Review: Feet To Floor Volume 1 (Fundamental Standing Skills) by John Danaher

Awhile ago I wrote about my frustrations regarding fact that the last installment of John Danaher's Go Further Faster Series had no takedowns.  I was really looking forward to seeing Danaher's take on takedowns, and was consequently disappointed when it didn't come to fruition in the final installment of the series.

I was pleasantly surprised when they announced he was coming out with a whole new series on takedowns. I of course bought Danaher's Feet To Floor: Volume 1 the day it was released.  But as you may have heard, Danaher's material is rather dense.  It takes me a while to watch and digest all of it.  

Let's talk packaging

I bought the digital version.  I used to shun the digital online versions of these things.  I liked having the physical DVD.  I'd make an MP4 version so that I could have a backup and play it on my laptop when I was traveling.  But I finally jumped on the bandwagon with the whole digital thing.  

I think the chapter breaks are what did it for me. The chapter breaks allow you to quickly find the section you're looking for.  Although in a Danaher DVD, one chapter can be 30 minutes long. And no, I'm not exaggerating.

I also like the fact that I can download a copy, save it to a thumb drive, plug it into my big screen TV and watch it in style.  Unfortunately there are not chapter breaks on the thumb drive version.  If BJJ Fanatics could figure that one out, I'd be in Jiu Jitsu Instructional Heaven.

Like most BJJ Fanatics products, this one is professional quality.  Great resolution.  Great camera work. Great audio.  No issues there.

How about the content

The first time through, I will say I felt a little disappointed.  It felt like just another collection of unrelated takedown techniques to me.  They weren't bad techniques mind you.  Just seemingly unrelated.  I was hoping to get a unified takedown system.  

The second time through, his gripping strategy made more sense to me.  What grips to go for and why they are advantageous. I know, I know.  It's not like he doesn't spell it out for you in the instructional... over and over and over and over again. It's just that I didn't fully appreciate it the first time through I guess. The second time through it clicked into place for me.

I decided to play some grip-fighting games in the gym after that.  It turns out the grips Danaher recommends are relatively easy to get once you take the time to understand and memorize his grip-fighting strategies.

One of the things I really like about this set is that the first two takedown techniques aren't just limited to the stand-up game.  You can hit the collar drag and ankle pick from the seated guard.  So if you like these two, you can practice your takedowns even if nobody starts standing in your gym.

After connecting all of that, the section on off-balancing started to make more sense.  He takes some techniques that could be used as throws or takedowns in and of themselves, but demonstrates how to use them to set up the collar drag and ankle pick.  So you're not expecting to get the first technique, but rather the second or the third. Kind of like a... wait for it... a system!

Here's a breakdown of what's covered:

• In Part 1 he gives an overview of the series.  He talks about his criteria for takedown selection for Jiu Jitsu.  Then he gets into the first two essential skills of the standing position, Stance and Grip Fighting. (2 hours, 30 minutes)
• Part 2 - Just when you thought you knew everything about standing grips, Danaher spends another two hours on the subject. (that's 2 hours)
• Part 3 - Skills 3-5 of his 6 Essential Skills (Motion, Kuzushi, and Position).  Then he gives an overview of his 5 Minimum Requirements.  (1 hour, 21 min)
• Part 4 - Now we finally get to the first takedown! This one is all about the Collar Drag Takedown.  How to do it and how to set it up. (2 hours and 21 minutes)
• Part 5 - This one spends a fair amount of time on the Ankle Pick (over 2 hours), but eventually moves into other takedowns as well. Namely the Knee Pick, the Double Leg, and Single Leg Takedowns. (3 hours, 18 minutes in all)
• Part 6 - Danaher spends an hour on a wide variety of snap downs.  My favorite is the Seoi Snap.  It's low risk, works really well for me, and sets up the collar drag beautifully for me when the guy manages to remain on his feet.  After snap downs he moves into takedowns from the rear body lock. He spends an inordinate amount of time warning you not to sit on your opponent's knee, but I have to say I agree with him.  I've seen folks doing this in Judo class.  And it seems like no matter how many times the instructor tells people not to do it, there's always that one guy who just doesn't get it.  And then the ambulance gets called... but I digress. (2 hours, 40 minutes)
• Part 7 - Here he talks about Takedowns for Self Defense, including his 9 Golden Rules for Self Defense Takedowns.  Essentially these are his Takedown selection criteria for Self Defense.  (1 hour, 14 minutes)
• Part 8 - Finally you get to learn Takedowns for Self Defense.  Danaher's favorite of which is the High Single Leg.  (2 hours, 13 minutes in all)

Usability

This isn't something you can just pick up, watch, and hit in class the next day.  Like most of Danaher's material, this stuff is very dense and there's a whole lot of it.

