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Danaher Instructionals (Seeking Recommendations)
5 year(s) ago • 5129 views • 19 replies
Blue beltVerified
5 year(s) ago
I have been working through John Danaher's *BJJ Fundamentals - Go Further, Faster: Closed Guard* with a friend from class. I am liking it *a lot.* I'm getting more out of Danaher than I am from any other teacher in a video instructional so far. The main complaints I hear about him are that he drones on and on and is very repetitive, but those are good traits for me; I like the intellectualism that he brings in explaining the broader concepts. And the repetitiveness means I don't have to re-watch sections as much. I feel like he's doing a great job of connecting dots for me and that I'm beginning to understand the overall philosophy of attacking from closed guard rather than just rote memorization of specific moves.
I already have his *Pin Escapes, Turtle Escapes* instructional and his free solo drills instructional.
What's your favorite instructional by him? Any recommendations on which instructional I should get next?
Also, do his instructionals ever go on sale at BJJFanatics? The sweet spot at BJJFanatics is always when an instructional is on sale AND you can apply a ~30% off coupon, but I've been watching for a few weeks now and haven't seen any of his instructionals go on sale.
I already have his *Pin Escapes, Turtle Escapes* instructional and his free solo drills instructional.
What's your favorite instructional by him? Any recommendations on which instructional I should get next?
Also, do his instructionals ever go on sale at BJJFanatics? The sweet spot at BJJFanatics is always when an instructional is on sale AND you can apply a ~30% off coupon, but I've been watching for a few weeks now and haven't seen any of his instructionals go on sale.
Black beltVerified
5 year(s) ago
I can only watch him at 2x speed minimum. That said he has good shit. It could just be condensed tenfold. His attacking the back is very good. Also, Lachlan Giles has content which is as good and way less expensive.
Brown beltVerified
5 year(s) ago
I've run hot and cold with the videos I've seen from Danaher so far. I've gone through his Enter the System - Back Attacks and Leg Locks and they've been a good investment. I also have his Go Further Faster- Passing video and was overall a little disappointed. The information was perfectly fine, but the whole thing felt a little padded from how often he was repeating himself. I honestly thought I had accidentally rewound a few sections and was watching the same thing again.
Right now my plan is to go through his whole Enter the System series. From there I don't know. Either way, I'm definitely waiting for when they go on sale ... and there's a discount code ... and I get a bonus from work.
Right now my plan is to go through his whole Enter the System series. From there I don't know. Either way, I'm definitely waiting for when they go on sale ... and there's a discount code ... and I get a bonus from work.
Blue beltVerified
5 year(s) ago
I can only watch him at 2x speed minimum. That said he has good shit. It could just be condensed tenfold. His attacking the back is very good. Also, Lachlan Giles has content which is as good and way less expensive.
I have the Lachlan Giles half-guard anthology but haven't been able to sit through it yet (I have a huge backlog of jiu-jitsu instructionals to watch). I'm a big fan of Lachlan Giles in that he's an immensely good human being.
Blue beltVerified
5 year(s) ago
I've run hot and cold with the videos I've seen from Danaher so far. I've gone through his Enter the System - Back Attacks and Leg Locks and they've been a good investment. I also have his Go Further Faster- Passing video and was overall a little disappointed. The information was perfectly fine, but the whole thing felt a little padded from how often he was repeating himself. I honestly thought I had accidentally rewound a few sections and was watching the same thing again. Right now my plan is to go through his whole Enter the System series. From there I don't know. Either way, I'm definitely waiting for when they go on sale ... and there's a discount code ... and I get a bonus from work.
When I Google'd I got a couple of votes for his back attack instructional. That might be my next pick! We'll see!
I'd also love to work through his entire series eventually, but it's just such a big investment if you can't get it on sale.
I'd also love to work through his entire series eventually, but it's just such a big investment if you can't get it on sale.
