Video Of My Rubber Guard Problems

Ok tonight I made a little video showing my progress with the Rubber Guard. I'm having some mixed success with it and I had asked in an earlier post if I could get some feedback. The feedback was very helpful although I have yet to implement much of it.

I grabbed a couple of white belts tonight and tried to force some Rubber Guard. I know that I need to work on my flexibility (and I have been like crazy) but I'm thinking maybe there are some technical errors that I'm making.

I edited it together so all it is is my Rubber Guard (that way you dont have to watch anything boring or unnecessary) and it is 3:55 long. The first half of the video I only ask one or two questions, but the last half I write in a lot of questions. If you want to critique my technique that would be great.

thanks guys

Jeremyhttp://youtu.be/kbkd3dYURH0

Jeremy nice work man, always cool to see a blackbelt start adding RG to his game.

A few small things I noticed. When your in Mission control your grabbing over the top of your ankle when you should be wrist to ankle underneath. It seems like you correct yourself towards the end tho.

When you zombie his hand to the mat make sure to sit up and hug your knee. That arms job is to hug your knee keep it there. Use your other hand to clear the neck and start attacking for omoplata's

Overall great work can't wait to see your guard a year from now :)

Agreed. Awesome to see a grappler of your standing starting to play with RG now. :-)

I am no expert, furthest thing from it in fact. But definitely looks like the friction from the Gi makes certain moves a little tougher to do. Zombie being one of them. Always good to hit that 'free new york' whenever possible.

Mastering the system would help your progress sooooooo much. Only $5 per month, and there is like 40 hour long episodes there. A couple go deep into the basic path etc etc. :-)

Hey Jeremy, in your video you ask "Is it ok to bring the second leg even if I can't Zombie?".

Generally it's risky since he can pull out but there is an option where you double bag -> Invisible Crackhead -> Zombie -> Invisible Collar which lowers the risk of him pulling out. It's in Mastering the System Episode 32.

You really should subscribe to MTS, there is tons of rubber guard instructions in there.

Also if you are stuck half-way through the zombie, you can always go to the biceps-crusher.

One big thing I noticed was you brought the arm that was hugging the knee off the knee to clear the neck, but you're supposed to use the other arm that clears the neck. With your other arm moving to the other side of the head and pushing it out of the way you set up omaplatas, gogoplatas and locoplatas because it becomes easier to pull your foot over their shoulder. The way you're doing it, you'd have to pull the leg all the way over the head which is a huge battle and would require INSANE flexibility.

God damn it, to say I'm an English student, I'm not very eloquent when it comes to explaining jiu-jitsu :p

I see where you would be in mission control and can't get the zombie cause he is tight and would throw up crack head you could use the pump then deep hook and dump him for spider web that's one of my favorites lol

Hey man, big props to you for posting a video of yourself asking for a critique. As mentioned, when you are in Mission Control and have your right arm hugging the knee, leave it hugging the knee and use the other arm to clear the neck.

Here is a clear and concise step-by-step video of Ari demonstrating Mission Control > Zombie > New York > Chill Dog > Omaplata.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUDqbU2jwxg

you asked if you "could zombie before mission control".. Sure, anytime you can trap the arm and hug the knee go for it. sometimes if your quick enough and your opponent allows it you can go straight from trapping the arm into "chill dog". Its actually a good way to trap the arm if your having trouble with the zombie, pretty much everyone in the system knows you are going to try and zombie and will not let you get the hand to the mat. but sometimes they will forget about the opposite arm and you can quickly switch sides straight to "new york" or "chill dog"

Jeremy, I'm super excited to have you exploring the rubber guard. The more high level players we have working with it, the more innovation and (ultimately) efficiency we will discover. Thanks for being open-minded enough to give it a go.

I'm far from the ultimate knowledge source, but I think I can help steer you towards some things that will make it easier for you to implement the rubber guard:

@ 1:33 - The way you're gripping with your left hand here is (I feel) superior to your previous grips in the video. The idea is to build a hook with your left hand so that you don't have to rely on the strength of your grip and your fingers to hold your shin in place. While you're wearing the gi, you can sorta grip loosely. But when it gets slippery in no gi, that hooking grip will feel a lot more important. When I was first learning, I would force myself to make a fist in order to drive my hook deeper and prevent grabbing with my fingers.

@ 1:36 - To help keep the left elbow low, think about setting it in place first and then throwing the leg up to your hand. Think of it like a middle block in karate, if that makes any sense. It takes a bit more flexibility and dexterity to do it, but it's way easier to keep good angle and posture.

@ 2:57 - I will do anything I can to trick my opponent into giving me the hand on the mat first. The Zombie is the toughest part of the Rubber Guard. After you have the hand on the mat, everything else is down hill from there. So, if you can skip straight to Chill Dog or even the Kung Fu move, that's excellent. Fake sweeps are a great way to get your opponent's hand on the mat.

That having been said, clearing the arm to the mat without Mission Control is the moment when a powerful opponent who is bent on getting his posture back will slip out, so be on the lookout for that.

