The Rubber Guard: King of Self-Defense Guards?

Many of us are familiar with the rubber guard and its origin.  The famous position is a staple in the 10th planet system that was created by the infamous Eddie Bravo.  The 10th planet system has evolved along with the Jiu Jitsu world but one thing that can be said about it is the fact that they have excellent techniques for self-defense. 

The rubber guard was created by the Jiu Jitsu mastermind, Eddie Bravo as a method of controlling your opponent off of your back so that you could stay safe in an MMA fight or in Self-Defense.  Eddie was a bjj nerd like many of us and was dissecting all of the things that he saw in the early MMA days from guys like Rickson, Renzo, Royce, and other legends.  He took it upon himself to ditch the gi and create a system of attacks that worked in no gi.  This would eventually lead to the development of the rubber guard.  

The rubber guard was primarily created as a guard that would be used by MMA fighters and for self-defense.  There are several criticisms over the effectiveness of this guard and many people assume that you need a lot of dexterity to use this position.  Contrary to popular belief, with a little practice, anyone can do this.  The rubber guard may be the best guard for self-defense.  Why?  It is a position that you can completely control your opponent from off of your back, stay safe, and apply strikes and submissions.  

Time and time again we see people use this position in the UFC and even in bjj competitions.  The rubber guard has established itself as one of the best guards both for self-defense, MMA and even in sport bjj.  If you have ever rolled with someone who has a good rubber guard, you know how difficult it can be. 

The Rubber Guard For MMA/Self-Defense: 

So, what makes it so good?  Well, lets breakdown some of the key components of the rubber guard.

-Break the Posture

-Control the opponent

-Close the Distance

-Stay Active

-Slowly Attack Submissions

If we look at these simple principles we can easily see how these can be extremely effective for MMA.  The single most important thing to do in an MMA fight or self-defense if you end up on your back is to control your opponent.  How do you do this?  Well, you need to break their posture.  

Breaking the posture is simple to do the difficulty lies in maintaining the position.  If you break the posture you want to be able to keep the posture broken and control them.  This is what the rubber guard was created to do.  By grabbing your own shins and using your legs to keep weight on the back of your opponent you will be able to keep their posture completely broken.  Not only can you control the posture but you can also start to strike and attack submissions. 

Many people assume that the rubber guard is just one position but within the position there are sequences of moves and other positions.  10th planet has its own terminology, you may have heard things like mission control, meathook, and other things.  these are parts of the rubber guard that will allow you to get deeper and deeper in your control. 

Why don't we see it as often in sport bjj?  This is a great question, it is simply because at the highest levels of bjj it is very difficult to even achieve the closed guard position.  Closed guard in sport bjj is seen as an advantageous position for the person on bottom.  If you manage to get a world champ like Xande Ribeiro, or Buchecha in the closed guard, you are doing something right. 

Since it is increasingly difficult to get someone in the closed guard it makes it even harder to get them in the rubber guard.  Make no mistake though, the rubber guard works.  Especially in MMA.  If you ever have time try and learn some of the components to having a good rubber guard and spar with some gloves and include strikes and watch how much it will help.  If you know nothing of the rubber guard and want to see some cool details and a submission check out the video below 

So if we have intrigued you to learn some of the rubber guard, it is your lucky day.  Brandon McCaghren is a 10th planet black belt and rubber guard expert, check out his new DVD and online video series. This 10th Planet instructor and owner has taken the rubber guard and studied it relentlessly for years, finding and refining new attacks and entries, and he is here to share those details with you. As you are going step-by-step through the techniques, also learn how they connect, when each move is most effective, and every strategy that makes this system so effective.

Most common grapplers practice the same few basic guards that are effective in sport jiu-jitsu, but usually aren’t ideal in any kind of ‘real world’ self-defense scenario. Hear in Brandon’s own words why the rubber guard is the perfect guard for defending yourself from strikes, whether on the street or in MMA.