Key Takeaways
- A No-Gi, leg lock-themed BJJ DVD covering defensive tactics used by the New Wave Jiu-Jitsu team.
- Covers early and late stage defence from the Cross Ashi and 50/50 positions.
- Offers a system to stay safe deep in the positions, and knee and heel slip your way out using optimal grips.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 7.5 out of 10.
DEFENDING LEG LOCKS DAN MANASOIU DVD – GET IT HERE
Big Dan has a lot to say, and I’m not really interested in hearing his Instagram and TikTok rants. However, when he talks Jiu-Jitsu, I tend to listen — the big guy definitely knows what he is talking about, and he’s getting better by the day.
His latest instructional, the Defending Leg Locks Dan Manasoiu DVD, is a very good source of information on dealing with a couple of the most dangerous Ashi positions in Jiu-Jitsu. The fact that he’s tested it all against the very best leg lockers in the world gives the DVD even more weight.
The Second Best Way to Learn Defense in BJJ
The best way to learn defense takes time. First, you need to figure out how to attack with whatever it is you ultimately want to be able to beat. It can be a submission, a position, or an entire system.
Then, after you know how to attack, and hence, what the other person using it is going to be attempting to get from you, the suffering can start. Simply place yourself in the worst position imaginable, related to whatever it is you’re learning to defend, and try to survive using your attacking knowledge.
While this is a foolproof method of developing crazy good defense skills, it is not something most people are willing to dedicate themselves to. The next best thing is outsourcing — find someone who is an expert at attacking from a position, and see what they have to say about defense. The Defending Leg Locks Dan Manasoiu DVD is the perfect example for leg locks.
Dan Manasoiu — The ‘Gordon Ryan’ from Costco
He is bigger than Gordon Ryan, but in size only. New Wave Jiu-Jitsu’s resident giant is Big Dan Manasoiu, a purple belt under John Danaher.
He is bigger than Gordon and just as loud in trash-talking, but will he be able to live up to that hype, or is he just a solid replacement for Nicky Rod?
Regardless of his off-the-mat antics, Big Dan has displayed some very scary Jiu-Jitsu on them. He clawed his way to a bronze medal in the stacked heavyweight division at the 2024 edition of ADCC — as a purple belt.
On top of that, Big Dan’s instructionals have actually been better than those of his teammate and black belt, Gordon Ryan. Perhaps there is more to the “Jiu-Jitsu giant” than meets the Instagram eye. Take a look at his latest Defending Leg Locks Dan Manasoiu DVD and decide for yourself.
Defending Leg Locks Dan Manasoiu DVD Review
The Dan Manasoiu Defending Leg Locks DVD is a No-Gi instructional with just under two hours of information on beating two of the most common leg locking positions in Jiu-Jitsu: the Cross Ashi and the 50/50.
Part 1 – Cross Ashi Knee Slips
As the Defending Leg Locks Dan Manasoiu DVD kicks off, Dan talks positioning first, explaining how tilting makes a world of difference in the Cross Ashi. He focuses on winning the knee line battle first by explaining the concept of knee slips, along with all related directions of movement.
He also covers key grip placement to deny finishes and slip out early, mostly using the tight waist or preventing outside-to-inside switching (and vice versa). An interesting take on misdirection as a defensive tactic also features in this volume.
Part 2 – Late Stage Cross Ashi Defenses
Still running with the subject of Cross Ashi defense, Big Dan uses the second part of the Defending Leg Locks Dan Manasoiu DVD to offer 30 minutes of late-stage leg lock solutions to the position.
First up are inversions using the newly popular Ashi bolo to counter with leg locks of your own or get out completely. He also shows several different ways of beating fully locked-in heel hooks, both from the inside and outside positions.
One of the most valuable portions of this DVD is the section covering how to nullify most of the super dangerous leg locks from the Cross Ashi. I liked the tactics for killing Aoki locks, but the Z-lock and leg lace info are also very good.
Part 3 – Beating 50/50 Leglocks
The second leg entanglement position covered in the Dan Manasoiu Defending Leg Locks DVD is the 50/50. Since this position doubles as a guard, it is more difficult to just flee, so there’s a lot of emphasis on how to stay safe while trapped in it.
Dan goes over heel hook and toe hold defenses, leading us to knee slips yet again, with the occasional leg lock counter sprinkled in for good measure. He also covers the difficult skill of standing up in the 50/50 without getting immediately taken back down, and ways to beat the dreaded inversions.
Part 4 – Inversions and Bolo-ing Around
The final part of the Defending Leg Locks Dan Manasoiu DVD, which is also the shortest, only features a handful of chapters. The one I’d single out as the most valuable is the chapter on hand fighting for the heel slip during late-stage heel hook defense.
Big Dan definitely milks the systems developed by John Danaher. He delivers shortcuts to most of the stuff we’ve seen the DDS and later, the New Wave teams do.
By sharing defensive concepts and strategies in his Leg Locks Dan Manasoiu DVD, he definitely offers lots of value to those outside the team.
Everything shared in the instructional is solid enough to influence your leg lock game, even if you’re already great at it. However, it also raises the question about what’s next to come from the New Wave — or should I say Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu — team?
While I don’t believe there are any secrets in BJJ, sharing direct ways on how to beat some of their best moves must surely mean the team has uncovered yet another untapped area that’ll help them dominate everyone. Regardless of the answer, we get to milk the system a bit longer, until whatever it is they’re cooking lands on the mats.
DOWNLOAD HERE: DEFENDING LEG LOCKS DAN MANASOIU DVD
Cross Ashi & 50/50 Immunity
Two super effective leg locking positions that are actually very close to each other, and two problems that everyone rolling after 2016 has encountered. Both are difficult to figure out without guidance, plenty of which is available in the Defending Leg Locks Dan Manasoiu DVD. Unless you’re willing to take the long route and suffer to get your knowledge.