@ 3:38 - 1. You could bail back to guard. 2. You could transition to your sweep game from there. 3. You could look for what Eddie calls the Duda. It's a submission/sweep from a half-Zombie position. You can find the Duda in MTS 2 at the 11:26 mark or in Mastering The Rubber Guard page 146 (Jon Helton should have access to both of those resources if you don't).

@ 3:53 - During your last omoplata attempt your opponent stacks pressure into you. I have a lot of success against this defense by controlling the trapped elbow (in this case with your right hand) and rolling belly down. He's already begging to go that way with his pressure, why not give him what he wants and sweep straight to Twister Side Control? It's an idea I picked up watching Marcelo Garcia on his website.

I noticed, also, that you sometimes like to play your Rubber guard similar to the way Ben Saunders used his high guard in one of his previous fights: with your right leg on the neck and your right arm working inside. I'll be interested to see what you're able to do with that. I've never been able to make it work well, but Saunders used it with incredible success. If anybody can figure it out, you can.

Just one additional note: I find that hugging my knee gives me extra flexibility. By hugging the knee you force your hip to engage more fully, which in turn relieves pressure off the knee.

Pulling the foot is pulling the end of a lever, which ultimately stresses the knee joint in an unnatural way. Stretching is awesome and can stop that from being terribly problematic. But when you hug the knee you engage your flexibility above the fulcrum, before the lever even begins, and in a joint that is made to work in all directions. Think about the anatomy of the knee vs the anatomy of the hip. The hip is surrounded by muscle and is a ball and socket joint. The knee itself is virtually devoid of muscle and is made to work in one direction. I want my rubber guard to be built around my hips.

I can't wait to see Eddie review this (not being condescending)

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I've been working on my flexibility a good bit but it's leading me into problems, mainly with that first transition into Mission Control. I know I want the palm facing me, but when I throw up my leg it only goes half way up the back I have to reach my hand over the back to get it and it's easier to reach over the back palm away, this is leaving me in "Shitty Mission Control".

Once I'm in this position and their weight/posture is broken down it's difficult to switch it because their body is occupying the space where my elbow should be. Then I'm forced to transition out of there with an inferior position. I'll keep working on it.

Jon and I talked at lunch and he said I'm setting it up with my hips in to close and I should hip out first. I'm going to give this a go and we'll see if that can compensate for some of my sub par flexibility while I continue stretching.

He also mentioned the Duda. This is a submission that I'm familiar with.

As for the Omoplata stacking thing, I'll look into it. I'm predominately a bottom player and I dont have issues being stacked (or have issues as a result of a stack).

thanks for all the feedback guys, this will give me some stuff to work on.

lastly it is important for me to point out that Jon has not had an opportunity to work with me on the Rubber Guard and my shitty Rubber Guard is in no way a reflection of his ability to teach.

thanks guys!

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Originally Posted by Brandon Mccaghren

Just one additional note: I find that hugging my knee gives me extra flexibility. By hugging the knee you force your your hip to engage more fully, which in turn relieves pressure off the knee.

Pulling the foot is pulling the end of a lever, which ultimately stresses the knee joint in an unnatural way. Stretching is awesome and can stop that from being terribly problematic. But when you hug the knee you engage your flexibility above the fulcrum, before the lever even begins, and in a joint that is made to work in all directions. Think about the anatomy of the knee vs the anatomy of the hip. The hip is surrounded by muscle and is a ball and socket joint. The knee itself is virtually devoid of muscle and is made to work in one direction. I want my rubber guard to be built around my hips.

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Well said Brandon! In addition to what Brandon just mentioned, a detail thats help me (I'm a heavy weight that plays Rubber Guard as well) I find its important to curl the toes of my leg thats on top in my Mission Control, back towards my knee, this engages the peroneal tendon which gives strength to the knee rather than weakening it.

My thoughts:

First, as has been said, big props for having a black belt, yet allowing yourself to be a student at times. First obvious thought: Always use the far hand to grip the leg, not the close one, and grip it with palm facing you, below your wrist so that you don't need wrist strength to maintain. You've got it about right at 1:37, but again, further down the wrist.

At 1:45 and on, you say you can't keep your elbow low. Try hipping out to your right (so you face left more), so that your right leg has a better angle on the shoulder. Always go for this angle. Then, your foot is further across and down, so you can grip it deeper, which allows the muay thai plum style grip. Notice that at this point, your right leg is near the mat, halfway to being killed, which is the opposite of what you want. 2:08 is another perfect example of this mistake. The feet crossing probably stems from this as well.

Taking a zombie first is not only acceptable, it's ideal. A good grappler will know to fight your zombie, so if you can jump straight to a free "New York", it's WAY easier then fighting through the whole path. I start here more often than not, by either threatening lapel chokes like you did, or getting the arm on the mat with a flower/pendulum sweep.

Play with more triangle setups. Your triangle looks great, and the openings are EVERYWHERE with RG.

If your hand gets stuck halfway through a zombie, try learning the crocs and swim move (armbar setups), and especially the duda! (when it's legal)

Thanks for jumping on the forum. I can't wait to see what another traditionally trained black belt will come up with as he plays with the system!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jeremy "The Gerbil" Arel

Jon and I talked at lunch and he said I'm setting it up with my hips in to close and I should hip out first.

