Key Takeaways
- An eight-volume No-Gi BJJ DVD detailing every possible use of the Americana in BJJ.
- Features setups and finishes from top and bottom positions, using arms and legs.
- Organized around central problems and optimal uses depending on scenarios.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 9.5 out of 10.
THE AMERICAN LOCK JOHN DANAHER DVD GET HERE
Americanas. Nobody seems to like them, everyone is confident they can defend against them and you rarely see them deployed past the white belt level. If you ask me, the Americana gets the most unfair treatment of all BJJ moves, dubbed a strong-man move that doesn’t work.
I guess if there is one man who can change this perception of the Americana lock, it is John Danaher. The Master The Move The American Lock John Danaher DVD delivers a complete breakdown of the move and all its applications in BJJ. I know it changed my mind. Will it do the same for you?
What Has the Americana Ever Done to You?
First of all let me make it clear that I’ll use the term I am accustomed to, which is the Americana, throughout this review of the Master The Move The American Lock John Danaher DVD. It’s just easier and more natural to me that way.
That said, let’s talk Americanas. The move is something you learn in your first weeks of Jiu-Jitsu and something most people tend to forget exists past their first year. And yet, the move is very useful and reliable, as we’ve seen in MMA more than pro-grappling.
Seriously, the tendency to overlook certain moves is mind-blowing to me, with people often skipping over the chance of an Americana simply because they think it is too easy, or boring. Try to finish it and then claim it is easy.
The American is one of those moves that has a place in everyone’s game, Gi or No-Gi. Moreover, it has the ability to act as more than just a submission – it is a position of control that allows you to create plenty of other follow-ups and transitions.
I am not immune to this bias myself. Until recently, when I started seeing the Americana as a readily available way to tap people out, especially in transitions, I avoided it as well. I guess we all needed Danaher to release an instructional and put it in perspective.
John Danaher’s Legacy
When Mr. Danaher first started releasing instructional, it sent the BJJ world into overdrive. he already primed us for it, with the DDS squad already reaching legendary status at that point, and that very memorable Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
Fast forward some 10 years or so and there are now more John Danaher instructionals than you can manage to watch, understand, and apply to your Jiu-Jitsu in a lifetime. And even more are coming.
The legacy of one of the greatest minds of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is just that – sharing his knowledge in a way that will remain timeless and around even after he is gone. To be honest, none of the other huge names everyone likes to learn from, apart from perhaps Gordon, have resorted to the same way of preserving and sharing knowledge with longevity in mind.
While it is not realistic to own all of Danaher’s work (I don’t doubt some collector out there has them all stacked up), you can develop an entire game, from beginner to advanced, from standing to the ground using his resources. You just have to pick the ones you want to specialize in at the moment.
The very last instructional by the grappling mastermind is the Master The Move The American Lock John Danaher DVD. I was particularly interested in it given the subject and most people’s disinterest in it after the white belt days.
The American Lock John Danaher DVD Review
The latest instructional in the Master The Move John Danaher DVD series is an eight-volume BJJ DVD that deconstructs the Americana lock in extreme detail. It is a No-Gi instructional that contains roughly 5 hours of high-quality material:
Part 1 – Basic Mechanics
As you’d expect from a John Danaher DVD, this instructional begins with a detailed introduction to the origins of the submission most of us refer to as the Americana. Dubbing it the American Lock, Danaher skips on using a Japanese name for the move in the Master The Move The American Lock John Danaher DVD.
Once he introduces the move, he breaks down the basic mechanics of the lock in his typical fashion, using a multi-step system. This volume contains the first step in the series which is digging for the lock, or as John puts it, arm wrestling. He wraps up with key principles of finishing the arm lock.
Part 2 – Central Problems
If you’ve ever seen any of Dahaner’s instructionals you know that he uses the concept of central problems to deliver his content. The American Lock John Danaher DVD is no different, with the second volume outlining the key things you’ll have to learn to overcome if you want to tap people out using Americanas.
Danaher identifies three central problems, starting with wrist-elbow alignment, followed by the most common counter – extending the arm overhead, and finishing with the elbow slip. He offers in-depth solutions to each, some of which are real face-palm moments. Classic Danaher.