The downside is that's over 17 hours and 30 minutes of excruciatingly detailed instruction.    I'm going to be working on this for awhile.  He says in the videos that his goal is to get you to the point where you can take down opponents of your own size and skill level within three to six months.  While I haven't nearly mastered all of the material yet, I do feel more confident in my stand-up game.  

If you're the type of person who can patiently watch and sift through 17+ hours of material with explanations that are laid out like a college nuclear physics/quantum mechanics textbook on video, then this set will absolutely be worth it to you in the long run.  Pretty much just like every other Danaher product.

If however you're one of those guys who've tried to watch some of Danaher's material, but just couldn't make it 15 minutes without screaming at your television/computer monitor for him to just get to the point, then you might want to skip this one.  Perhaps you could buy it as a gift for one of your more patient, cerebral friends, and then ask them to translate the Cliff Notes version for you.

Conclusion

For me this set was definitely worth it. I've got more than enough material to work with for awhile. I've already seen some improvements from incorporating some of the ideas contained therein.  And I'm confident with enough time and hard work that this will be of great benefit to my stand-up game. If you've been on the fence about this one, I hope this review helps. Head on over to BJJ Fanatics and check it out!

Take care, and happy training!

- Big Mike

How To Get Better At Armlocks

Right before my gallbladder operation, I stumbled onto a method which got me way better at hitting arm locks.  The experiment was supposed to take a couple of months, but that darned gallbladder had other plans for me.  Still, I made enough progress in a week that I thought it might be worth writing about.

Enter The Roy Harris Plan

I've been a purple belt for almost two years now, and was doing some thinking about how to get to the next level. I came across an old article written by Roy Harris.

He has a talk with his purple belts when he thinks they're about a year out from getting their brown belt. He'll tell them that for the next two months they're only allowed to go for arm-bars. No chokes. No leg locks. Only arm-bars. 

Once the student is done with his two month journey, then he's only allowed to go for leg locks for the next two months. Then two months of only chokes. Then a month of only attacking the right arm.  So on and so forth.

Everyone in the gym catches on pretty quickly that you're only allowed to finish with arm-bars.  This makes it even tougher on you.  After all, it's a whole easier to defend a submission when you know which submission is coming.  So you're forced to get creative with your setups.

This sounded like as good a plan as any so I thought I'd give it a try. I was only able to do it for a week before my gallbladder surgery, but are the top ten things I've noticed so far:

1. I tend to use chokes to set up arm locks.
2. Attacking one arm can set up the other.
3. One arm lock can set up another on the same arm.
4. Chokes are everywhere!
5. It's easier to hit arm locks from top positions.
6. If I can isolate an arm, I have an arm lock.
7. My new favorite position to hit arm locks from is side control.
8. There's really no safe position for your arms on bottom side control.
9. Hunting arms from side control makes it far easier to mount.
10. Grip breaks are key 
    

I tend to use chokes to set up arm locks. 

I had no idea how much I use chokes to set up arm locks. Initially I found myself going for a choke to set up the arm bar. Then I remembered I'm not doing chokes, followed by this long awkward pause on my part. It eventually got to the point where training partners would chuckle a little every time I'd start digging into the collar. Once everyone figures out chokes are off the table, it gets a whole lot more difficult to get the arm. You have to find other ways to set up the arm lock.

Attacking one arm can set up the other. 

When my opponent defends one arm, a lot of times they'll leave the other one open for attack.  For instance, when I attack my opponent's left arm from mount he'll sometimes roll to his left side to defend.  When he does this, he'll often open up his right arm to attack.

One arm lock can set up another on the same arm. 

Other times when someone defends an arm lock, that arm will be open to a different type of arm lock.  For instance, when I attack the left arm with an Americana from mount, sometimes they'll point their elbow toward the sky.  From there I can turn to the left and switch to the straight arm lock.

Chokes are everywhere! 

An unexpected side effect of all this is I'm noticing all kinds of opportunities for chokes. Honestly, it's driving me nuts! Have you ever found yourself wanting that thing you know you can't have? I think it's kind of like that. I'm noticing chokes all over the place. Now it could be that everyone in the gym is just leaving their neck open with me since they know I'm only going for arm locks, but I think there's probably more to it than that. I suspect that when it's time to switch to only chokes, this two months of arm locks will end up being more helpful than I would've thought.

It's easier to hit arm locks from top positions. 

Honestly, I've never hit a whole lot of straight arm locks from guard.  It's never been my thing.  I'll hit Kimuras and omoplatas, but not a whole lot of straight arm locks.  And now that I'm only going for arm locks, I prefer to just sweep, pass, and work for the arm lock from there.  You have more control.  You have gravity on your side. It's just easier to isolate an arm and go to work without having to worry about getting your guard passed in the process. I'll take an arm lock from guard if my training partner is careless, but otherwise I'll just take the sweep.

If I can isolate an arm, I have an arm lock. 

Any time I can wedge something in between my opponent's upper arm and his rib cage, I have an arm lock. I may not always know which arm locks are available to me at that point, but there's always one available to me at that point.  And if I'm able to think about it long enough, I can usually figure it out.

My new favorite position to hit arm locks from is side control! 

I used to hate side control. Especially when I was a blue belt. I had a hard time controlling it against wrestlers. Had an even harder time finishing from there. Mainly I'd just mount from there. As a result I got pretty good at mounting.  And my mount was better than my side control. Not anymore! It's just too easy to isolate an arm from side control.

There's really no safe position for your arms on bottom side control. 

After playing this way for a week, I've come to realize that I have a way to isolate an arm from pretty much any arm configuration my opponent chooses. 

Hunting arms from side control makes it far easier to mount.  

Once people realize that isolating the arms is the key to staving off arm locks, it's soooooo much easier to transition to mount. I was pretty decent at it before, but now people are so focused on keeping their elbows glued to their rib cages that it's easier than ever. Although side control is such a target rich environment now that I only transition to mount to add a little variety to my game.

Grip breaks are key. 

I always had difficulties finishing from the straight arm lock position. I would finally get there, but then my opponent would establish an annoying collar grip, S-grip or figure-4 grip to defend.  And against a bigger, stronger opponent I just couldn't break it. I've attended classes where we'd learn grip breaks, but I'd either forget them the next day, or they wouldn't really work for me during live rolling and I'd have to switch to something else. Often times they'd be so focused on defending the arm lock that I'd be able to switch to a choke and get the tap. But that's not an option for me right now. Luckily, I took some time prior to this whole experiment, researched different grip breaks, found a handful that actually work for me, and memorized them. Now I kinda like it when they grip up to defend that armbar. There's a certain satisfaction that comes with breaking those grips.

Conclusion

They say necessity is the mother of invention. By limiting yourself to only arm locks for the next two months, you force yourself to find new ways to get that arm. If jiu-jitsu is creative problem solving under pressure at its finest, then this takes it to a  If you're a mid to advanced level player and want to get better at arm locks you might consider giving this little experiment a try. I've seen a significant improvement in just a week. It might help you too.

 

Happy training,

 

- Big Mike

 

P.S. If you're interested in reading a little more about Roy Harris and his ideas, be sure to check out his book, The Jiu Jitsu Answer Man.

Post Gallbladder Fitness Program

Time to Start Working Out 

So my diet is pretty much dialed in now thanks to my pesky gallbladder issue.  I've lost over ten pounds since the surgery.  Now it's time to start easing back in to some kind of workout routine.  I'm not ready to get back to rolling yet, but that's the goal. And I absolutely cannot afford to injure myself.  I need to get back to BJJ as soon as humanly possible!  Hey, it keeps me sane.

I pretty much laid around the house for two weeks after my surgery, and while I am back to work this week, I'm still moving pretty slow.  So I obviously need to rebuild my strength and cardio.  I also need to include a pretty hefty joint mobility, stretching, and movement component to oil my rusty hinges and make sure that I don't injure myself while rebuilding.

