I'm going to ask my teacher this tonight but isn't it easy for them to posture up when you clear the neck and rehook? if so what can prevent that other than the obvious answer of speed?

Moderator note: For those of you reading this thread and wondering why we are allowing it when we toss many technical questions into the abyss, allow me to explain. The OP asked a question about a specific technique in a way that makes it possible to answer in a meaningful way. Also, not all BJJ schools focus on rubber guard, and it's possible he may not get an answer from his coach. These are the kinds of technique threads we like and fully encourage. Carry on.

I'm no rubber guard expert.. But..if you have the hand on the mat, isn't it stuck between your arm/armpit and thigh/hip?

This might go to gitmo but hey, first post!

I'm going to ask my teacher this tonight but isn't it easy for them to posture up when you clear the neck and rehook? if so what can prevent that other than the obvious answer of speed

I assume that you're talking about moving into Chill Dog. In my opinion, speed comes in second to keeping his arm trapped. As long as you keep hugging your knee, his arm should stay trapped to the point where he can't posture up. If he tries, then he's also likely doing you the favor of allowing you the space to hook your leg without making you fight for it.

Yeah, keeping the arm pinned down is very important; as a matter of fact, many moves in the rubber guard rely on keeping an arm pinned down or overhooked in order to keep them from sitting up out of it.

When you make that transition from mission to chill if he postures up you will have a quicker transition to jiu claw(these names are so fun). Again as everyone stated as long as you have the hand on the mat. If he is posturing up alot try retard control.

The funny thing about this position is how creative you can be with it. Along with that it has alot of outs and passes. I must say I have been having fun with this position for a few months now and I am getting to the point were I can slap mission control on with ease.

If you can get Chill Dog before he postures up fully, you can go directly into the Invisible Collar and try the submission, if that doesn't work, you can use the destraction to transition to many of the other moves.

Also, remember what you should be doing while in the control positions. When you have your leg across their shoulder, you should be applying downward pressure using a leg curl. Also, you should have the opposite foot on with your knee pressed in firmly into the side of your opponent somewhere around the armpit area depending on size. You will use the "Thighmaster" (thanks Aesop, check out his Rubber Guard info on his website www.aeosopian.com). Basically, you will apply squeezing pressure towards his body with both legs like a "Thighmaster" while applying curling pressure with the leg you have over your opponents shoulder.

Also keep in mind that you should be hooking your leg around the ankle with your wrist and not your hand. If you are using your hand, then you won't have that hand to transition to Retard/Crack Head Control (and the other control positions) by grabbing the hand of the arm holding your leg with your free hand. You need to be able to do this as an extra means of keeping his/her posture broken down, as well and to stabalize yourself and your opposition.

usually when people try to get up as I am transitioning, they leave me an easy armbar... in fact, it would be hard for them not to.

usually when people try to get up as I am transitioning, they leave me an easy armbar... in fact, it would be hard for them not to.

That's one reason people screw up the rubber guard a lot. Hell, I even do it sometimes. You are so busy trying to pull off that rubber guard teachnique that you forget to transition to something else if they defend against your rubber guard attack. Usually when defending the various techniques of rubber guard you open yourself up to other attacks. It's all about the transition. After all, the defense against the armbar where you just pull your attacked arm out, opens you up to a triangle choke. Also, you can use their momentum when they are trying to pull out of it to pull out some open guard sweeps. Because the rubber guard is still brand new; and the fact that you can only really learn it from either the book or tenth planet jj, people will sometimes panic and give you stuff they never would have before.

I am completely fascinated by the Rubber Guard! Eddie Bravo is the man. I tried it for the first time today while rolling at practice...er, uh, with very little success, but I will keep practicing.

I had mission control from guard then transitioned to an overhook with my left arm over his right arm (my own little set up). My partner then started to shimmy his way out of my guard and I went right to the Rubber Guard position.

When I got there, my instructor said, "Omo Plata, Omo Plata go!"

Obviously, my drill partner had not seen this before (I just found out about the Rubber Guard this week) so he was vulnerable not only to the Omo Plata, but also an arm bar. I totally agree with the Rubber Guard being so new that your opponent will not know what the hell is going on when he gets caught in it, thereby opening him up to all kinds of submissions. Cool stuff!

Cool. Good job.

I recommend picking up Mastering the Rubber Guard, having a look at the videos of Eddie Bravo teaching rubber guard on youtube, and then drilling the crap out of them with a partner bearing in mind what he says is most important in the book and the videos - namely keeping everything real tight, the specific positioning of each limb and why you are doing it, and so on.

I like the rubber guard alot. there are some ways to shut it down though. one of my instructors is a bravo brown ,so we drill the RG / 1/2 guard alot. once your partners know the do's and don't its not as fun. I find hugging the knee tight( also saves your knee) and actively pushing on the hip with the foot ,the basics, is most important. I am a big fan of the jiu claw.

Cool. Good job.

I recommend picking up Mastering the Rubber Guard, having a look at the videos of Eddie Bravo teaching rubber guard on youtube, and then drilling the crap out of them with a partner bearing in mind what he says is most important in the book and the videos - namely keeping everything real tight, the specific positioning of each limb and why you are doing it, and so on.

YouTube is where I discovered Eddie Bravo executing the Rubber Guard. I already picked up one BJJ book this month----I should have bought the Rubber Guard book. Damn!

if someone is trying to posture UP out of my mission control > chill dog transition, i usually go retard control > meathook > triangle. often they feel the triangle coming, defend against it by hugging the knee you are trying to bring up around their neck, and open themselves up to the original chilldog transition as their head tilts to the side to help keep your knee from coming through.

if they posture BACK out of mission control they will be forced to leave their arm behind. this makes it extremely easy to palm their head towards your knee(the same direction they want to go to stop chilldog) and throw your leg over, leg curl and sweep them into spider web. once again when they try to stop the armbar, they will be drive back into you, with their head going AWAY from your knee, setting you up for chill dog again.

knee hugged tight and foot planted into their hip is a must during the transitions and often will prevent them getting enough space to posture in the first place. you basically stretch two opposite corners of their body. also squeeze your legs together into their torso. makes movement hard. <<<--- you are probably not tight enough in these areas and are allowing them too much freedom.

YouTube is where I discovered Eddie Bravo executing the Rubber Guard. I already picked up one BJJ book this month----I should have bought the Rubber Guard book. Damn!

Make sure it's his latest book "Mastering the Rubber Guard" the photos are in color, it is much more detailed with more moves and explainations of the moves and even has photo flow charts of what transitions into what.

I think that book should be the blue print to format just about any instructional book.

Also you will learn more about Marijuana than you probably ever wanted to know.

Also you will learn more about Marijuana than you probably ever wanted to know.


This is very very true.

I have been using alittle rubber guard lately. I use it to get that extremely high guard, bravo calls it "Pyramid" i think, and i work from there.

We went no gi tonight and I tried the rubber guard against an experienced, very strong partner. It was a total no go. He just postured up and passed my guard. I will keep working it. Eddie Bravo is a pothead, huh? LOL. I will have to pick up his book. Thanks.