Almost a year ago this time I had a real jiu-jitsu moment of transcendence reading about Renzo Gracie black belt John Danaher. I've spent some of my more constructive time during the COVID-19 pandemic watching his back control/attack series, and am just now looking into his upcoming takedown instructional.
One thing I'm very heartened by is his embrace of the ankle pick, a takedown I've long been a fan of. Same thing with the collar drag, though a fear of getting eye-poked has made me more wary of that takedown than I'd like to be. Fundamentally, it is a great opportunity to understand Danaher's thinking in terms of what works FOR JIU-JITSU, rather than as a generic takedown in a given sport. I always feel that the process that Danaher shares is more than half the value of the instruction he provides.