Things to Consider 

If I were to take the traditional route, I'd hit some kind of strength training for about 30 to 60 minutes anywhere from two, working up to four days per week. I'd also need to do some cardio starting out at 20 minutes a day 3 days a week, building up to 45 minutes a day 5 days a week.  Then I'd probably add in 10 minutes of joint mobility each day as a warmup, and 10 minutes of stretching as a cool down.  Next thing you know we're up to 2 hours for a workout and we haven't added in any movement work yet.  I don't know about you, but I have a day job, a wife, and kids.  I can barely make it to Jiu-Jitsu 2.5 times per week.  I don't have time for 2+ hour workouts four to five days a week.  So what to do?

What to Do? 

Well luckily for me, I love trying new exercise programs, and have tried more than I can count over the years.  Taking all of the above requirements into consideration, and bouncing them off of the laundry list of programs I've tried over the years, I've decided to dust off an oldie but goodie.  

It’s called YRG (which stands for Yoga for Regular Guys).  YRG is a combination of yoga, isometrics, calisthenics and isokinetics (using your own muscles to produce your own resistance). YRG was developed by Diamond Dallas Page (DDP), a former pro-wrestler.  He ruptured a couple of discs in his spine during his pro-wrestling career, and the doctors told him he would never wrestle again.  He was so desperate to return to the squared circle that he was willing to try anything… even yoga.  He added in some of his rehab exercises and some calisthenics.  It apparently worked pretty darn well.  He eventually wrestled again, winning the heavyweight title.

I’ve used YRG many times in the past.  I don’t need to reference the book anymore.  I have the routing memorized.  YRG has always given me good results, and it’s never injured me.  In fact, the only reason I switched to other workouts is because I enjoy variety.  I like trying out new and different workout programs.  Kettlebells, weights, calisthenics, animal movements, high intensity interval training, you name it.  I do it all.  But if I’m really honest with myself, I’ve felt the best and been injured the least when I’m on YRG.  

You’re not going to be able to out-muscle a power-lifter by doing this program.  You won’t outrun a marathon runner, out-sprint a sprinter, or win the next Mr. Olympia bodybuilding contest.  But I don’t need all that just yet.  I just need to get healthy enough to get back to BJJ. I figure if this stuff can get DDP back to wrestling after losing two discs, it should be able to get me rolling again in no time!

If you're interested in learning more about YRG, it's undergone some rebranding since I started doing it back in 2008.  It’s now known as DDP Yoga. 

Here's a video showing just how much DDP Yoga can accomplish: 

Never, Ever Give Up. Arthur's Inspirational Transformation!

This is an updated version of the video that initially turned me on to YRG/DDP Yoga.  You can find out more about it on DDP’s website here:  

 

https://ddpyoga.com/   

 

Enjoy!

 

- Big Mike

 

 

Core Values

I was reading about core values the other day.  It was recommended that you should take some time to flesh out your top three values for a goal-setting exercise.  I thought I'd give it a shot from a Jiu Jitsu perspective.  I couldn't quite narrow it down to three, but finally settled on the five below.  I think it does a pretty good job of summarizing some of my deeper thoughts on Jiu Jitsu.  Enjoy!

 Integrity

"You do not truly know someone until you fight them." -Seraph, The Matrix Reloaded

Does who you are change based on who's in front of you? If you want to find out who your truly are, the best thing you can do is step onto the mat and test yourself against another human being. You may find that you have some work to do. That's okay, keep at it. You'll make the real you just a little bit better every day. Then it's up to you to make sure that who you are the rest of the day aligns with that person. Be yourself, the real you. One person, all the time. That's integrity.

Strength

In martial arts circles you'll hear that strength doesn't matter. Then you'll pair off against someone who's really strong, and... well... strength matters. Boy does it matter! In Jiu-Jitsu, you need to have a base level of strength. You don't need to go out and win a strong man competition. But you do need to have enough strength to move your own body around. If you can't do a pushup, you have some work to do, but don't worry. You'll get there. And there's no more fun way to get there than through Jiu-Jitsu!

Skill

In Jiu-Jitsu you use specific tactics and strategies to overcome larger, stronger opponents. These tactics and strategies center around amplifying your own strength by maintaining good base, posture and structure in your movements, while weakening our opponents by robbing them of their base, posture and structure. You practice these skills against fully resisting opponents, so you'll instantly know what works, what doesn't, and what you need to work on.