Part 3 – Mounted Americanas
The third portion of the Master The Move The American Lock John Danaher DVD explores the second step of the complete Americana system, focusing on how to set it up from the mount and top half guard.
Once again, the material revolves around the central problems outlined above and goes back to the finishing mechanics from the first volume. John expands on these essentials by offering troubleshooting details for other common problems and recognizing opportunistic American lock situations.
Part 4 – Submission Dilemmas
The third step in the system offered by Danaher is explaining the dual nature of the Americana by offering natural and effective follow-ups that the threat of the lock creates.
The arm bar is a logical and commonly seen combo attack that shares a close relation to the Americana, a relation you’ll understand like never before in this part of The American Lock John Danaher DVD.
The Kimura also features here as another natural follow-up, albeit positioned further than the straight arm lock relative to the Americana. As expected, the three make up a great mini-system for finishing arm locks from several BJJ positions.
Part 5 – Top Side Control Setups
Another position people often use to look for Americanas is side control, so Danaher devotes an entire volume covering how to best approach it. The position offers the same central problems in terms of the American lock but poses unique issues from a pinning aspect.
I found the portion describing how to open up the arms of a defending opponent highly useful. It has a lot more uses than simply finishing with Americanas. Danaher also offers Americana hunting options using the top crucifix position that will certainly add versatility to your side control attacks.
Part 6 – The Triangle Connection
My absolute favorite part of the entire Master The Move The American Lock John Danaher DVD. Since I’m having a triangle phase of my Jiu-Jitsu journey at the moment I truly enjoyed the connections John Danaher makes between this incredible choke and the Americana.
The rear triangle is the position of choice here, with armlocks available in many different versions from there. To be honest, I’ve never thought of the Americana finishes Danaher shows until now, with Kimuras being my logical choice. I stand corrected, though, after watching this.
Part 7 – Leg Americanas
leave it to Danaher to cover literally every possible reliable use of a move there is. Before bringing the Master The Move The American Lock John Danaher DVD to a conclusion, the quintessential BJJ mastermind covers innovative ways to hunt for Americanas using your legs instead of your arms.
Initially, he offers top position setups which include the ‘usual’ one from Kesa Gatame and a very crazy one from the mount I’ve never seen before. He then moves on to offer bottom position Americanas inspired by Frank Mir, as well as even more craziness – a standing American Lock.
Part 8 – Beyond the American Lock
This DVD exceeded my expectations, and I am not the biggest fan of the Americana out there. However, there is one more volume in the Master The Move The American Lock John Danaher DVD and it turned out to be the most interesting one of the bunch.
In the final portion, Danaher addresses ‘specialized’ uses of the Americana, which turn out to be ways in which you can use everything he teaches in the previous volumes to improve your finishing rate of other moves.
Grip breaks from the armbar position, arm locking from the back, and countering passes with leg Americanas are just a few examples of what you’ll learn in this volume. The entire DVD is very well put together and portrays this super underrated arm lock in a very different light.
Capitalizing on Opportunities
So, what exactly can the Americana do for you? Well, one thing that threads all throughout the Master The Move The American Lock John Danaher DVD as a secondary idea is using the Americana by allowing it to appear rather than hunting for it.
Opportunistic submissions are rare in BJJ, especially against seasoned opponents. The Americana is one of those that you can catch fairly easily when someone’s attention lapses for even a second. Even if you don’t finish it, the threat of it creates a cascade of events that works in your favor, regardless of where you are.
A very useful benefit of having opportunistic moves like this in your game is that they don’t have to be the centerpieces of your game. Instead, they’re much better suited as aces up your sleeve, deployed to make a change when your usual game plan is stalling. After all high-level Jiu-Jitsu is all about deception, isn’t it?
DOWNLOAD NOW: THE AMERICAN LOCK JOHN DANAHER DVD
Time to Master Americanas
The Master The Move The American Lock John Danaher DVD is arguably the best instructional to date on this staple BJJ moves that nobody takes seriously. Unlike Craig Jones, though, the Americana doesn’t have to be your second-choice submission – it deserves a top sport in your arsenal.
