Library's review
Although Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has proven time and again to be the most effective form of ground fighting, the evolution of the sport is far from complete. After just nine years of training, world-renowned jiu-jjitsu practitioner Eddie Bravo proved this with his victory over Royler Gracie, the
In Mastering the Rubber Guard, Bravo reveals the techniqiues and strategy of the rubber guard, the core of 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu. Through descriptive narative and more than twelve hundred color photographs, he not only exposes dozens of unique submissions, escapes, and transitions from each of the control positions that make up the rubber guard, but he also teaches you how to move through the web of control positions like a spider. He lays out his elaborate half guard game, his butterfly guard game, and how to escape back to the guard. This book isn't a compilation of random moves-it divulges a complete guard system where all the techniques tie together. Widely regarded as not only the most offensive, but also the most defensive, guard game in existence, the rubber guard will change the way you view and play jiu-jitsu.
'Eddie Bravo's approach to jiu-jitsu is so unusual and innovative that it's literally a completely separate branch off the jiu-jitsu tree. And it's not just different; it's actually better. Much better.'-Joe Rogan UFC Commentator, Host of NBC's 'Fear Factor'
Review-
This is not your average Jiu-Jitsu instructional book. Written by a heavily tattooed ex-musician, every aspect of the book seems designed to attack the traditional foundations of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. From the firm no-gi stance of the author, to the open marijuana advocacy (even going so far as to recommend marijuana usage during training!) to the, um, rather colloquial naming of moves and positions ('Retard Control', 'Crack Head Control', 'Jiu-Claw', 'Night of the Living Dead'), Eddie Bravo questions and overturns seemingly every established dogma in BJJ.
After deeper analysis, however, one realizes that behind the silly names and cannabis activism there is real and valuable martial arts research in these techniques. Transforming guard into an offensive position via Rubber Guard (especially when the standard 'triangle choke or arm bar from guard' sequence stops working) has the potential to COMPLETELY change your game. Bravo not only demonstrates Rubber Guard but beforehand explains how to turn half-guard into an equally powerful position, and outlines many sweeps and defensive counters. I found the Troubleshooting sections to be valuable, as they explain common errors and mistakes made when learning these techniques and how to overcome them.
The book is well laid-out with many clear color pictures with alternate angles, in a sensible sequence from stretching to half guard Lockdown, to Butterfly Guard to Rubber Guard and more advances techniques building on the prior sections. The writing makes the strategy and progression clear, instead of simply being a catalog of individual moves. I recommend this to any BJJ practitioner, from white belt on up, particularly if you train at a more traditional gi school. You'll have fun surprising and tapping your classmates with the unorthodox techniques, and that alone is worth the price of this book.
Review-
This has great jujitsu information from a guy who has made it a practice of making the unorthodox work for him. His photos and explanations are excellent, and make you want to try the stuff out. Some (I would say a lot) of his stuff requires you to drill it thoroughly before you are able to pull it off in randori or tournament, but some of the concepts are interesting enough to just tweak what you already do.
On the minus side, he spends way way too much time giving us his viewpoint on his pro-pothead lifestyle (a view apparently shared by Joe Rogan, his friend and training partner). Personally, I would like to see pot legalized, but the argument in favor of doing so is one I would rather see argued by someone a great deal more qualified than Eddie Bravo. Why spend time in a jujitsu text to go on and on (and he really does, by the way) about how great pot has been to him? Biographical sections can add to a martial arts text, but not when they're just polemics, and the stuff he's into makes him sound like a high school pothead constantly either toking or chasing tail, and consequently much less interesting. Who cares what he thinks about girls or pot? I sure don't; I could have gotten the same insight from those same high school potheads if I wanted.
Additionally, the names of his moves make no sense except to boost his bloated ego, which seems convinced that he's reinvented the wheel. It makes working the material a little tougher.
Oh, if you want to see how he teaches and talks (pretty much like a pothead, imho), check out some of his seminars on YouTube.
All that aside, though, his jujitsu instruction is excellent and for real, and easily propels this to 4 stars (5 without the pro-pot stuff). If you can skip over it, it's well worth the effort.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Joe Rogan
Introduction
No-Gi hypotheitcal question
Finding the right guard
Gi pants
How to use this book
Part I Stretches-Introduction to stretches
1 General stretches
Butterfly stretch
Hamsting stretch
Step over hip stretch
Cross legged stretch
Triangle stretch
The big squeeze stretch
Double & single hip stretch
2 Back stretches
Downward dog to cobra
Superman stretch
Lower back stretch
Side-back stretch
Sit-up back stretch
3 Chillin' stretches
Chill back knee stretch
Heel hook stretch
The blunt stretch
Part 2 Half guard-Introduction to the half guard
4 Half guard fundamentals
The lockdown
The jaws of life
The whip up
5 Half guard sweeps
Old school
Electric chair sweep/submission
Stoner control
Stoner control variation
Stoner control arm triangle
Stoner control calf crank
Twist back & Plan B combo
Half guard to closed guard
6 Dogfight sweeps
Transition to teh dogfight
Half and half
Half and half variation
Plan B
Twist back & Plan B combo
The powder keg
8 Limp arm techniques
DPO to side control
DPO to back
Drowning wizard
9 Failed double under-hooks
The stomp
The super stomp
The new stomp
The Godfather
The Godfather sweep to side control
10 Forcing the lockdown
The stakeout
Butt scoot blast
Part 3 Butterfly guard-Introduction to the butterfly guard
11 Butterfly sweeps
Jean Jacques sweep
Stick shift
Jean Jacques 2
Part 4 Rubber guard-Introduction to the rubber guard
12 Breaking opponent down
Non-stop
Breaking opponent
Down into mission control
Over/under hook
S-grip
double under-hooks
13 Getting hand to the mat
The zombie
Night of the living dead
Exhumer
14 Failed hand to the mat
Mission control-Mission pumb; Meat hook to triangle
Retard control-The duda; The crocodile
Crack head control-The pump
15 Pyramid
Mission control to pyramid
Triangle (push hand out)
Triangle (push hand up)
Tepee
Go-go plata to locko plata
Inverted arm bar
Kung fu move to jiu-claw
16 New York (can't clear thehead)
East coast croc
Rescue dog
17 Chill dog
New York to chill dog
Arm bar
The carni
Crowbar
Mad dog control
18 Invisible collar
Chill dog to invisible collar
Invisible collar variation
Go-go plata to loca plata
Invisible crock
Far side arm bar
Swim move
KKng fu move to jiu-claw
19 Jiu-claw
Omaplata
The ice pick
Inverted arm bar
Arm bar
Triangle
FM ankle lock (near leg)
FM ankle lock (far leg)
20 Jiu-claw sweeps
DA
The un-winder
The snitch
The drowning jiu
21 Trouble shooting the rubber guard
Introduction to trouble shooting the rubber guard
Breaking the grips-The machete
Failed break down-Transition to dogfight
Dealing with the stack-The stack attack; The drop kick
Defending the slam-Cock block; The pump off the stack
MMA tactics-The noogie control; Crack bows; Chill bows
Part 5 Spider web-Introduction to the spider web
The arm crush
Triangle arm bar
The slide
X-Break
The filho
Chamber lock
Silverado
Part 6 Escapes to guard-Introductin to escapes to guard-T-Rex
22 Escapes to half guard
Mount to half guard escapes-Escape from Alcatraz; Guantanamo; Hip escape
Side control to half guard escapes-25 cent; The flo
North/south to half guard escape-The B. Smith
Back to half guard escape-The JJ back escape
23 Escapes to butterfly guard
Mount escape to butterfly guard-Hip push escape; Shrimp escape
Side control escape to butterfly guard-The jailbreak; The jailbreak variation; The jailbreak (arm hook); The tunnel
About the authors
Show More
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu phenomenon who had dedicated his entire life to the sport. Bravo became the only American to submit a member of the legendary Gracie family in jiu-jitsu competition not by following tradition, but rather by thinking outside the box and developing a revolutionary system of grappling designed specifically for the street, mixed martial arts competition, and no gi tournaments.In Mastering the Rubber Guard, Bravo reveals the techniqiues and strategy of the rubber guard, the core of 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu. Through descriptive narative and more than twelve hundred color photographs, he not only exposes dozens of unique submissions, escapes, and transitions from each of the control positions that make up the rubber guard, but he also teaches you how to move through the web of control positions like a spider. He lays out his elaborate half guard game, his butterfly guard game, and how to escape back to the guard. This book isn't a compilation of random moves-it divulges a complete guard system where all the techniques tie together. Widely regarded as not only the most offensive, but also the most defensive, guard game in existence, the rubber guard will change the way you view and play jiu-jitsu.
