Book Review- Submit Everyone: The Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu Files

The wait is over. Dave Camarillo’s highly anticipated addition to the Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu series has finally hit the shelves. Five years in the making, Submit Everyone is Camarillo’s follow up to his best selling instructional book, Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu, released in 2006. Always looking for the finish, Dave is known for his aggressive grappling style he calls Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu (a combination of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Wrestling, and MMA). Submit Everyone is, in my opinion, the most unique book on grappling to hit the market to date. Why? Here’s my take on Submit Everyone- The Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu Files:

As I mentioned above, Submit Everyone is unique, and for many reasons. Pretty much every Jiu-Jitsu book on the market is, for all intents and purposes, an instructional guiding the reader from the most basic defensive skills and guard passes, to more advanced sweeps and submissions. Submit Everyone, however, is a military themed book based solely around SUBMITTING your opponent by using a combination of philosophy, strategy, and of course the physical submission moves that Dave has perfected over many years.

Submit Everyone begins with an Introduction Report which outlines the military terms the reader will be introduced to in the book and how they will be interpreted throughout. Sections of the book are referred to as Files rather than Chapters and each “move” or “sequence” is  referred to as a SITREP (situational report). The SITREP explains in great detail, a situation a practitioner may find him or herself in and then gives them a POA (plan of action) to follow in the quest for a fight ending submission.

But what if my opponent does this or turns to this side to escape? One move is rarely enough when grappling with an experienced opponent and Dave creatively anticipates an opponents POE (plan of escape) or other situations that can lead to a SNAFU Moment (Situation Normal: All F-ed Up) and prepares the practitioner to react accordingly to maintain control and get the finish. SITREP’s are summarized with After-Action Reports which link the most important elements of the SITREP’s grappling concept and directly bridges it to the individual. It is advised that you read these sections very carefully!

Further into the book you will be introduced to Dave’s concept of a Fire Base and a Fire Team….a Fire Base being essentially your “go-to” positions which you feel safe in both defending and attacking from and your Fire Team being your favorite submission which all of your attacks and transitions will be focused around completing. For Dave, his Fire Team has always been his armbar and because of this, he has built one of the most amazing collections of armbar finishes you will ever see and in my opinion, this section alone is worth the price of the entire book.

Files on Testing The Waters, Attack/Withdrawl/Ambush & Retreat, and Psychological Operations are fun to read and are also essential in helping the reader understand how to mentally and physically focus on seeking a submission finish.

Summary:
It’s very apparent from reading Submit Everyone, that Dave Camarillo wanted to give the reader as much of himself, his philosophy and his Jiu-Jitsu that he possibly could. The amount of material in this book is almost overwhelming and at first glance may seem confusing with the unorthodox military theme, but once you dive into it, it will all make sense and you will be thoroughly satisfied. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in grappling but feel it will be best suited for individuals who are, at the very least, already proficient in the basics of  Jiu-Jitsu.

Submit Everyone is published by Victory Belt Publishing who always seems to do a great job of releasing a book with high quality glossy pages and clear photos and this book is no different!

Read more about Dave Camarillo and Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu here.

Thanks for reading!