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John Danaher Shocks Joe Rogan With This Bjj Explanation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_0357VJqKk

TLDR Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu traditionally advances from takedowns to dominant pins and submissions, but leg locks add a second path to attack by letting practitioners threaten the legs from disadvantageous positions. The lesson focuses on mastering ankle locks through a strong foot grip, effective Ashi Garami control, and techniques for handling resistance.

Key Insights

1. Take the Fight to the Ground

The first step in the described Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu system is bringing the opponent to the ground. This reduces their ability to generate the explosive movement and kinetic energy common in standing exchanges. For practitioners, this means learning to connect takedowns or other safe transitions to ground control rather than treating the takedown as an end in itself.

2. Get Past the Opponent’s Legs

Once the fight is grounded, work to pass the legs, which can be used for defense, strikes, joint locks, and strangles. Clearing the legs creates access to more dominant control positions, but it also requires awareness of leg-lock threats. Practicing methodical leg passing helps you advance without exposing yourself unnecessarily.

3. Progress Through Stronger Pins

Move through a hierarchy of pins, such as knee-on-belly, side control, mount, and rear mount, aiming for positions that improve control and create opportunities to attack. These positions differ in stability and offensive potential: knee-on-belly can offer mobility and striking access, while mount is generally more stable. Positional transitions are central to the system and are also reflected in Jiu-Jitsu scoring.

4. Use Dominant Positions to Set Up Submissions

From a strong position, look for submissions targeting the neck or arms, while maintaining control. Rear mount is especially valuable because it combines positional advantage with access to those attacks. Treat submission attempts as part of a sequence: control first, identify an opening, then attack without giving up a favorable position.

5. Add Leg Locks to Create a Two-Directional Game

Leg locks expand Jiu-Jitsu beyond the traditional progression from an opponent’s legs toward their head. They let practitioners move from upper-body positions back to the legs and threaten submissions from multiple areas. Rather than viewing leg locks only as a fallback, learn when they are appropriate—particularly when you are already in a disadvantageous position and are not surrendering control you previously held.

6. Build Ankle-Lock Skill in Three Parts

Develop the ankle lock by focusing on three practical skills: securing an effective grip on the foot, using Ashi Garami entanglements to control the opponent’s hip or knee, and handling skilled resistance. Train these elements progressively with a qualified instructor and a cooperative partner before increasing intensity. A reliable ankle lock depends on control and technique, not simply pulling harder.

Questions & Answers

What are the four steps in the traditional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu system?

Take the fight to the ground, get past the opponent’s legs, advance through a hierarchy of pins toward dominant positions, and attack with submissions.

Why does Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu aim to get an opponent to the ground and past their legs?

Grounded opponents have less ability to generate dangerous explosive movement. Their legs are also powerful defensive tools that can strike, lock joints, or apply strangles, so getting past them makes it possible to advance to more dominant positions.

Why is rear mount highly valued in Jiu-Jitsu?

It offers a strong positional advantage and provides access to attacks on the opponent’s neck and arms.

How do leg locks change the direction of the Jiu-Jitsu game?

They make it a two-directional game: practitioners can move from upper-body positions back to the legs and use threats in both areas to create submissions.

Why were leg locks traditionally viewed as a fallback or a sign of poor Jiu-Jitsu?

They were seen as a departure from the conventional progression from the legs toward the head, rather than as a response to the positions practitioners were in. The speaker argues that this stigma was not based on leg locks causing the worst injuries; severe injuries more often come from falling body weight, bad takedowns, or failed guard pulls.

What are the three core skills covered in the ankle-lock lesson?

Securing an effective grip on the foot, using Ashi Garami entanglements to control the opponent’s hip or knee, and overcoming skilled resistance.

Summary of Timestamps

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) can be understood as a four-step system: take the opponent to the ground, get past their legs, advance to a dominant pin, and finish with a submission. Each step reduces the opponent’s options while improving your own position.

Getting the opponent to the ground limits their ability to generate the explosive movement and kinetic energy that make standing exchanges dangerous. Passing their legs is the next priority because the legs can defend, strike, lock joints, or apply strangles.

From there, practitioners advance through a hierarchy of pins, including knee-on-belly, side control, mount, and rear mount. These transitions are reflected in BJJ’s scoring system, which rewards movement toward more dominant positions.

Rear mount is highly valued because it gives the attacker strong positional control and access to the opponent’s neck and arms. Pinning positions also differ in how well they support ground strikes: knee-on-belly can offer a powerful striking angle but is less stable, while mount provides a steadier platform.

Traditionally, leg locks were treated as a fallback when the usual progression failed—and sometimes unfairly regarded as a sign of poor Jiu-Jitsu. The speaker argues that the most serious injuries more often come from falling body weight, unsafe takedowns, or failed guard pulls, rather than leg locks themselves.

The speaker’s own leg-lock approach developed from disadvantageous positions, such as being underneath an opponent or having someone behind him. In those situations, pursuing a leg lock did not mean giving up a position he already controlled; it offered another way to attack.

Adding leg locks turns Jiu-Jitsu from a mostly one-directional game—progressing from the legs toward the head—into a two-directional one. Practitioners can move from upper-body positions back to the legs, using threats in both areas to create submission opportunities.

The lesson focuses on mastering the ankle lock, a powerful, high-percentage technique that many practitioners encounter early in training. It develops three core skills: securing an effective grip on the foot, using Ashi Garami entanglements to control the opponent’s hip or knee, and overcoming skilled resistance.