Which John Danaher Books Focus On Back Control And Chokes?

Honestly, if you’re after Danaher’s work that zeroes in on back control and chokes, the places to look are the 'Back Attacks' series and his tighter module on the rear-naked choke. The 'Back Attacks' material is where he teaches entries, the seatbelt and hooks, body triangle usage, and a whole set of finish variations — great for building a systematic approach. The rear-naked choke module is excellent for details: hand placement, elbow line, using the shoulder to compress the neck, and ways to deal with defensive hand fights.

A practical tip from my own rolls: don’t just memorize finish mechanics — drill transitions and hand-fighting under resistance. Pair those Danaher lessons with positional sparring where you start on someone’s back for short rounds; it makes the technical points sink in faster. If you train both gi and no-gi, be aware some chokes transfer directly while others need small grip tweaks, which those modules usually highlight.

I get excited just thinking about this topic because Danaher really rewired how a lot of us look at back control and chokes. If you want the straightest path to his material, start with the 'Back Attacks' series — that’s where he lays out the whole conceptual map for controlling the back, hook placements, seatbelt grips, body triangle mechanics, and how to systematically collapse a defender’s escape options. Those videos (often released as multiple volumes or modules) aren’t just a bunch of finishes; they show the ladder from entry to domination to submission. He breaks down the rear naked choke in a surgical way, but also covers collar-based chokes like the bow-and-arrow when we’re in gi contexts, and how to blend control and choking threats so the escape routes vanish.

Beyond that core, Danaher released a focused piece often titled 'The Rear Naked Choke' (or similarly named close-up instruction) which drills into grips, head/neck alignment, elbow positioning, and the small lever adjustments that turn a sloppy RNC into a match-ender. I found this one brilliant for correcting little habits — like over-rotating the hips or leaving space with the choking arm — that you’d otherwise only notice when someone slipped out in live rolling. If you train both gi and no-gi, pay attention because he teaches how cloth changes your choke palette and what adaptations you should practice to avoid getting stumped by a turned-in chin or hand-fighting.

If you’re putting together a study plan, I personally used the 'Back Attacks' material first for the big picture, then watched the RNC-focused segment over and over while drilling positional sparring (start with back-takes from turtle and guard, then force escapes). Complement those with his more conceptual lectures — sometimes sold under titles like 'Enter the System' — to understand the chaining philosophy: how every back control position is a platform for multiple chokes and transitions. Also, check where the material is sold (BJJ Fanatics often carries his stuff) and read companion notes or transcripts; Danaher’s language is dense and I found written complements helped me retain details. Happy drilling — the more you practice the small positional corrections he emphasizes, the more the chokes stop looking like magic and start looking like inevitable consequences of good control.