Black beltVerified
5 year(s) ago
I have been working through John Danaher's *BJJ Fundamentals - Go Further, Faster: Closed Guard* with a friend from class. I am liking it *a lot.* I'm getting more out of Danaher than I am from any other teacher in a video instructional so far. The main complaints I hear about him are that he drones on and on and is very repetitive, but those are good traits for me; I like the intellectualism that he brings in explaining the broader concepts. And the repetitiveness means I don't have to re-watch sections as much. I feel like he's doing a great job of connecting dots for me and that I'm beginning to understand the overall philosophy of attacking from closed guard rather than just rote memorization of specific moves. I already have his *Pin Escapes, Turtle Escapes* instructional and his free solo drills instructional. What's your favorite instructional by him? Any recommendations on which instructional I should get next? Also, do his instructionals ever go on sale at BJJFanatics? The sweet spot at BJJFanatics is always when an instructional is on sale AND you can apply a ~30% off coupon, but I've been watching for a few weeks now and haven't seen any of his instructionals go on sale.
No doubt about it, his instructionals are VERY informative. The only problem I have is his voice. Puts me to sleep. I haven't made it more then 30 min at a time. lol
Black belt 4th degreeVerified
5 year(s) ago
I personally love watching instructionals as TV sucks for me. Danaher is not for everyone and I used to hate listening to him.
Now I love his stuff. I guess I built up a resistance. Lol
Now I love his stuff. I guess I built up a resistance. Lol
Black beltVerified
5 year(s) ago
I personally love watching instructionals as TV sucks for me. Danaher is not for everyone and I used to hate listening to him. Now I love his stuff. I guess I built up a resistance. Lol
Did one class with Danaher and Gordon Ryan and I think I heard the words breaking pressure, strangle and wedge more times in 90 minutes then I have the rest of my entire life combined.
And god forbid someone tries to call a strangle a choke. Your about to get a proper demonstration of the difference.
And god forbid someone tries to call a strangle a choke. Your about to get a proper demonstration of the difference.
Edited 5 year(s) ago
Black belt 2nd degreeVerified
5 year(s) ago
No doubt about it, his instructionals are VERY informative. The only problem I have is his voice. Puts me to sleep. I haven't made it more then 30 min at a time. lol
SAME!
Also I really like the kind of probabilistic / more sport-game-style teaching approach of Craig Jones. Craig has trained a ton in blue basement but he teaches in a way more approachable way (e.g. his leglock stuff).
Also I really like the kind of probabilistic / more sport-game-style teaching approach of Craig Jones. Craig has trained a ton in blue basement but he teaches in a way more approachable way (e.g. his leglock stuff).
Brown beltVerified
5 year(s) ago
SAME! Also I really like the kind of probabilistic / more sport-game-style teaching approach of Craig Jones. Craig has trained a ton in blue basement but he teaches in a way more approachable way (e.g. his leglock stuff).
Couldn't agree more. Recently started watching a Craig Jones instructional after a Danaher instructional just to get a look at the difference. I honestly feel like I get more from the Craig Jones instructionals. Just more concise and easier to follow. And he understands that I can rewind a video and he doesn't need to say the same thing over and over again. :-D
Brown beltVerified
5 year(s) ago
When I Google'd I got a couple of votes for his back attack instructional. That might be my next pick! We'll see! I'd also love to work through his entire series eventually, but it's just such a big investment if you can't get it on sale.
I can also recommend the Systematic Submission Dilemmas video from Craig Jones. Very clear and methodical instruction, but he doesn't pad it out by constantly repeating himself and has a more engaging delivery.
Oh, and it's way cheaper than anything from Danaher.
Oh, and it's way cheaper than anything from Danaher.
Black belt 2nd degreeVerified
5 year(s) ago
Danaher: too much talking, too much repetition, excessively slow explanations, BUT the most systematic, understandable, step-by-step, easy to follow instructionals.
Lachlan Giles: much higher "content per minute" value, tons of details, no fillers, BUT a bit un-systematized and somehow I feel him like not so easy to follow for beginners as Danaher.
With Craig Jones I feel like I had mixed experiences but I also haven't watched too much stuff from him. Z guard instructional is good but feels kinda green, "Triangle machine" and "How to pass guard quickly" are better, simple and straight to the point, easier to replicate at any level.
Personally I feel like my preferences and skills in learning and teaching are more in other kind of approaches, more conceptualised and playful.
Lachlan Giles: much higher "content per minute" value, tons of details, no fillers, BUT a bit un-systematized and somehow I feel him like not so easy to follow for beginners as Danaher.
With Craig Jones I feel like I had mixed experiences but I also haven't watched too much stuff from him. Z guard instructional is good but feels kinda green, "Triangle machine" and "How to pass guard quickly" are better, simple and straight to the point, easier to replicate at any level.
