Check out this lapel guard sweep that leads you straight into a leg drag pass:

Keenan Cornelius in the 2014 Worlds

Keenan Cornelius didn’t avoid the issue and addressed the announcement by Copa Podio to penalyze the use of the lapel guard in its upcoming middleweight GP.

Read here the news and the statement by Copa Podio’s President, Jefferson Mayca.

Cornelius, who competed in the Copa Podio in 2013, wrote about the event’s decision on his Instagram account: “The entertainment of Jiu-Jitsu does not lay in the spectacle of the fights themselves. As most of these are slow moving and boring anyways. But it lies in the appreciation of the intricate techniques and innovations of the sport. When the closed guard was first used in martial arts no one could deal with the position. No one could escape and it revolutionized the martial arts. Where would Jiu-Jitsu be if someone had declared closed guard as illegal on the sport. The same can be said about any innovation. To be afraid of change is what really hinders the sport. Progress is impossible without change, and those who can’t change their minds can’t change anything.”

The post, shared also on Keenan’s Facebook page , generated great debate in the comments area.

Who do you agree with, Keenan or the Copa Podio?

Keenan Cornelius using his worm guard

Brazilian event Copa Podio announced today a change in the rules of its next event.

The Middleweight GP, scheduled November 22, will feature a penalty for the use of the lapel guard.

Copa Podio’s President, Jefferson Mayca, wrote about the decision in the event’s Facebook page: “In the traditional structure of Jiu-Jitsu, a lot of times, the quest for the title comes first, even with a boring game in stalled matches. The quality of the fight comes in second place and that was never the idea of Copa Podio.”

The Copa Podio will announce another changes to the rules in the next days.

The event hasn’t clarified what kind of penalty athletes will suffer if they use the lapel guard.

Do you agree with the position taken by the Copa Podio?

Here’s Keenan Cornelius showing the worm guard, a big example of what Mayca is targeting at.

He shows you the possibilities from sweeps and submissions that are capable when you’ve trapped your opponent in their own gi. Check it out and have fun frustrating all of your training partners.