Week 4: John Danaher's Straightjacket System

This week's focus will be John Danaher's Straightjacket System. But only what I believe to be the most useful 10-20% of it

This week's focus will be John Danaher's Straightjacket System. But only what I believe to be the most useful 10-20% of it. The system is super extensive, and I highly recommend studying it and investing time into learning it. Still, for someone unfamiliar with it, I believe this summary can make you quadruple your finishing rate from the back in no time.

What is The Straightjacket System?

Basically is, J. Danaher's systematized way of attacking and finishing from the back position, using the Straightjacket effect, which is basically this:

This works because it makes our opponents use the weaker rotator cuff muscles of their shoulders instead of using their strongest back and arm muscles.

Popularized by the Danaher Death Squad † 🥲 (Gordon Ryan, Garry Tonon, Eddie Cummings, Nicky Ryan, etc.)

Since this is a system and not a specific technique, I'm going to break this week's technique section into 2 pieces:

• Part 1: Straightjacket Basics

• Part 2: "Bad Side" Underhook Sequence (Jump here if you already understand the basics of back control)

Part 1: Straightjacket Basics

These could be seen as prerequisites and general pointers. I am not going to include every single pointer and principle, but only the top 3 that I think make the most amount of difference and are almost always overlooked:

1. Their head between your head and choking arm: Your head and your strangle arm need to always be on opposite sides of your opponent's head:

   

2. Control their ability to rotate: You need to connect to their back and control their ability to rotate. This could be done by using hooks, controlling their upper limbs, or the combination of these 2.
   

   

   The upper body rotation will be controlled by our grips and the position of our elbows. Here you can see how JD controls Placido's rotation not only by controlling his left arm but by placing his right elbow in front of Placido's left shoulder.
   We tend to dismiss the importance of the choking arm's elbow as a control tool.
   Elbows are the main tools for upper body control.
   Our hooks and leg triangle configurations are the tools for controlling their lower body rotation.
   

3. Control their hands the RIGHT WAY: This is one of my favorite details, and to be honest, it is one of the ones that make a difference immediately after you start applying it.
   When controlling Same side hands from the back, make sure you do not control the wrist, but you control the actual hand. The trick is to hide their knuckles.
   
   

   

   When controlling opposite side hands control the wrist, but make sure your thumb and index finger control the union of the wrist and the arm:
   

   

   

Part 2: Straightjacket Basic Sequence

I will give you the main sequence I use the most from the Straightjacket position. This is only one sequence! Danaher's DVD is more than 8 hours long... But, in my experience, this is the sequence that I end up using 95% of the time when I'm on the back.

Step 1: Fall to the underhook side: Since this has been taught for ages as the "Bad" side to fall, your opponents usually want you to fall to that side.

Step 2: Control opposite hands: The goal is to get to this configuration (and remember to control their hands/wrists correctly). There's one SUPER IMPORTANT thing to remember: ALWAYS CONTROL THEIR TOP HAND (With your underhook arm) BEFORE CONTROLLING THEIR BOTTOM HAND.

Step 3: Extend their top arm and use your top leg to trap it: Once you trap it, make sure you don't leave openings for them to free their arm

Step 4: Use your now free underhook side arm to control their bottom arm

Step 5: Choke them with your free arm: Be patient. You have already won the battle if you are at this step. Don't get desperate and leave openings for them to escape. Work methodically and use your head (literally) to help adjust your choke.

Training Schedule:

Thanks to EBI overtime rules, there's a lot of content online about this. I would recommend that you watch Gordon and Eddie Cummings during their EBI overtime rounds.

This video is great:

If you are looking for the whole system: https://bjjfanatics.com/products/back-attacks-enter-the-system-by-john-danaher

Related Resources

• First Half of the Week (Training sessions 1 & 2 of 4 for me):

  • Get with a partner and explain the system and technique to them. Start on their back and as soon as you finish them or they escape, reset. (You can share the newsletter with them so you have someone to drill these moves... just saying 😊)

  • Next, focus on rolling playfully with smaller opponents that are way below your skill level so you can get to their back.

  • Remember, the first half of the week is meant to get reps and some feedback on the things that you are doing wrong and how to fix them.

• Second Half of the Week (Training sessions 3 & 4 of 4 for me):

  • Gradually start picking better and better opponents until you cannot perform the move anymore. Once this happens, start going down and picking less skilled opponents until you get to a sweet-spot where you are performing the move more than 50% of the times you try it.

  • Try to finish your week performing the move as flawlessly as possible with someone no matter how low their skill level it: You want to make the last rep as perfect as possible, that's the repetition we internalize the most when we leave the training room.

That’s it!

PS. I'd love to hear your feedback on this newsletter. Please reply and let me know what you want to cover next week. I'm thinking: Intro to leglocks by studying a high percentage sequence: Inside Sankaku Sequence from Single Leg X. Do you like that idea?

How was last week's training with the Shoulder Crunch? Any questions?

I'm trying to grow this newsletter, so please, share this with your friends and training partners 🙏