John Danaher laid out his framework for how grapplers should approach building a personal set of submissions…
Arguing that while the specific techniques chosen are largely a matter of preference, certain baseline requirements should guide the selection process.
According to Danaher, the exact submissions a person gravitates toward will naturally reflect their training background, coaching influences, personality, and body type.
Even so, he outlined several provisos he believes should shape the process regardless of individual style:
You ought to have at least one strangle from the front and one from the back. At least one straight arm lock and one bent-arm armlock. At least one straight leg lock and one twisting leg lock…
This gives you the kind of body coverage you’ll need to be effective.
Beyond simple coverage, Danaher pointed to a second, equally important principle:
The other great proviso is that your chosen submissions ought to be able to work in dilemma pairings so that as an opponent resists one, he comes into the danger presented by another.
For Danaher, these two requirements, adequate coverage across positions and submissions that pair effectively together, form the minimum standard for a functional submission game.
Once those boxes are checked, he said, the rest comes down to personal preference:
The minimum requirements then, are mostly bound up with attaining sufficient coverage and pairings – once you’ve established that – it’s your choice!
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