'Eddie Bravo's approach to jiu-jitsu is so unusual and innovative that it's literally a completely separate branch off the jiu-jitsu tree. And it's not just different; it's actually better. Much better.'-Joe Rogan UFC Commentator, Host of NBC's 'Fear Factor'
Review-
This is not your average Jiu-Jitsu instructional book. Written by a heavily tattooed ex-musician, every aspect of the book seems designed to attack the traditional foundations of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. From the firm no-gi stance of the author, to the open marijuana advocacy (even going so far as to recommend marijuana usage during training!) to the, um, rather colloquial naming of moves and positions ('Retard Control', 'Crack Head Control', 'Jiu-Claw', 'Night of the Living Dead'), Eddie Bravo questions and overturns seemingly every established dogma in BJJ.
After deeper analysis, however, one realizes that behind the silly names and cannabis activism there is real and valuable martial arts research in these techniques. Transforming guard into an offensive position via Rubber Guard (especially when the standard 'triangle choke or arm bar from guard' sequence stops working) has the potential to COMPLETELY change your game. Bravo not only demonstrates Rubber Guard but beforehand explains how to turn half-guard into an equally powerful position, and outlines many sweeps and defensive counters. I found the Troubleshooting sections to be valuable, as they explain common errors and mistakes made when learning these techniques and how to overcome them.
The book is well laid-out with many clear color pictures with alternate angles, in a sensible sequence from stretching to half guard Lockdown, to Butterfly Guard to Rubber Guard and more advances techniques building on the prior sections. The writing makes the strategy and progression clear, instead of simply being a catalog of individual moves. I recommend this to any BJJ practitioner, from white belt on up, particularly if you train at a more traditional gi school. You'll have fun surprising and tapping your classmates with the unorthodox techniques, and that alone is worth the price of this book.
Review-
This has great jujitsu information from a guy who has made it a practice of making the unorthodox work for him. His photos and explanations are excellent, and make you want to try the stuff out. Some (I would say a lot) of his stuff requires you to drill it thoroughly before you are able to pull it off in randori or tournament, but some of the concepts are interesting enough to just tweak what you already do.
On the minus side, he spends way way too much time giving us his viewpoint on his pro-pothead lifestyle (a view apparently shared by Joe Rogan, his friend and training partner). Personally, I would like to see pot legalized, but the argument in favor of doing so is one I would rather see argued by someone a great deal more qualified than Eddie Bravo. Why spend time in a jujitsu text to go on and on (and he really does, by the way) about how great pot has been to him? Biographical sections can add to a martial arts text, but not when they're just polemics, and the stuff he's into makes him sound like a high school pothead constantly either toking or chasing tail, and consequently much less interesting. Who cares what he thinks about girls or pot? I sure don't; I could have gotten the same insight from those same high school potheads if I wanted.
Additionally, the names of his moves make no sense except to boost his bloated ego, which seems convinced that he's reinvented the wheel. It makes working the material a little tougher.
Oh, if you want to see how he teaches and talks (pretty much like a pothead, imho), check out some of his seminars on YouTube.
