Review: The Guard

The Guard

By Ed Beneville & Joe Moreira

All I got to say about The Guard is where the hell to start! And that is a good thing…

I like the flowchart format of this book which is reminiscent of Rubber Guard by Eddie Bravo. Personally I like this book better than the Rubber Guard since as it says in the beginning that you do not have to be excessively flexible to perform any of these movements and I am the walking embodiment of this so I feel it is speaking to me.

First thing covered are the basic movements of Jiu-jitsu such as the shrimp/snake movements etc. and shows the applications of these basic moves. Then it details different aspects of the guard game in a mind boggling array of pictures and alternate views while showing the flow between techniques. Of particular interest is the chapter on Basic Chokes in that it goes into great detail on the mechanics. Personally this chapter helped me a great deal with my gi chokes and now that is all I do. Once you get these basic mechanics down then you can really improvise which means you give your partner something to think about when passing your guard.

My only problems have to do with the quality of the paper and ink since the pages do not seem to be very sturdy and the pictures bleed a little bit. Also the sheer amount of information here can be a bit overwhelming. I think that is a nice problem to have for a book.

Introduction

Introduction

Newaza which roughly translates to ground technique has its roots in Judo and has been expanded upon in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Modern sport oriented Judo has reduced the role of newaza in competition in favor of greater emphasis in throwing techniques (tachiwaza) and athletism. Originally newaza and tachiwaza were taught in roughly a 50/50 ratio and in Japan, school children started their Judo journey with newaza and ukemi (falls) before practicing tachiwaza.

Kosen Judo which is a style of Kodokan Judo focuses on newaza and is still practiced in the seven ex-imperial universities of Japan as well as some independent dojos such as the one established by Kanae Hirata. Kosen judo also does tachiwaza despite their emphasis on newaza. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu like Kosen Judo emphasizes on newaza as opposed to takedowns (tachiwaza) in a roughly 90/10 ratio.

About Me

My name is Christian and I am presently taking BJJ at Ronin Academy. I started out in Judo at CCSF Judo Club and I really liked it. I found Sensei Mitchell Palacio to be a brilliant teacher and I wish that my body was a bit more durable so I could have gotten the most out of his teaching.

My path to BJJ started with a Judo injury. In my case I got 2 for one. My partner was trying to throw me with an uki-goshi (hip throw) but instead of using the technique he used all strength which rather than making me go over his shoulder and land, he threw me straight up and the only thing I could do was land on my feet. My body went this way and my leg went that way and ouch was the result. Any sane person at this point would have sat down, but I am not sane and not as smart I as I would like to be so I continued to practice with him (on one leg). Needless to say I injured the other side as well.

I found out that I had torn the groin muscles on both sides and I would have to sit out until it healed. About 3wks later I decide that since I have no pain it must be better, so I warmed up before class and started doing the warm up and ukemi and aggravated the right side again. After class Sensei Palacio told me to take care of this injury since it is very serious and can ruin any future Judo plans I may have. So started my exile from Judo and other physical activities for 7 months.

Of course the other options were not so great such as surgery pain killers. I decided I was going to try a different route. I remembered that the founder of the Feldenkrias method was a judoka, so I found a book he wrote called Higher Judo: Ground Work. In this book he talked about specific exercises to strengthen the core and how newaza can make one a better judoka. The problem was most Judo clubs focus on tachiwaza, so where am I going to get this training?

Enter Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and as luck would have it there was a academy in my area and loving every minute of it.

So What is the Point of this Blog Anyway?

What this blog will be:

• A collection of my general observations about newaza and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu specifically.
  
• Reviews of books, videos, etc.
• Posting of relevant articles or videos
  

What this blog will not be:

• Ego tripping (who I beat today, gossip, etc.)
• Day by day mundane posts (what I ate for breakfast, the color of my underwear or socks)

Sometimes I will be prolific with my postings and there will be times in which I may be sporadic. I will only post when I have something to share since I do not want to bore the reader with mindless drivel.

If you see something that you agree with please comment and if you think I am full of it, tell me that too.

Input is good!