Personally I feel like my preferences and skills in learning and teaching are more in other kind of approaches, more conceptualised and playful.
Brown beltVerified
5 year(s) ago
With Craig Jones I feel like I had mixed experiences but I also haven't watched too much stuff from him.
I think you can also see a big shift in his methodology over the years. I've watched his Passing video and I thought it was okay, but the newest video is a big improvement on his overall presentation and explanation method. I think he's also benefited from training with the DDS for so long. You can tell he's working with Danaher but he's given it his own vibe. I honestly think it's the best of both worlds.
Black belt 3rd degreeVerified
5 year(s) ago
The only problem I have is his voice. Puts me to sleep. I haven't made it more then 30 min at a time. lol
to me he sounds like a creepy uncle who is telling you about his taxidermy hobby and you can't escape from the family dinner :)
Black belt 4th degreeVerified
5 year(s) ago
to me he sounds like a creepy uncle who is telling you about his taxidermy hobby and you can't escape from the family dinner :)
Lol!!
Black belt 1st degreeVerified
5 year(s) ago
I can only watch him at 2x speed minimum
Same. Danaher is unwatchable at normal speed. It's as if what he's trying to teach is a piece of food he spends ages chewing and then has a really hard time swallowing, after which he keeps on regurgitating it over and over like some kind of weird giant BJJ bird mum.
However, at 2x speed or more, plenty of good content buried in there. I have the guard retention set, which is decent. A lot of the material is on other sets (Ryan Hall's 'Defensive Guard' and Priit's 'Grilled Chicken' sets, for example), but Danaher does a good job of collating and breaking it down.
I would never pay money for a Danaher set, the price point is ridiculous and the marketing of BJJ Fanatics is incredibly obnoxious (set a massively inflated 'normal' price, then have constant 'sales' to make people think they are getting a deal, when actually all that does is bring massively ridiculous prices to slightly lower, but STILL ridiculous price). Which is a shame, as it is good material: hence why I'm happy to get it as xmas present every now and then instead. ;)
However, at 2x speed or more, plenty of good content buried in there. I have the guard retention set, which is decent. A lot of the material is on other sets (Ryan Hall's 'Defensive Guard' and Priit's 'Grilled Chicken' sets, for example), but Danaher does a good job of collating and breaking it down.
I would never pay money for a Danaher set, the price point is ridiculous and the marketing of BJJ Fanatics is incredibly obnoxious (set a massively inflated 'normal' price, then have constant 'sales' to make people think they are getting a deal, when actually all that does is bring massively ridiculous prices to slightly lower, but STILL ridiculous price). Which is a shame, as it is good material: hence why I'm happy to get it as xmas present every now and then instead. ;)
Blue beltVerified
5 year(s) ago
The Open Guard instructional is on sale this weekend for $98.50. You can get it for $64.03 with code FANATICSVIP35. BERNARDO30 works also if you've already used FANATICSVIP35.
Edited 5 year(s) ago
Black belt 1st degreeVerified
5 year(s) ago
I have leg locks and back attack from danaher. For me I think the formatting of the instructionals makes it tough since bjj fanatics doesn’t make it so you can easily search for specifics within the instructional so you’re left with 1 hour clips to scroll through
I like how Stephan Kesting does his instructionals. I’ve been going through Stephan and Rib Biernacki’s leg lock system for a year or so now and like that things are separated into digestible bits. He covers things conceptually much in the way Danaher does
I like how Stephan Kesting does his instructionals. I’ve been going through Stephan and Rib Biernacki’s leg lock system for a year or so now and like that things are separated into digestible bits. He covers things conceptually much in the way Danaher does
Blue beltVerified
5 year(s) ago
I think Grapplers Guide is the best value resource. One payment and the content just keeps on coming.
Black belt 1st degreeVerified
5 year(s) ago
I think Grapplers Guide is the best value resource. One payment and the content just keeps on coming.
Yep, it's a good investment. I'm fortunate in that I didn't have to pay anything because I reviewed it (yeeeeears ago when it first started, in 2007 or something), but I have gotten a huge amount from it over the years. Every time I prepare to teach a class, I can always find useful videos on the Grapplers Guide to give me extra pointers. Great site.