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He's completely right.

Brandon pretty much nailed it.

Jon Helton is quite knowledgeable with the rubber guard, he should be able to tweak your rg in the right direction.

The main thing I noticed was after you zombied dude's arm with your right arm you didn't hug your knee, you used your right arm to underhook your right leg. I never do that. Not saying that there's nothing there, just saying I just hug the shit out of my right knee with my right arm. Use your left arm to clear his neck and then you're in chill dog. Then you need to hit the kung fu move with your left arm and wha lah, you're in jiu claw (the oma plata position)

There's soooooooo much to learn and master, keep at it, you won't regret it :)

I would prefer you guys give Jeremy extremely bad advice. He submitted me with a wrist lock today.... a freakin wrist lock. The last think I need is for him to learn rg. ;)

Prof. Arel, we will be moving into rg curriculum again in July. It's pretty convenient for you that 10th Planet Charlotte is located at your school. :p

Thanks for all the advice guys, I worked on some of it tonight and I'm having more success already. I think one of the issues that I was having is that I prefer a lot of loop chokes, armbars and kimuras from closed guard. I know that Rubber Guard transitions very well into Omoplatas but I've been trying to avoid going down that pathway to really get the feel of Rubber Guard.

Tonight was No gi and I did use the Rubber Guard, the Kung Fu Move and Jew Claw to set up my Omoplatas. It made the Rubber Guard significantly better in my opinion. I'm just not a big Omoplata guy. Although I do use them much more in No gi than in the kimono. I think I'm going to enjoy the next couple of months playing that.

Secondly Jon Helton is telling half truths. I wrist locked him twice in a row (same one, same setup). This was after he pulled a slick move off while flow rolling. But hey...who's counting (I mean besides me).

and in case you didnt know, I'm joking about the counting taps thing.

Hell yeah. Good things going on up in Charlotte. Brandon had many very good points, which is why I consider him a boss.

Jeremy,

It takes just as long to master the rubber as to master takedowns, or throws. Time, patience, faith and most of all numbers :)

Jeremy, keep us updated on your progress. New videos, quick reports, etc...

Harry said it, but gettin trapped mid zombie is duda all day.

Jeremy,

Let's see a new rubber guard video once you've made the adjustments.

Let us guide you to rubber guard mastery :)

I used it some more tonight in the no gi class. I'm having a lot more success when I set up the "Free New York" that makes things insanely easier.

I'm also posting my foot on the floor to move my hips back as I'm setting up my Rubber Guard. I had initially feared that my opponent would hop over, but it hasnet helped yet. I cant tell if this is because I'm being technically sound or some of my students have been beaten enough to fear an easy transition against me (not that I really beat them up, they just think I do).

Also I've been forcing myself to stay in Rubber Guard to play with that basic path (Mission Control, Zombie, New York, Chill Dog, Invisible Collar) and trying to avoid moving into the Omoplata setups. Tonight I allowed myself to move through the Jew Claw and Kung Fu move a little more freely. I'm finding that moving straight from New York into Kung Fu is incredibly easy. The only problem is that forces me into a place that I have a very good game already and I want to play with all the new stuff.

I'll bring the camera in on Saturday and film some new stuff after I get some more reps tomorrow night. We'll see how that works out.

thanks for the feedback, it's pretty awesome.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brandon Mccaghren

@ 3:53 - During your last omoplata attempt your opponent stacks pressure into you. I have a lot of success against this defense by controlling the trapped elbow (in this case with your right hand) and rolling belly down. He's already begging to go that way with his pressure, why not give him what he wants and sweep straight to Twister Side Control? It's an idea I picked up watching Marcelo Garcia on his website.

.

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http://youtu.be/kYLm1oo0dL0

Is this what you are talking about? I filmed this back in 2009

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jeremy "The Gerbil" Arel

Video Link: http://youtu.be/kYLm1oo0dL0

Is this what you are talking about? I filmed this back in 2009

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It's not exactly the same, but It uses the same principle, yes. Turning that direction (belly down) makes the omoplata game so much more effective. When I hear people say that don't like turning that way I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. So many sweeps and alternate finishes from there.

That's a glorious armbar at the end of the video, by the way. Never seen that one before.

If you turn quickly a lot of guys dont expect you to roll that way. If they are ready for it they can roll (regardless of what I say in the video) as I've learned from repping it out.

But those people that dont expect it...it can be dangerous.

The only advice I'm qualified to offer is that I believe it's spelled "Jiu Claw" :)

LOL Jacob.

This is a great thread. Some amazing advice!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jeremy "The Gerbil" Arel

If you turn quickly a lot of guys dont expect you to roll that way. If they are ready for it they can roll (regardless of what I say in the video) as I've learned from repping it out.

But those people that dont expect it...it can be dangerous.

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If you hook the opponent's far foot (like you would in the Carni) and then turn belly down, you'll rip his shoulder to shreds and he won't be able to roll.

Great thread!