Pretty much the Avellan brothers' entire Kimura Trap system is laid out in softcore
porn fashion. I figure that there are some people who might like to
know what he and Marcos Avellan (the marketing "brains" of the partnership) really think about womens' role in BJJ/MMA. As if Keith Owen isn't bad enough! I guess we need to discuss sexism in BJJ/MMA some more, as Meg did in her wonderful article.
Or maybe this is just the manifestation of the Avellan brothers total lack of self-confidence? I mean, I have heard David is a good grappler, at least, and the techniques could be legit if properly performed. Do you suppose David's most popular techniques are replicated here by these women who look like softcore porn stars because the Avellans thought they wouldn't get an audience any other way?
Bottom line, I agree with others wiser than I (who brought this to my attention tonight) that it's LCD stuff, just like all of Lloyd's stuff. Lowest Common Denominator. It really does tell you where women stand in the hierarchy, though, doesn't it?
It's David's product, but it was handled by Lloyd and Marcos. And it was filmed at Freestyle Fighting Academy (FFA)-- owned by David and Marcos. It used affiliate marketing advocated by Lloyd, the type where everyone glad hands reviews to one another, like a syndicate.
Technique? Crap. Outfits? Hot, very cute, but totally inappropriate for actual grappling. Acrylic nails? cleavage to the South Pole? loose hair? Excuse me... I thought Manto was bad!
Sheeee-it, these girls can't punch. Bullshit costumes only the bravest would wear? (Ronda's allowed because her matches last a minute, two tops.) Belly rings?! Eye makeup? and the sexy hair toss? Baloney!
Worst kimura ever, guaranteed you'll be passed and have your back taken in 1.2 heartbeats. This is porn and it reveals pure misogyny.
And check this thread on Sherdog, with Balto's review of the DVD set. The instructionals were sold out with comments like this from David:
"Wow, what a rush these past few days have been. My first DVD set was a
huge success. I want to thank everyone that helped, including my top
affiliates in Alan Belcher,
Jason Scully, Ken Primola BJJ Athlete 2.0, Stephen Whittier, Scott
Nelson, my cousin Alex Malave, Bob Dorris, Rhadi Ferguson's Fan Page, my
brother Marcos and all my staff that were pivotal in helping out - but
most importantly, I want to thank Lloyd Irvin Jr. for his guidance... it
was because of him and everyone else that I was able to generate over
$100,000 in sales with my first DVD via the internet in two and a half
days on sale! If you want to learn how I did this, come to Lloyd Irvin's
internet marketing event for newbies in October, more info at http://www.theinternetmarketingblueprintevent.com/ Thank you everyone!"
And then they weren't sold out.. like many LI products.
Some of these soft core videos have been released this year, and some were indeed
released last year. MANY do seem to be marketing the Kimura Trap DVD
set, so whether it was before or after the rape stories broke, it's still a super
shady way to market a DVD set that has nothing to do with naked (or 3/4
naked) chicks using sloppy technique. It definitely describes the
character of the marketing behind them, IMO, as unbelievably
unscrupulous, willing to go so far as to objectify women in order to
make a buck selling more DVDs.
Just like in the rape case regarding Maldonado and Schultz, where Lloyd allegedly knew that one or both of those guys had bad history with unwilling women, at best, and just like Lloyd's own gang rape case in the
past. Just like how Lloyd hired lawyers to defend his medal chasers
instead of truly siding with the victim. Just like the countless other
women who have allegedly been sexually assaulted over the years,
nothing but objects for the master.
Speak with your pocketbooks, ladies and gentlemen.... hit them where it hurts.
note: edited to remove my own sexism, and bias against skinny girls, which was graciously called out on facebook... thank you for correcting me!
Edited to add: great followup on this from Megan, on her blog Tangled Triangle.
10 comments:
Superb analysis, Georgette, and well done for bringing these vids to our attention. They are way over the line and there is clearly no emphasis on skill in these representations (or even female athleticism more generally with these under-developed bods); agree that these are highly objectified portrayals. And yes, Rhonda is allowed - though I was like, 'Is that gonna stay on' when I saw her Carmouche outfit; tiny tops and shorts are the prerogative of the bona fide and hard working. In such a case, there is opportunity to admire skill and an aspirational female body doing real work. Whereas these vids are TnA with a veneer of 'BJJ' with no such opportunity to admire and respect the skill and effort of players. Obscenely unprofessional and further evidence of the toxic LI culture.
I honestly can't believe anyone with a half-second's experience in BJJ could watch this with a straight face. Surely it's a joke, right? I mean...right?!?!
As far as Ronda is concerned, she said in one of her post-match interviews that she was given her sports bra for the Carmouche fight; she didn't get to pick it and try it on herself. Wardrobe department FAIL.
Umm...is it just me or are these two a little scary-skinny? Who rolls with arms that thin? A normal partner (even a featherweight) would eventually snap them like twigs and not intentionally. How will you have any longevity on the mats or be able to go hard with bigger opponents? Form follows function. Gain some muscle! Yuck.
A friend gave me a copy of the KTS. All the things you stated aside (which is all valid BTW). The DVD's are not really that revolutionary and in typical mass marketing style he produces 6 DVD's of material that easily could have been compressed into 2 max! Marketing scheme's galore!
arrrrgggghhhhh!!!!!
Plainly, this is entertainment, not jiu jitsu instruction. I had never heard of the Avellan brothers before the TLI scandal. They probably came to the conclusion that they had nothing to offer that could compete with the plethora of normal bjj intructionals already available, and that this is an underexploited niche market. Based on the "girlfight" videos that appear in the recommended column of youtube when I search for competition footage of female bjj stars, there is an audience for it. I wouldn't be surprised if they also market this through non-bjj channels to that target audience.
I don't think we should take this too seriously from a bjj-specific point of view. As a reflection of the exploitation of women in general, sure. It's part of a pervasive problem. As is, by the way, the UFC dress code that female fighters can't wear shirts. And the porn industry and myriad other things. There will always be a market for images scantily clad or naked women.
It does, however, provide more evidence that TLI fosters an environment detrimental (to say the least) to the character development of young people. If that is the point of your post, then I agree.
**shocked speechless**
That woman's half-guard is terrible. I know it's harsh, but I suspect they might not even train Jiu Jitsu.
Calling this soft core porn is an insult to porn!
Real men who train BJJ would need real women as lovers as these twigs would break, and are not appealing!
I couldn't agree more, Georgette. When I saw one of these videos a while back I quickly decided I wasn't interested in mixing my porn and my jiu-jitsu.
For me, BJJ satisfies higher level Maslovian needs such as Self-Actualization, Esteem and Love/Belonging. Whereas porn is designed to curtail to the most basic of unsatisfied needs.
I don't deny there is probably a niche for this product, but I hope I never have to roll with that demographic. Seems like the same demographic of males who are learning Jiu-Jitsu to become better at rape and/or sex in prison.
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