Heart

When you're ready, you will spar against fully resisting opponents. This is creative problem solving under pressure at it's finest! When you roll (or spar), there's a point where some people just completely give up. They realize that they are completely outmatched, and lose the will to keep fighting. When it happens, you can feel it. But then there are others who fight to the very end, even when it's obvious that they are going to lose. And when you catch them in that armlock or choke, they tap of course. Everybody taps. But then they get a big smile on their face, slap hands, bump fists, and go again. Those are the people who go far in Jiu-Jitsu, and in life!

Respect

You've heard it said that you've got to give respect in order to get respect. But I disagree. Don't get me wrong, I believe you should treat everyone with respect. But there are plenty of people in this world who get plenty of respect while giving none to their fellow man. Furthermore, there are people who will treat others with respect simply because they're afraid to do otherwise. And it comes off as less than genuine. The fact of the matter is that being treated with respect is not the same as being respected. There's something hollow about being treated with respect when you feel haven't earned it. That's because respect is not bought by being nice to people. It's earned by building and demonstrating qualities like integrity, strength, skill, and heart. Step onto the mat and I promise you will build these qualities in spades!

Post-Gallbladder Diet

So on Monday it will have been two weeks since having my gallbladder removed.  I guess the operation itself is called a cholecystectomy (koh-luh-sis-TEK-tuh-me), but that's hard to remember and even harder to spell so forgive me if I just refer to it as gallbladder surgery.  

This week I continued to focus on diet and rest, so I thought I'd talk a little bit about my new diet.  The plant based whole foods thing hasn't been too difficult to stick with.  I'll probably add meat back in, but wanted to really give my system a chance to heal the first couple weeks.  I think my stomach shrunk a little bit as I really wasn't all that hungry the first week after the operation, but I'm slowly gaining my appetite back. 

Typically I'll eat some kind of cereal for breakfast.  I like old-fashioned oatmeal and bite-sized shredded wheat.  A little bit of Stevia sprinkled on top makes it taste pretty good.  I tried switching to decaf coffee based on the dietary recommendations from my doc, but it just tastes awful to me right now.  Haven't had real coffee in two weeks.  Might have to break down and try some of the regular just to see if my system can handle it.

I'm a big fan of my NutriBullet, so I'll make myself a NutriBlast for a mid morning snack.  I fill the cup with kale and/or spinach, frozen fruit, a few pieces of frozen avocado, a little chia and/or flaxseed, protein powder and water, and blend it until it's smooth.  I know, I know, protein powder isn't exactly a whole food.  Last week I was making my smoothies without the protein powder, but like I said, my appetite is ramping up, and the extra protein helps the smoothie stick with me longer.  Right now I'm using Vega protein powder, so at least I'm sticking with the plant based thing.

For lunch it varies.  I've done vegetable soups.  I'll add one of those microwaveable pouches of rice to the soup to help it stick with me a little longer.  Robin made me a bunch of spaghetti and saved it in individual Tupperware containers.  Those were pretty nice, but didn't stick with me quite as long as some of the other things I've been eating.  I've made myself some burritos with whole grain rice, beans, and hummus to help them stick together.  And I've done peanut butter sandwiches on 100% whole wheat bread.  I know I'm supposed to go easy on the fats, but so far the plant based fats like peanut butter and avocado don't seem to be giving me any problems.

I'll do another NutriBlast for a snack in the afternoon, and then I'll eat whatever Robin feels like cooking for dinner.  So far I've been replacing the meat with a black bean burger patty, which by the way tastes surprisingly good! 

All in all the diet is going well.  I'm getting plenty of nutrition, but I take a multi-vitamin   I'm able to eat until I'm full on a regular basis and still lose weight.  So far I'm down 10 lbs.  We'll see where it levels out at.

 

Gallblader Surgery!

On this past Monday, January 11th my wife took me to the hospital for emergency surgery to have my gallbladder removed.  I was told I could begin light yoga this week, and start ramping up the workout intensity next week.  No Jiu Jitsu until 4 weeks post-op though.  Looks like BJJ Fanatics will be my new best friend again for a little while.

Prior to this whole thing, my weight made it up to 230 lbs.  At 6'3" my electronic scale put me at 25% body fat.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with body fat percentages, let's just say I didn't exactly have washboard abs.  But hey, I thought I looked pretty good from about the collar bone up!  

