Aoki: Bringing the Guard Back

Posted by Marshal Carper

Thu May 01, 2008 8:54 am

Shinya Aoki using double wrist control.

Shinya Aoki’s rematch with Gesias "JZ" Calvancante during Dream 2 was a display of a new era of versatile grappling. Aoki’s attacks were relentless. He attacked Calvancante’s legs. He jumped guard. Aoki went for submission attempt after submission attempt, even going as far as to display the effectiveness of the rubber guard in a mixed martial arts setting. With exceptional grapplers like Marc Laimon describing the guard as an inferior position and with the recent success of ground and pound, it seemed as though the position that made Brazilian Jiu Jitsu famous in the early UFCs was going the way of mantis style kung fu.

Aoki is bringing the guard back.

Before I get into breaking down what makes Aoki’s guard unique, I’d like to say that I realize that fighters are still finishing fights from their backs, but we can all agree that as the sport has evolved the guard has become more of a defensive position with fighters unwilling to take risks from the bottom. And yes, Demian Maia submitted Ed Herman by pulling guard, but Aoki’s success is different (though the effectiveness of each fighter’s guard likely hinges on the same principles, but more on that later).

Maia submitted a talented fighter in Herman to be sure, but Herman has not neared the top of his division. Aoki’s guard held off, and nearly submitted, a fighter that Sherdog has ranked as the second greatest lightweight in the world and that MMA Weekly has ranked as the fourth greatest. Calvancante is as good as they come, and Aoki’s guard gave him hell. Here are two principles that set Aoki’s guard apart from that of the typical mixed martial artists:

Aggressiveness
Despite being on his back, Aoki stayed on the offensive. Where some fighters are unwillingly to open their guard for fear of losing position, Aoki accepted the potential risks and continued attacking. By constantly threatening from the bottom, Aoki was able to avoid major damage (the worst damage he took was the result of a heel hook attempt, but he seemed unphased). Had Aoki only closed his guard and squeezed, Calvancante would have eventually postured up and started to work his ground and pound.

Aoki jumping guard.

Instead, Aoki established Mission Control (a basic position in Eddie Bravo’s rubber guard). If Calvancante left his hand on the mat, Aoki hugged his knee to establish New York. If Calvancante kept his hand on Aoki’s chest, Aoki used Mission Control to keep control of his opponent’s posture and used palm strokes to open up Calvancante’s arms, allowing him to get a hand on the mat and trap an arm. The rubber guard system made it possible for Aoki to nearly finish Calvancante with a submission called the Carni, an omoplata variation that uses a sort of leg lace to prevent an opponent from rolling out.

Even when Aoki had Calvancante in de la Riva guard, Aoki delivered up kick after up kick without hesitation. Yes, Aoki lost position on occasion and even ate a few punches, but it seems that the theory behind submitting an opponent is not all that different from knocking him out. If a fighter wants to score a knock out, he must be willing to step into the pocket and risk being hit himself. If a fighter wants to submit an opponent, he must be willing to potentially lose position and endure strikes.

Versatility
In his fight with Calvancante, Aoki played open guard, closed guard, double wrist control guard, de la Riva guard, and rubber guard. In order to remain on the offensive, Aoki had to constantly adapt and employ different means of control and attacking his opponent. Each guard that Aoki used is effective under different circumstances. Aoki chained the various approaches to guard together to make one of the most complete guard games we have ever seen in MMA.

While working from his back, Aoki demonstrated the effectiveness of the rubber guard, a system that he added to his arsenal relatively recently (I say recently because Aoki has been grappling for a long time). Aoki has always been known for his grappling ability, and continues to evolve as a fighter, pushing himself farther. He has not stopped developing his game. Aoki has kept his mind open and is thus a more dangerous fighter.

Conclusion

Aoki locking in the Carni.

Seeing Aoki fight in the future is going to be interesting, undoubtedly. What’s going to be more interesting, however, is seeing the ripple effect of Aoki’s success. With a fighter demonstrating that less than conventional grappling techniques, like the rubber guard system, can be effective in MMA, we are likely to see such techniques become more prevalent as fighters and the sport as a whole continue to evolve.

*Further reading:

Marc Laimon, the Bad Boy of Jiu-jitsu from GrappleArts.com

DREAM.2 PHOTO GALLERY: MW GRAND PRIX from MMA Weekly

Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings from Sherdog

MMA Top Ten: Lightweight Division from MMA Weekly

Eddie Bravo Explains the Carni from Submissions101.com