On the other hand it isn't very long and as I said it doesn't cover entries. For my money it is definitely worth it and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in outside heelhooks or the outside ashi position. If you are looking for a more general leg lock instructional this might not be the best bang for your buck though. 

I think the amount of detailed instruction and unique techniques make this worth the price. There are a number of things on here you won't find anyplace else. If you have been having problems getting outside ashi to work for you or you have been avoiding it because of a bad experience, pick this up.

Personal Experience

I've only worked on this for a short time, but so far it has been working really well. The small tips and tricks Jason shows has given much more confidence in the position and made me rethink my approach to leg locks. Before I would avoid outside ashi and always switch to 50/50, but now I feel like I know how to overcome the problems I had before. It also showed me some ways to get into other positions I like such as butterfly ashi and the reverse waiter position. Once my aprihension with just being in the position was overcome I felt like I could actually try implementing the techniques he shows and they work well. 

Overall

This is a great instructional, but it is a niche topic. If you are interested in leg locks and want to know more about the outside ashi position, you should definitely pick this up. I'd say as of 2023, this is an extremely modern leg lock instructional that goes over things you see people doing now in pro grappling as well as some things I think you'll be seeing more of in the future. I feel this is the best instructional on this specific position and if you are looking to stay ahead of the curve you might want to pick this one up.