The Book: Mastering the Rubber Guard
Attention jiiu-jitsu instructors. This book is now THE GOLD STANDARD
on how to write a jiu-jitsu book. If you want to write a good book, do it
just like this one. That is, don't just put together a random bunch of
techniques. Instead, do what Eddie did in this book. Give us YOUR
system. How you start, how you set things up, and what you do against
various responses to your techniques. Arrange things by position, and
show how the various positions chain together, just like Eddie did.
Eddie's book is essentially his game plan or grappling blueprint.
Everything ties together into a system that includes half guard,
butterfly guard, rubber guard, etc. And his crazy names actually help in
the learning process, and also allow for easy communication with
others about his positions. This book is pure genius. Bravo, Bravo.
This book is a MUST HAVE for any serious student of Jiu-jitsu. Even if
you are unwilling or unable to achieve the flexibility necessary for the
rubber guard, the rest of Eddie's stuff in this book will work for
everyone. And you better study the rubber guard even if you don't
intend to use it, because if you don't you might find yourself giving up
an easy submission to someone who does.
I was so blown away by this book, I decided to attend a seminar.
The Seminar:
Usually, I have a hard time remembering more than a few moves from a
seminar, unless I keep notes as I go. Well, I was a little lazy during
Eddie's seminar and didn't take any notes. But the most amazing thing
happened to me the day after this seminar. I sat down and decided to
write down what I could remember from the seminar. As I started to
think back, somehow I could remember pretty much every move,
exactly in the sequence that Eddie taught. I think this is due to the
systematic method that Eddie uses to teach, and the fact that the
techniques flow together in an unbroken chain, So, once you start
down the chain, it is very easy to remember what comes next.
In a nutshell, it was as FANTASTIC seminar, one of the best, if not the
best I have ever attended. And even though Eddie was recovering from
the Flu, he was a super cool and friendly guy, and worked really hard to
make sure that everyone attending the seminar was getting the
positions correctly. I recommend his seminars without reservation.
Absolute Jiu-Jitsu:
The seminar was held in a nice little club called absolute jiu-jitsu in
Bristol, TN run by Dee Smith. Dee was great, and he has a bunch of
tough and technical guys, especially Wes who has some wicked triangle
set ups and triangle defense counters. Thanks again Dee!