Rubber Gaurd basics question

[Andrew Sarasin]

Why is it that the basics is to eventually go for an omoplata? Wouldn't a triangle make more sense? Is it because it's higher percentage, less moves, and your hips are always going in the same direction.
This might be a stupid question but I'm just curious. My rubber guard is getting better but without doing reps for it its slow as hell.

Usually I'll just go for butterfly guard, if I can't get rubber guard, closed guard with wrist control I threw out the garbage pretty much after doing it for a year and a half.

Kenney Florian says the best guard is butterfly but... I'm sure a lot of people would disagree, especially on this forum. lol

[Ross Davidson]

The best guard? That's pretty subjective, or relative, whichever lol. It all depends on what your game is about. About the ground and pound? A guard with high percentage sweeps, such as butterfly, is the best. Although, I'd say the lockdown half guard is the best for sweeps, just not utilized at all in most MMA bouts. If you're about submissions, high full guard is probably the best. Rubber guard is just a super controlling and defensive way to play a high guard while being incredibly offensive. I try to base my game off of full blown fight situations, so guards like Z guard, or wrist control full guard, are pretty much out of the window for me.

The omoplata isn't necessarily the basic submission, but rather jiu claw is the basic dead zone to get to. There's quite a few submissions from there, as well as an opportunity to transition into the reverse spiderweb. In terms of simplest to learn early on, I don't think any rubber guard is easy. It's very complicated and technical, with a lot of small details easily overlooked. I think it's a good idea to just pick one of the 'basic paths' (basic path, meathook triangle, whatever) and just work on that repeatedly. After training with Bmac in Alabama, I've learned quite a few things that I've been doing sub-par with the rubber guard. Now I'm starting over with just trying to get things right with it, instead of trying to force poorly set up submissions.

[Kevin Gibbs]

I treat the omoplata as a fail safe. I work for armbars/triangles/gogo's etc, but if those fail or are defended the jiu claw series is usually in my back pocket, depending on what I am attacking. I don't think there is a best guard in general, I have guards that I prefer in different situations, and there are guards that are better in certain scenarios

[Scott Ray]

I love butterfly guard. Barncat loves butterfly's too.. Butterfly guard compliments rubber guard. At the highest levels it about changing guards. You must transition from guard to guard to be effective at the expert level. So for this reason there is no "1 guard, to rule them all!" Prison guard also compliments rubber guard very well.

[Spencer Brown]

Personally think you need to look at rubber guard as "how can I control my opponent to do whatever (omoplata, triangle, etc) I want. I see triangles hit more often than omoplata at my gym. If you break the posture using rubber guard or whatever guard it doesn't really matter because you get to choose the finish.

[Andrew Sarasin]

I treat the omoplata as a fail safe. I work for armbars/triangles/gogo's etc, but if those fail or are defended the jiu claw series is usually in my back pocket, depending on what I am attacking. I don't think there is a best guard in general, I have guards that I prefer in different situations, and there are guards that are better in certain scenarios

That makes a lot of sense, I think I'll try to go for triangles or omoplatas. I gotta get that hand on the mat though, I'll start with that lol. That will be my goal next class.

[Andrew Sarasin]

I love butterfly guard. Barncat loves butterfly's too.. Butterfly guard compliments rubber guard. At the highest levels it about changing guards. You must transition from guard to guard to be effective at the expert level. So for this reason there is no "1 guard, to rule them all!" Prison guard also compliments rubber guard very well.

I don't know what prison guard is yet, but I'm excited to find out lol. I do think its a bit ridiculous to say that there is a best guard though, I can see why people can say that butterfly guard is the best but to me that seems like the most offective defensive guard, and if the sweeps fail you can always go for triangles and ect.

[bobby rivers]

The basic path is a hallway. At the end of the hall is the omoplata. While you're taking a stroll down the hallway there will be doors on both sides. If one opens jump through it. If not either try to open it or just keep struttin down the hallway like John Travolta checking other doors knowing the omo is at the end of the hall.

[Martin Harris]

The basic path is a hallway. At the end of the hall is the omoplata. While you're taking a stroll down the hallway there will be doors on both sides. If one opens jump through it. If not either try to open it or just keep struttin down the hallway like John Travolta checking other doors knowing the omo is at the end of the hall.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to bobby rivers again.

[Brandon Mccaghren]

The basic path is a hallway. At the end of the hall is the omoplata. While you're taking a stroll down the hallway there will be doors on both sides. If one opens jump through it. If not either try to open it or just keep struttin down the hallway like John Travolta checking other doors knowing the omo is at the end of the hall.

That brought a tear to my eye.