John Danaher has proven himself time and time again through the success of his student in great many arenas. From the world of MMA to various jiu jitsu rulesets Danaher seems to have by far one of the most comprehensive grasps on what makes or breaks a grappler.
Recently he got down to sharing a single tip designed to make your submission rate much better.
“Vampires: A crucial lesson in Jiu Jitsu and in life is this – You cannot TAKE an opportunity until you SEE an opportunity.
All day every day we all have incredible opportunities on and off the mat go right past us and we simply don’t see them for what they are. In a moment the opportunity is gone and lost forever. Only when your MIND identifies an opportunity can your physical body step up and act upon it. In this sense a BIG part of getting submissions in Jiu Jitsu is mental – it begins with the mental action of recognition of opportunity.
Every day I coach I see fleeting openings for submission that pass most people by. We all need to train our minds in VIGILANCE TO OPPORTUNITY and the CONFIDENCE TO ACT UPON IT. Increasing your finishing rates is NOT just a matter of developing physical skills. You can have all the arm lock skills in the world, but if you don’t recognize an opportunity for an arm lock when it’s in front of you, you won’t even ATTEMPT it, let alone succeed with it.
You all know that i put an extraordinarily heavy emphasis on strangulation. A big part of success is a CONSTANT FOCUS ON THE NECK AS A TARGET. I train my students to see the world like vampires. When a vampire walks into a crowded room he does not see a hundred PEOPLE, he see a hundred NECKS. So too on the mat – WHEN YOU WANT TO WORK YOUR STRANGLES – train yourself to see NOTHING BUT NECKS. You will be amazed to see how your success rate will improve with only a change in mentality…”
Danaher’s most important strangles:
