Suggestions

If you want him to have a tight guard, use a belt or rope to tie his ankles together (not crossed). Leave just enough space to allow you to lift up the feet and crawl through the hole. It is recommended that you crawl through headfirst with one hand leading the way.

For throws and takedowns, put Bubba® in a sitting position with his legs straight out in front of him (toes pointed up). Using his head for balance, put your hands on his head and stand on his knees which completely straightens his legs. (See picture #1). Hold that position for a minute or so, and his legs will tend to "lock" for a short period of time. He can support a lot of his own weight, and you can practice throws and takedowns. Just push his legs straight between each repetition. After awhile, you will need to repeat the "one minute procedure".

Putting Bubba® face down and bending each knee as far as it will go for a few seconds will allow you to turn Bubba® over and have him sit on his knees (see picture #2). It helps to push down on the end of the toes so the front of the ankles straighten, too. Then, turn him over and push down on the upper legs (see picture #3). Now you can straighten him up and push on his shoulders to have him sit on his knees (see picture #4), or you can bend him forward to put him on all fours (try putting his hands close together for better balance). Having Bubba® up on his knees is also great for putting him in your guard. Just bend him forward, and try pulling his knees close to your butt.

Before putting Bubba® in your guard, you can use a belt to tie his knees about shoulder width apart. That keeps his knees from sliding apart any further. People have also suggested tying Bubba®'s hips to a post or draping him over the end of a couch for different types of guard work. One clever customer likes to put weights on Bubba®'s ankles to keep them anchored. Some of Bubba®'s users are very creative.

To keep his knees from wanting to lay to the side over time, put Bubba® on his back and tie his knees together each night. He will continue to favor this position for your workouts.

NEW for guard work

There are times when you will want Bubba to be heavier and sturdier when he's in your guard.  So, here's a great solution (and it's very easy to do).

Check out picture #5. I have placed a heavy bag between Bubba's lower legs. The bottom of the bag is close to Bubba's rear end, and the loops for hanging the bag are near Bubba's feet (with one loop facing up).

I used an old belt to tie Bubba's ankles to the bag (with his ankles close to the mat). A rope would work, too.  Then, I used another belt to tie Bubba's waist to the loop on the bag. This helps with his posture.

The bag adds a lot of weight to Bubba's lower body, and it also allows him to rock forward and back. If you rock him forward and let go, the bag and Bubba's legs will go back to the floor. It also makes it difficult to tip him over to the side.

This is great for practicing armlocks, triangles, chokes, strikes, etc. Any heavy bag should work.

Finally, if you interlock Bubba®'s fingers, that will make it more difficult to get close to him and to strike him. It also sets him up for armlocks. You can tie them if you want them to stay interlocked longer. You can also try bending his arms first and tying his wrists together for practicing headlock escapes. If you tie a loose knot or a half knot, his wrists will eventually separate for an armlock finish.

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