Jean Jacques Machado on Eddie Bravo's Contributions to BJJ

If I'm on the bottom of someone and I'm flat, I'm a target. I have to change the angle. If I don't change the angle, I'm going to get ground and pound. Like we've been seeing a lot. You're going to see some, oh, this is a black-burned jiu-jitsu, then you go like... Oh, flat. It just gets powerful. It's flat on his back. All my weight now is affecting you. I'm dropping you. You have to learn that your legs should be in an angle. This way I'm not able to hit you there. Your legs are on the way. And that's one thing that very few guys do it. Or you close the distance or you change the angle. But it can be, look at him trying to hold his neck. He's going to hit you hard. Well, Eddie figured out a brilliant thing with rubber guard. A brilliant thing with mission control and how to control from the back of the neck. He closes the distance. He closes the distance. He changed a lot of people's games. What some people don't want to recognize but they have to is the idea that he had. And I remember him coming up and trying some of the techniques and people, oh, this is crazy. I said, no, man, keep going. You're going to get somewhere. I don't think not everybody can do that because you have to be a little bit flexible. But once you learn how to do it, you save your life. Yeah. So many guys that when they get a hold of their foot and keep their clothes, there's no gap or room for the person on top to hit you. And as you're trying to move too much, your arm suddenly is stuck. Yep. And there we go. He closes the distance. You can't be playing when my arms are free because I'm going to ground and pound you. Especially the heavy guys. You can hit once or twice, that's it. Yeah, he figured out some very unique ways to use his legs. Whether it's that he closes the distance or he changes the angle. Close the distance, changes the angle. Whoever is on top, you don't have space or you don't have the angle. You're always in a weird position when they get a hold of your head and the leg the way he does.