Key Takeaways
- A No-Gi BJJ DVD breaking down the Anaconda choke, from mechanics to setups.
- Offers setups from standing, guard, pins, passes, back control and even pulling guard.
- Features key information on essential aspects such as the anaconda roll.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 9 out of 10.
ANACONDA STRANGLE JOHN DANAHER DVD GET HERE:
So far, Danaher has proven to be able to offer valuable solutions to moves people find hard without having a specific body type to help them. The anaconda choke certainly qualifies as one of these moves, with both complex mechanics and a very specific finishing position that works more off of feeling than seeing what you’re doing.
The Anaconda Strangle John Danaher DVD is the latest addition to his Master The Move series and is probably the one that should interest people the most. Even the move’s founder, Milton Vieira has never done such an in-depth analysis of the move and all its applications.
The Least Valued Arm Traingle Choke
When people ask me to teach them a Darce or an Anaconda, I start teaching them a traingle choke. Yeah, the one with the legs. It really helps pinpoint the mechanics of choking from the position.
Next, I move to the arm-triangle choke, as replicating the same effects with the arms takes different mechanics. The goal of this long-winded approach is to get people to understand how chokes work in general and how triangle chokes are different.
We all know (or say we do) about the role of the shoulder in a triangle choke, but nobody pays too much attention to it while rolling or competing. And yet, the shoulder is an essential component of pulling off a triangle choke. That’s why I start with the leg triangel – you can see what you’re doing.
With the arm triangle, you can still kind of see what’s going on and adjust. Once you move on to Darces and Anaconda chokes, though, you’ll need to time your grips and squeeze on the depth of the choke, which has to do with the opponent’s shoulder, rather than where you place your own arm.
This aspect of not being able to really see what you’re doing has made the Darce and Anaconda somewhat underutilized in BJJ, particularly with the Gi. This is especially true for the latter. Here’s to hoping that the Anaconda Strangle John Danaher DVD can change this impression.
Danaher DVDs Getting Some Heat
Since around 2013, John Danaher is probably the most often associated name with BJJ. After the huge amounts of success his students had with leg locks, the New Zealander really timed his peak right, first with this secrecy, secondly with the teasing Joe Rogan appearance, and finally, in launching his instructional avalanche at the very best moment when everyone was interested in his work.
Since then, Danaher has not just launched instructionals, but the entire series, both Gi and No-Gi and he is far from done. To this point, we’ve all seen or used at least one Danaher instructional in our quest for better BJJ.
Interestingly enough, with the rise of different coaching streams in BJJ, namely the Ecological Dynamics Approach and CLA, the man pioneering these methods Greg Sauders made a snappy comment about the length of Danaher’s instructionals, which landed him in fire as John’s students stood up to defend the BJJ mastermind.
While Sauders did raise some legitimate questions, the Danaher instructionals machine keeps on rolling, with yet another title now offering as deep an insight into a specific technique as is humanly possible. The latest member of the Master the Move series is the Anaconda Strangle John Danaher DVD.
Anaconda Strangle John Danaher DVD Review
The John Danaher Master the Move DVD about the Anaconda Stangle features the customary structure featuring 8 distinct volumes, with different durations each, all coming down to a total of 4 hours of high-quality, super-specific instruction on just one BJJ move:
Part 1 – Front Headlocks
As John begins his instructional, we’re drawn into the familiar Danaher Twilight zone of grappling, with the ever-changing tone and impeccably thought-out vocabulary in every second of the material.
The first part of the Anaconda Strangle John Danaher DVD is all about the position that comes before the Anaconda choke, and that’s the front headlock. John talks a lot about the chokes you have at your disposal from the position and overviews the rolling motions Olympic wrestlers use from it, which we rarely practice correctly in BJJ.
Part 2 – Central Problems
A central feature of any Danehr DVD to date has been a detailed focus on the central problems that you need to solve in order to make a specific move work. In the Anaconda Strangle John Danaher DVD, he defines two such problems and, of course, offers more than one way to solve them.
None of the solutions come in this portion, as that is what the following 6 volumes are for, but John does refer back to this part very often in the rest of the material. This portion also outlines the ‘T’ position, something we know Danaher loves from his Kimura instructionals, and how to optimally set it up.
