Looks like he has a remote release on the handle in one of the pics.
I find grabbing the camera grip and swinging to be superior. I could see the point of the rig if you were able to view the scene from a distance (like a couple of feet) using a large viewfinder (ala studio video cameras), but don't see the usefulness when you have to have your eye mashed up to the camera anyway.
Perhaps he will explain the why.