Yeah Josh is a great guy and good friend / training partner....
If you watch the MTS episodes you will see that it is a giant misconception that I don't teach basics.
How much of an idiot would I be if I preached not to focus on basics? I would have to be a complete moron to believe that :)
Eddie, I don't mean to imply that you don't teach the basics, and I sure as hell don't mean to insinuate that you are closed minded or, as you say, an idiot. You have opened up the way I see BJJ, and I am a serious believer in both TPJJ and yourself. I'm the guy that runs around a Gracie Humaita affiliate getting laughed at while I talk about Rubber Guard.
It just seems that a lot of TPJJ guys learn the other stuff as "This is what other people might do to you" rather than fully incorporating it into their games. I have seen you say in tons of videos how important fundamentals and basics are, and how important your background was to developing TPJJ as we know it. I just wonder how consistently those points are taken to heart. Why is it that TPJJ fighters pretty much only follow TPJJ routes? Is it really just the best possible option always, or would it be better as just another part of your arsenal? I know that I personally get some of my best openings for TP subs through threatening regular attacks. When I go straight to RG, people can sometimes defend, but when I mix it up, they seem to have no idea what to do. Same with lockdown.
Again, this is no criticism of the value of TPJJ or its fighters, and I'm not trying to troll for arguments. I just want to know what to focus on in my training, and the reasons for the decisions of some of my favorite fighters on earth.
Eddie has been quoted as saying that 10th Planet JJ is "anything that works at a high level for no-gi." That includes traditional BJJ techniques that do not rely on the gi for implementation.
That being said, Eddie also encourages people to go train at other high level schools and learn what is working for them.
Can you use your real name? People might take your post more seriously.
You keep mentioning these so called "TPJJ routes." I have no idea what your actual experience with 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu is, but this very limiting sounding "TPJJ routes" thing doesn't exist.
All of us at 10th Planet JJ Headquarters are taught basic BJJ.
There are paths when referring to certain set ups from Rubber Guard, but 10th Planet JJ is WAY more than just Rubber Guard.
My real name is Harry Evans. When I describe "TPJJ routes", I mean the paths that I see most TPJJ fighters take in competition. For example, lockdown, double unders, old school, if that doesn't work electric chair... or pull guard, mission control, ny, chill dog, maybe crackhead, kung-fu move, etc. I think my question has been answered though: it seems like the guys who train directly at TPJJ schools spend much more time on basic BJJ fundamentals than I thought. I was just pointing out how that is not obvious just by watching competition footage. It's crazy how quickly you can watch a match and say "that guy is clearly tenth planet" after about 15 seconds, while it's not as easy to say "that guy is clearly gracie barra" or some other team. Honestly though, as far as TPJJ being way more than RG, I'm usually the person that makes that point to others, I get it. I'm not at all trying to take away from the system or its participants. Sorry if it seemed that way. Matter of fact, I just spent my birthday yesterday doing reps on my moves from TSC :)
Harry,
Thanks for using your real name. There are so many trolls on these kinds of forums these days, it is hard to know who is asking a questions in earnest. If you change your account name, it would definitely open people up to giving you a different sort of response to your questions.
I now understand your question, but totally disagree with your assumption.
First of all, Eddie has produced a number of highly successful books and DVD's illustrating some of 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu's most progressive techniques. These books and DVD's are sold worldwide and anyone can purchase them and try out techniques in competition. So when you see someone in competition working Rubber Guard, or say sweeps from the Lockdown, you may want to look into who these guys are, what their affiliation is and how long they have been training BJJ. They may be new to Jiu Jitsu, and they may not in fact be 10th Planet affiliated.
Another reason you may see people working these positions, or set ups more often in competition is because of the fact that most other schools don't rep those techniques, therefore making it an obvious go to.
I'll give you an example. If your school is really good at guillotines, and has a variety of set ups from there like say...Renzo Gracie's school in New York City, you might use that as a go to in competition matches because other schools may be lacking of reps in that area. Renzo's school excellent at guillotines and well known for that.
Or say if your from De La Riva's academy, you might use De La Riva guard as your go to.
Atos is proficient at everything really, but they work a lot of spiral guard and 50/50.
Ryan Hall's school is named 50/50 BJJ. That might give you some insight.
In other words, just because we learn Rubber Guard and Lockdown, that doesn't mean that is all we learn. Eddie is just as awesome teaching us Kimura's as he is teaching us Double Bagger.
There are also quite a few guys who compete at a very high level who are very proficient in Rubber Guard paths and sweeps from the Lockdown. These guys also happen to be awesome at fundamental BJJ. I can name a bunch, but Sean Bollinger and Denny Prokopos quickly come to mind.:)
awesome breakdown jason and amazing insight.....
Jason, thank you, that is exactly the response I was looking for. And you are right. Maybe I really just get excited like Joe Rogan whenever I see someone use RG, but I never really considered it could just be another person who uses online videos. And Ryan Hall's 50/50BJJ or De La Riva are pretty solid examples of other unique, recognizable schools. I appreciate the insight, and the way you broke it down.
On a side note: how can I change my user name?