John Danaher Back Attacks instructional is out

[mataleaos]

Watching the 3rd DVD.

Some interesting details on the Double Cross.
I'd seen the position before from Emily Kwok's DVD, but I hadn't seen it explicitly taught as progression (passoff -> single cross -> uke tries to peel -> double cross).

Liked the concept of breaking grips by pulling backwards/away.

They refer to the wrist as "the suicide zone" which I thought was pretty funny.

On trapping the arm, I have good leg dexterity so I didn't find that part too helpful, but I did like the cue of having your own heel slap your wrist.
Also liked the detail of moving the other hand out of the way, which I hadn't seen explicitly taught either.

He repeats some things a lot—he repeated the phrase "prior perception, and ability human has even in the dark" the first 4 times he showed an arm trap...

Details on getting under the jaw were decent. Some things I'd seen before from Marcelo (flattened fist, jamming the blade in there).
Liked the idea of opening the hand and finger walking up the chest, which maybe contrasted with Marcelo's ratcheting hand motion.

Really liked the idea of a rotation finish.
I've had problems with people bigger than me, grabbing on with both hands and pulling down, and I'd find it really difficult to finish.
I remember watching the Eddie Bravo video about the "squeeze", and thinking that I need to improve the squeeze.
Will have to test it out and see how well it works.

For some reason the "suicide zone" phrase was weird to me. I was wondering why he wasn't just saying inside of the wrist.

 

[JagRoss]

The twisting motion helps to save energy, but you should not be having problems choking people even if they are defending with 2 arms... your squeeze is not optimal, probably too much back pulling not enough shutting the space... 68 is ok to choke most people out, specially if your forearm is under the chin... I would take a look first to Mickey triangles rnc tutorial, it’s on YouTube, then mix it with the twisting motion... it gets you a killer rnc

I don't normally struggle with finishing the RNC.

There have been occasions, where a combination of being tired and having a strong dude pull down with both hands has made the choke seem really difficult.

I know a lot of it is mental (I'm squeezing, but I can't feel anything happen) and you have to have faith in the choke, but I always felt like it shouldn't be that difficult.

 

[JagRoss]

Finished watching the 4th DVD.

Some interesting details on finishing one armed and with the chin down ("mandible strangle").

Covered trapping the overhook arm.
Liked the configuration that involved attacking crucifix style from the turtle then sitting to the back.
It's an interesting option.

He made some decisions trapping the other arm from the strong side.

Two things I wasn't sure about:

1. Crossing the legs instead of bringing the leg behind the back (maybe flexibility/dexterity issues)
2. After trapping the arm he chose to transfer to the other side (strong side -> weak side) before attacking the choke, instead of attacking the choke directly.

 

[JagRoss]

For some reason the "suicide zone" phrase was weird to me. I was wondering why he wasn't just saying inside of the wrist.

Pretty dark...he winced as he said it.

 

[SHAOLINMONK420]

this guy has no mma experience fuck him and his dvds. Maurice Smiths dvd was applicable. Or dan Hendersons beatng bjj. Fuck you ive never seen someone inhale his farts deeply and as hard as him though so good luck!

 

[dmwalking]

this guy has no mma experience fuck him and his dvds. Maurice Smiths dvd was applicable. Or dan Hendersons beatng bjj. Fuck you ive never seen someone inhale his farts deeply and as hard as him though so good luck!

LMAO. Tell that to the Ryan Bros, Renzo, and Tonon. LOL. He is definitely an expert of the dick flute solo, but the guy knows his shit.

 

[dimmyfinster]

Ok so I watched all of them.

Overall I agree with justthetip. This is an amazing set. A lot of the stuff I've seen elsewhere so it's not 100% groundbreaking technique. What is groundbreaking is the systematic way in which he teaches you the "why" and "when this instead of that" and the details. Danaher is a great explainer of both moves and concepts. To me, he's on par with Rafa, Gui, Caio, and Braulio and better than Ryan Hall. Where I think he's even better is how he takes thirty moves, all explained well (which others do) and turns it into a system, all explained well.


ONe thing that hasn't been mentioned is the back takes section. I've seen all of these techniques from either AOJ or seminars with BB who are on bjjheros. So they're not new techniques, but I think this set teaches them better. They're not just a collection of turtle attacks, there is a hierarchy of which one you want to attack first. The details of the angle of the one where you pull to the side have been eluding me until now, and I've been watching Gui and went to seminar where Mario Sperry taught it.


I was finally able to try ~5 tips/techniques in rolling today with a blue belt and it worked right away, without even drilling. It's not like fifty step moves or something that needs physical attributes.


The one caveat is the one everybody else has already said. Danaher is pompous and obnoxious. He repeats himself over and over (this is sometimes good but not always). The second dvd is a waste, the first is about 40 minutes too long.

