What simple yet effective home drills/exercises are available that can increase flexibility for the more exotic moves like gogoplata/omoplata/rubber guard?
The butterfly stretch is the key man. Get that down and you are well on your way. I also started out pulling my foot to my chest and stretching it that way. As it became easier over time I raised it to neck level and so on and so forth until I am where I am today. Foot behind the head flexible.
How long did it to you to get to the point where you can put your leg behind your head? Man, I would be happy to even be able to get my foot to my chest.
I would pick a stretch or two for each muscle group in your legs and do those from 5-7 days a week. I can almost do the splits and I can pull my leg over my head, plus do a back walkover which was damn hard. I've been stretching 5 days a week for the past couple months and my flexibility has gone way up. Everybody I talk to who's flexible says the same thing, they stretch every or almost every day of the week.
It took me about 5 months to start getting it to the back of my head. I stretched fairly frequently also. Every day I would life weights I would turn on some music and spend about 20 minutes stretching out. Combine this with stretching before practice and it was quite a bit of stretching. It has paid off though.
how old were you when you started doin this? I'm in my mid 20's...is it too late to gain flexibility for rubber guard efficiency?
Hey, I would *love* to be able to put my leg behind my head. I am only barely able to touch the tip of my big toe to my forehead (I achieved that for the first time last week). I may be the least flexible purple belt on the planet
omaplata does not require that much flexabilty. i know eddie bravo preaches flexability but i dont buy it. i am not that flexable and i use the rubber guard all the time and finished with gogo quite a few times. the key is having a high gaurd and making sure your opponent's hand is on the matt.
I think its not the necessity that Eddie Bravo makes it out to be but being flexible certainly helps. Especially in retaining your guard. I find that people who have flexible hips in general are more difficult to pass their guards. Also hooking the persons arm whilst you have a persons back is also easier when you are flexible.