Part 3 – The Roll
Coming back to a motion briefly mentioned in the first volume of the Anaconda Strangle John Danaher DVD, part three dissects the Olympic roll motion, as it pertains to the Anaconda choke and front headlock efficiency in Jiu-Jitsu.
The “T” position features again, but this time so does the roll, which, even though is not at all mandatory for an Anaconda choke, can help and looks super cool. Danaher breaks it down into two sequential steps and offers a variety of adjustments in terms of leg placement to make it work for everyone.
Part 4 – Standing Anaconda Setups
Most people will go for a guillotine when they’re trying to fight off a takedown. Most people will also fail with said guillotine because they’re not willing to go through with it. The alternative arrives in the form of the Anaconda choke, conveniently done from the same position as a guillotine (sort of).
In the fourth part of the John Danaher Anaconda DVD is a surprising number of ways you can fend off single leg and double leg attacks using the anaconda choke. Even if you go to ground, the result is going to be a submission finish for you, rather than simply points for your opponent.
Part 5 – Passing With the Anaconda Choke
Submission passing is a mark of the New Wave team, put together and led by John, so it’s no surprise that Anaconda details in passing context also feature in the DVD. Unlike with the guillotine, the goal is not to pass with the Anaconda but rather pass into a finish.
This portion of the Anaconda Strangle John Danaher DVD examines the inverted North-South position as a target to hit with your passing, as well as how to approach seated and supine opponents with the end goal of strangling them with the move.
Part 6 – Top Pins & Guard Tactics
Mount and side control setup of the anaconda marks the first half of this volume, offering ways to set up and finish without risking your pinning position. The front headlock acts as a bridge between the top pining position and the guarded Anaconda focus, which comes next.
From a bottom perspective, John Danaher shares setups that begin with the front headlock, more precisely, with the mandatory arm-in position (holding a head and arm from the front). Two methods he shares for getting to the choke are heisting and going for overhead sweeps with his favorite Sumi Gaeshi.
Part 7 – Setting it Up From the Back
One thing I’ve never really done much (at least not intentionally) is to set up the Anaconda from the back position. Danaher offers much food for thought for me to start considering this, by sharing top tips on incorporating the reverse armlock as a launching pad.
In this portion of the John Danaher Anaconda DVD, you’ll also find classic anaconda submission chains involving the Darce on the opposite side and the guillotine in the middle. As expected, these chains contain the level of detail only Danaher can provide.
Part 8 – Anaconda Alternatives & Troubleshooting
As we get to the end of the quite extensive Anaconda Strangle John Danaher DVD, the only thing remaining are a few troubleshooting tips. John has important tips on how to keep going if you can’t get to the ‘T’ position and an eventual bail-out option that will take you to the back.
He also addresses the Olympic roll in more detail, covering a few more front headlock pointers, before wrapping it all up with a guard pull into the Anaconda choke which I expect will trip up many white to purple belts in upcoming competitions. Just a hunch.
Front Headlock Attacks
Attacking the front headlock is something you absolutely need in your BJJ game. It is as stable as a pin for control, as versatile as the Kimura for setting up different submissions without letting go of the grip and as surprisingly useful as inversions when you want to change from bottom to top in an instant. Plus, you can use it while standing too.
What I find people struggling with the most from the position is how to stay connected in a way that helps them keep the opponent where they want, and open up further attacking avenues.
The first thing to address is the grips – there is no one best grip to use. Aim to have as tight of a loop around the opponent’s head and arm and you’ll do great using any grip you want.
Next, we have the biggest issue most people are not aware of – the arms are not enough. When you put your entire body to use from the front headlock, the resulting control is going to be much heavier. I like to point to people to try and force the chin of the opponent to their chest. In the Anaconda Strangle John Danaher DVD, you’ll find this in the portions covering the “T” position.
FULL DOWNLOAD: ANACONDA STRANGLE JOHN DANAHER DVD
Master The Move
Another John Danaher DVD. This one is really good, but then again, each of them has lots to offer in terms of perceived value for someone specializing. I’d say that the Anaconda Strangle John Danaher DVD is worthy if nothing else, to help you understand the front headlock, mainly because it covers a lot more angles of control, including rolling, as opposed to other Danaher DVDs you might have seen.
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