With that said, we have the ability to play the videos at increased speed. 1.5x is ok on mobile, on computer you can get away with 2.5x with the increased quality of video. This trick helps decrease the bad of Danaher while keeping the good.

There was a promotion "digitalchapters" that gave 30% off. Great deal at that price.

I'll probably get his other set now and the headlock one when it comes out. I wasn't convinced before about the hype but I am now.

 

[yetanother]

Danaher is a great explainer of both moves and concepts. To me, he's on par with Rafa, Gui, Caio, and Braulio and better than Ryan Hall.

I wouldn't consider Danaher remotely in the same league as Rafa or Caio in terms of explaining moves because of his extreme verbosity.
Rafa's videos are often long because they a filled with details Danahers are long because they contain 1 or 2 details and heaps of inane babbling.
Both short concise and long detailed styles have advantages. Long and undetailed style of Danaher doesn't.

 

[dimmyfinster]

I wouldn't consider Danaher remotely in the same league as Rafa or Caio in terms of explaining moves because of his extreme verbosity.
Rafa's videos are often long because they a filled with details Danahers are long because they contain 1 or 2 details and heaps of inane babbling.
Both short concise and long detailed styles have advantages. Long and undetailed style of Danaher doesn't.

Rafa isn't perfect either. He goes on too long for me. Gui is perfect, IMO

I disagree about undetailed. I think there's lots of details. I also think he does a great job of putting individual moves into the context of a bigger system.
Rafa has this for the berimbolo, but not everything. Rafa teaches a lot of the same moves that Danaher does. This is almost blasphemy coming from a HUGE AOJ fan, but I think Danaher teacher them better.


With that said, that's where playing the videos at 1.5x - 2.5x (depending on quality of feed) comes in.
It mitigates his obnoxiousness, while still getting all the details and context.
His repetition helps here, because anything REALLY important is mentioned a few times so you don't miss it.

 

[yetanother]

I disagree about undetailed. I think there's lots of details.

My impression is that Danaher was focusing on just 1-2 of the most important things.
He wasn't just showing the move like an old school 'Ok guys, move your leg like this' sort of Brazillian but just showing the 2 important things like say some of the wrestling coaches like Kolat or Askren (they would just take 2 minutes instead of 9 for same thing)

I love the extra stuff Rafa mentions, maybe I learn more in a verbal manner.
I like Rafa 10x he picks his worlds carefully and puts in extra stuff I can rewatch to troubleshoot things when I get home after trying out the move while Danaher talks like a retarded version of Socrates.

 

[cjd]

Here's my review (broadly of the series):

Disc 1 focuses on controlling the back position and preventing the escape. He breaks down sequentially the steps of things that need to happen to escape, and shows how to stop each one. On a certain level, there is nothing new here, but on the other hand, I found this to be quite useful, honestly, at least as far as the systematization.

Disc 2 was something like the 10 principles of back control. I could have done without it.

Disc 3/4 cover the system of arm traps from the back. I trained at Marcelo's for 4 years, and got my brown belt there. This is very similar to a lot of the stuff he teaches. However, John presents it systematically in terms of all the possible combinations of grips on the back and how to progress to the trap, which Marcelo never really did. I think there is a lot of value in how this material is specifically organized there.

Disc 5/6 Cover the rear triangle, armlocks, the truck and the crucifix. There rear triangle is something I never saw Marcelo teach (I think I've seen the Mendii teach this stuff before) but presentation was very logically organized and systematic. Haven't studied his truck and crucifix stuff yet.

Disc 7/8 cover taking the back from the turtle. I thought the presentation here was actually very good and he showed 2-3 main methods and how to progress against more determined resistance. Then again, this is an area I've struggled with that seems to come easily to a lot of other people.

So I guess TLDR: Nothing new and ground breaking - the leg lock material was obviously much newer to most of the jiu jitsu community. YMMV depending on how much like his instruction (I like it - then again I have a PhD in math so I have an intense attention span). I found the organization and systematic presentation to be highly valuable versus my experience with related material previously - it's one thing to be shown a gripping progression from the back versus all the combinations of the gripping progressions (there are only like 5) - it really cements what you need to be doing.

 

[Cappy Goodtime]

Here's my review (broadly of the series):

Disc 1 focuses on controlling the back position and preventing the escape. He breaks down sequentially the steps of things that need to happen to escape, and shows how to stop each one. On a certain level, there is nothing new here, but on the other hand, I found this to be quite useful, honestly, at least as far as the systematization.

Disc 2 was something like the 10 principles of back control. I could have done without it.

Disc 3/4 cover the system of arm traps from the back. I trained at Marcelo's for 4 years, and got my brown belt there. This is very similar to a lot of the stuff he teaches. However, John presents it systematically in terms of all the possible combinations of grips on the back and how to progress to the trap, which Marcelo never really did. I think there is a lot of value in how this material is specifically organized there.

