Get Ahead

I saw a clip from Dima Murovanni talking about his coaching goal was to do what John Danaher had done. He didn’t mean copy his exact strategy though. What he said the Danaher had done so well and that Danaher himself has articulated is study to improve and capitalize on parts of grappling that are underdeveloped. The most widely known example of this is leg attacks. Danaher was able to exploit a clear skill gap in high level no gi grappling to the benefit of his students.
What’s interesting though is that the Danaher students that have a very plodding methodical style (Gordon and Bodini) are most successful. Oliver Taza, Garry Tonon, and Dorian Olivarez while good have yet to accomplish the elite level titles they seek with their more dynamic style. Dima’s coaching success almost comes in reverse of the New Wave team he has had a better showing from more dynamic athletes (Nicky Rod, J Rod, Josef Chen, Brianna Ste. Marie) while Nicky Ryan has been hit and miss.
I say all that to say, you can be successful with any style of Jiu Jitsu you choose, but the key is to have a well rounded game and then to specialize in something to the point of competitive advantage. At AIGA we just saw Josef Chen hit an omoplata, something that very rarely gets hit in no gi at high levels. He said that it was something he studied because it was something people had sort of discredited or discarded. That’s the elite level thinking. Moves exist in the grappling lexicon for a reason, it may not work for you now it may not work for you ever, but if you develop a fundamental game to the point of being on the fringe, it is currently the best path to success.