All that aside, though, his jujitsu instruction is excellent and for real, and easily propels this to 4 stars (5 without the pro-pot stuff). If you can skip over it, it's well worth the effort.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Joe Rogan
Introduction
No-Gi hypotheitcal question
Finding the right guard
Gi pants
How to use this book
Part I Stretches-Introduction to stretches
1 General stretches
Butterfly stretch
Hamsting stretch
Step over hip stretch
Cross legged stretch
Triangle stretch
The big squeeze stretch
Double & single hip stretch
2 Back stretches
Downward dog to cobra
Superman stretch
Lower back stretch
Side-back stretch
Sit-up back stretch
3 Chillin' stretches
Chill back knee stretch
Heel hook stretch
The blunt stretch
Part 2 Half guard-Introduction to the half guard
4 Half guard fundamentals
The lockdown
The jaws of life
The whip up
5 Half guard sweeps
Old school
Electric chair sweep/submission
Stoner control
Stoner control variation
Stoner control arm triangle
Stoner control calf crank
Twist back & Plan B combo
Half guard to closed guard
6 Dogfight sweeps
Transition to teh dogfight
Half and half
Half and half variation
Plan B
Twist back & Plan B combo
The powder keg
8 Limp arm techniques
DPO to side control
DPO to back
Drowning wizard
9 Failed double under-hooks
The stomp
The super stomp
The new stomp
The Godfather
The Godfather sweep to side control
10 Forcing the lockdown
The stakeout
Butt scoot blast
Part 3 Butterfly guard-Introduction to the butterfly guard
11 Butterfly sweeps
Jean Jacques sweep
Stick shift
Jean Jacques 2
Part 4 Rubber guard-Introduction to the rubber guard
12 Breaking opponent down
Non-stop
Breaking opponent
Down into mission control
Over/under hook
S-grip
double under-hooks
13 Getting hand to the mat
The zombie
Night of the living dead
Exhumer
14 Failed hand to the mat
Mission control-Mission pumb; Meat hook to triangle
Retard control-The duda; The crocodile
Crack head control-The pump
15 Pyramid
Mission control to pyramid
Triangle (push hand out)
Triangle (push hand up)
Tepee
Go-go plata to locko plata
Inverted arm bar
Kung fu move to jiu-claw
16 New York (can't clear thehead)
East coast croc
Rescue dog
17 Chill dog
New York to chill dog
Arm bar
The carni
Crowbar
Mad dog control
18 Invisible collar
Chill dog to invisible collar
Invisible collar variation
Go-go plata to loca plata
Invisible crock
Far side arm bar
Swim move
KKng fu move to jiu-claw
19 Jiu-claw
Omaplata
The ice pick
Inverted arm bar
Arm bar
Triangle
FM ankle lock (near leg)
FM ankle lock (far leg)
20 Jiu-claw sweeps
DA
The un-winder
The snitch
The drowning jiu
21 Trouble shooting the rubber guard
Introduction to trouble shooting the rubber guard
Breaking the grips-The machete
Failed break down-Transition to dogfight
Dealing with the stack-The stack attack; The drop kick
Defending the slam-Cock block; The pump off the stack
MMA tactics-The noogie control; Crack bows; Chill bows
Part 5 Spider web-Introduction to the spider web
The arm crush
Triangle arm bar
The slide
X-Break
The filho
Chamber lock
Silverado
Part 6 Escapes to guard-Introductin to escapes to guard-T-Rex
22 Escapes to half guard
Mount to half guard escapes-Escape from Alcatraz; Guantanamo; Hip escape
Side control to half guard escapes-25 cent; The flo
North/south to half guard escape-The B. Smith
Back to half guard escape-The JJ back escape
23 Escapes to butterfly guard
Mount escape to butterfly guard-Hip push escape; Shrimp escape
Side control escape to butterfly guard-The jailbreak; The jailbreak variation; The jailbreak (arm hook); The tunnel
About the authors
Show Less
ISBN
977731596
Publication
Victory Belt Publishing