I've got a history of heart disease in my family.  My maternal grandfather died of a heart attack in his 50's, and my uncle (same side of the family) died of an aortic aneurysm.

I figure this is my wake-up call. 

The doc sent me home with a page of dietary guidelines, "Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Food Tips To Cut Down on Fats".  

• Eat plenty of fruits & veggies
• Use lean meats and low-fat dairy products
• Eat fewer fried foods
• Eat plenty of breads, cereal, rice, pasta and beans
• Add less fatty extras

I figure diet is a good place to start, so I switched mainly to plant based, whole foods this week.  I've played around with this style of eating once before with fantastic results in terms of weight management, blood test numbers, and overall just feeling good.  Lord willing, maybe it will speed up my return to Jiu Jitsu, or at lest ease the transition back into training!

Wave People

 

I came across a new definition of the term, "Ronin" the other day and it got me thinking.  Generally, the term refers to a samurai with no master.  But interestingly enough, it is literally translated as "wave person".  This likens the samurai without a master to one set adrift in the ocean, to be tossed about by the waves of life.

I've always liked the whole "Ronin" thing.  This new (to me at least) translation of the term resonates with me on a whole new level being an ex-sailor.  Moving around as much as I have over the the past two decades, switching from dojo to dojo, "master" to "master", I've learned much of my jiu-jitsu game on my own, similar to the way I imagine a masterless samurai would've had to back in the day.

While I do enjoy fancying myself as a samurai, the whole ronin thing has it's pluses and minuses.  On the plus side, I'm not attached to any one person's vision of what my jiu-jitsu should look like (except perhaps my own).  Furthermore, I've been able to see, experience, and learn from a wider variety of styles than the average jiu-jitsu player.  Hey, lucky me, right?

On the down side, I've missed out on that steady, traditional, student teacher relationship that more traditional jiujitsukas get (jiu-jit-su-kas... is that a word?).  It can be frustrating to be told that this is the way to do a given technique by one instructor, only to be told that it will get you into trouble by another. You'd be amazed at how many ways there are to do the Scissor Sweep!

I've always found this fascinating by the way.  We live in the information age.  There is no shortage of learning resources out there.  A simple YouTube search for your favorite fundamental technique will show you that there are a multitude of little variations being taught on any given technique.  They all have their pros and cons, and are more applicable in some scenarios than others.  For someone to have the audacity to think that what they learned from their instructor is the only way, the holy grail of that given technique, is... well... audacious!

Thankfully, I think we're starting to get away with that.  I'm starting to see more and more, instructors saying words to the effect of, "I won't go so far as to say it's wrong..."  Of course this is more often than not followed by some explanation of how their technique is better.

Most of what I've learned in jiu-jitsu, I've learned on my own.  My sporadic training (made so by often chaotic flight and deployment schedules) made anything I learned in class seem like a disjointed collection of unrelated techniques.  This forced me to seek out other instructional resources and figure out how to learn from them.  It's most certainly lengthened my journey, but I feel that it will make me a better martial artist in the long run.

The human race has a long history of self-reliance, and innovation.  Nobody gave Thomas Edison the answer on how to invent the light bulb.  He figured it out!  Nobody showed Henry Ford how to make an assembly line.  He figured it out!  Nobody showed Steve Jobs the ancient secrets of how to put a computer in every household, a thousand songs in your pocket, or the internet on your phone.  He surrounded himself with smart people, and made them figure it out! 

Is it possible to learn jiu-jitsu without a coach?  Absolutely!  It's easier to learn with a coach, but it's entirely possible to do it without one (provided you have some dedicated training partners).  You research what ever information is out there, and innovate the rest.  

We still have some pockets of civilization out there that have no access to a traditional BJJ school, much less a blackbelt to teach them.  And in those pockets we have some folks who are dying to learn jiu-jitsu.  I've met a bunch of them through my travels over the last two decades or so.  They get together with a few friends in somebody's garage, lay down some mats, and make do with what they've got.  Some of them are getting unbelievably good!

If you're one of those wave people, a proverbial samurai with no master, a BJJ Ronin... I've been there.  I'd like to encourage you to stay the course.  Learn from whatever resources you can get your hands on, experiment with your buddies, and get after it!