How to Do a Rubber Guard

The sport of Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a grappling art where competitors attempt to gain a dominant position and force their opponent to submit. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is one of the primary elements in the sport of mixed martial arts, and the rubber guard, a system of guard developed by Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Eddie Bravo and taught at his 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu schools, focuses on applying jiu-jitsu within mixed martial arts.

Instructions

    • 1

      Stretch regularly, both at the beginning of all competitions and training sessions and daily when not training. The rubber guard is a technique that requires lower body flexibility to be properly implemented.

    • 2

      Enclose your opponent within your guard by wrapping your legs around his midsection when he is on top of you.

    • 3

      Raise your leg up the back of your opponent, so it is resting across the shoulders of your opponent.

    • 4

      Grab the raised leg palm up with the hand opposite the leg raised, with your arm passing the opponent's head on the same side as your leg. For example, if working rubber guard with your left leg, grab the leg with your right hand, so that your right arm passes by your opponent's head on your left.

    • 5

      Pull down on your leg to force your opponent's posture down and prevent him from getting the space required to attack with punches or submissions.

    • 6

      Repeat with your second leg if desired, using both legs high on your opponent's back to severely limit her ability to attack.

    • 7

      Attack with submissions or sweeps from the rubber guard position, passing the shin of the raised leg across the face of your opponent for an arm bar, for example, or passing the lower leg around your opponent's arm to set up a triangle choke from rubber guard.