John Danaher regularly imparts wisdom to the public and he’s now decided to talk about one of the most important skills in Jiu-Jitsu, passing guard. In a recent post to his official Instagram account, Danaher has gone in depth on the subject and explained what he believes to be your biggest responsibility when on top of your opponent and attempting to pass their guard. It’s these kind of philosophical outlooks on the sport that have resulted in Danaher gaining so much attention over the years and ensured that he has stayed at the forefront of the BJJ community, often being regarded as one of the best coaches around.
He makes a fantastic point that one of the main things that new starters struggle with when taking up Jiu-Jitsu is the fact that there are often several important things to remember at any one time. Having to remember multiple different concepts at the same time and effectively put them into practice against someone who is actively trying to prevent every single one of them can prove incredibly hard. As John Danaher points out, all it takes is for a momentary lapse in judgement on any one of them, and now you’re no longer passing guard but fighting from the bottom instead.
It’s for this reason that he’s looked to simplify everyone’s approach to guard-passing and give them one primary aim to concentrate on; balance. If you can maintain your balance in the face of various different sweep and submission attempts then you’ll be able to stay on top and stay in a position to begin passing as your opponent starts to get tired from attacking at a high pace.