Disc 5/6 Cover the rear triangle, armlocks, the truck and the crucifix. There rear triangle is something I never saw Marcelo teach (I think I've seen the Mendii teach this stuff before) but presentation was very logically organized and systematic. Haven't studied his truck and crucifix stuff yet.

Disc 7/8 cover taking the back from the turtle. I thought the presentation here was actually very good and he showed 2-3 main methods and how to progress against more determined resistance. Then again, this is an area I've struggled with that seems to come easily to a lot of other people.

So I guess TLDR: Nothing new and ground breaking - the leg lock material was obviously much newer to most of the jiu jitsu community. YMMV depending on how much like his instruction (I like it - then again I have a PhD in math so I have an intense attention span). I found the organization and systematic presentation to be highly valuable versus my experience with related material previously - it's one thing to be shown a gripping progression from the back versus all the combinations of the gripping progressions (there are only like 5) - it really cements what you need to be doing.

Brown belt from Marcelo and a PhD in math -- You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar.

 

[cjd]

Brown belt from Marcelo and a PhD in math -- You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar.

Gentleman might be pushing it

 

[vcmmafan]

Ok so I watched all of them.

Overall I agree with justthetip. This is an amazing set. A lot of the stuff I've seen elsewhere so it's not 100% groundbreaking technique. What is groundbreaking is the systematic way in which he teaches you the "why" and "when this instead of that" and the details. Danaher is a great explainer of both moves and concepts. To me, he's on par with Rafa, Gui, Caio, and Braulio and better than Ryan Hall. Where I think he's even better is how he takes thirty moves, all explained well (which others do) and turns it into a system, all explained well.


ONe thing that hasn't been mentioned is the back takes section. I've seen all of these techniques from either AOJ or seminars with BB who are on bjjheros. So they're not new techniques, but I think this set teaches them better. They're not just a collection of turtle attacks, there is a hierarchy of which one you want to attack first. The details of the angle of the one where you pull to the side have been eluding me until now, and I've been watching Gui and went to seminar where Mario Sperry taught it.


I was finally able to try ~5 tips/techniques in rolling today with a blue belt and it worked right away, without even drilling. It's not like fifty step moves or something that needs physical attributes.


The one caveat is the one everybody else has already said. Danaher is pompous and obnoxious. He repeats himself over and over (this is sometimes good but not always). The second dvd is a waste, the first is about 40 minutes too long.

With that said, we have the ability to play the videos at increased speed. 1.5x is ok on mobile, on computer you can get away with 2.5x with the increased quality of video. This trick helps decrease the bad of Danaher while keeping the good.

There was a promotion "digitalchapters" that gave 30% off. Great deal at that price.

I'll probably get his other set now and the headlock one when it comes out. I wasn't convinced before about the hype but I am now.

I second playing it faster. His communication style is just unpleasant

 

[nefti]

I wouldn't consider Danaher remotely in the same league as Rafa or Caio in terms of explaining moves because of his extreme verbosity.
Rafa's videos are often long because they a filled with details Danahers are long because they contain 1 or 2 details and heaps of inane babbling.
Both short concise and long detailed styles have advantages. Long and undetailed style of Danaher doesn't.

What do you expect, he is a philosophy major

 

[Orion]

Worth the watch if you train primarily in the gi?

 

[yetanother]

Worth the watch if you train primarily in the gi?

It's not worth buying if you do mostly gi for sure, you can get better stuff from Rogers or Rafa Mendes site. The collar choke is the dominant back finish.
A bunch of stuff would work in the gi too but it's super diluted by bullshit.

 

[cjd]

Worth the watch if you train primarily in the gi?

I think trapping the arm and retaining on the underhook side are tremendously useful, as is the instruction about attacking the turtle, and probably the rear triangle and top lock stuff. So I don't think the DVD is a total wash. I do this stuff all the time in the gi.

That having been said it looks like Digitsu has a DVD from Matt Darcy (Camarillo BB) coming out on back control in the near future:

https://www.digitsu.com/matt-darcy-the-iron-maiden-back-control-system-a-155.html

I know Camarillo was a big early proponent of arm traps from the weakside, and just from the pictures and trailer it appears that is what they are working from. But it looks like he is attacking collar chokes from there...

 

[vcmmafan]

So I guess TLDR: Nothing new and ground breaking - the leg lock material was obviously much newer to most of the jiu jitsu community.

I felt like I got more out of Modern Leg Lock Formula than Danaher's LL set

 

[BJJ Coffee Drinker]

I felt like I got more out of Modern Leg Lock Formula than Danaher's LL set

How so? They went over a broad range of leg locks but the organization wasn't the best either