Earlier in 2021, it was announced that Craig Jones and co would be leaving John Danaher’s tutelage to make their own gym, The B-Team. This was a shock announcement to the BJJ world as many thought the Danaher Death Squad would be moving from Puerto Rico to Texas together…but they didn’t.
Instead, it would be announced that New Wave BJJ would be formed which like the B-Team would be founded in Austin Texas. Read on for more information about New Wave BJJ and what it means for the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world.
New Wave BJJ members
John Danaher
John Danaher is often credited as one of the greatest minds of BJJ and Gordon Ryan often credits him as being the man behind his monumental rise. So, it seems that the information currently provided shows that John Danaher will continue his work as the main coach under the New Wave banner.
It’s not known why Danaher chose this name for his new gym but interestingly, he did release a bunch of BJJ DVDs titled ‘New Wave’ which was a clear nod to his new gym, as well as a bit of clever marketing. Obviously, a lot of people like John Danaher and believe they can progress quickly under his training methods so it’s not surprising to see him as one of the main names above the door.
Often, the likes of Gordon Ryan have praised Danaher due to his inability to train BJJ due to a bad hip. As a result, this means that he can devote his entire time in the gym to coaching which means his athletes will progress quicker.
Gordon Ryan
It wouldn’t be BJJ without the classic combination of John Danaher and Gordon Ryan. In fact, Ryan once said he would train wherever Danaher went and it seems they have a very close bond. It’s not known whether Ryan will be teaching at New Wave yet, but there’s a strong possibility in the future.
This setup should also worry other elite level BJJ athletes as it seems to have worked nicely for Gordon Ryan’s career so far. Intriguingly though, Gordon’s little brother Nicky Ryan will not be joining him and is over teaching at B-Team. To date, there has been very little talk on social media or announcements about why this is the case, but it does make for some interesting conspiracy theories.
Garry Tonon
One of the other founding members of the original Danaher Death Squad is Garry Tonon. Although the BJJ maverick has turned his attention to MMA in recent years, he still regularly trains BJJ and grappling with the likes of Danaher. This has led Tonon into having a title fight at the Singaporean MMA promotion ONE where he holds an undefeated record.
Over the years, various people have noted that Danaher is a pretty capable MMA coach too, and has a surprisingly strong background in Muay Thai. For now at least, Tonon is staying put with New Wave although he does occasionally return to New Jersey to teach and train.
Giancarlo Bodoni
A new addition to Danaher’s squad is Giancarlo Bodoni, who previously trained under Bernardo Faria and earned his black belt under him. Bodoni has been close with Ryan and Danaher for a while now and featured as Danaher’s uke for several of his instructionals whilst filming in Faria’s gym.
It’s not known why Bodoni made the move to Texas, but it’s probably due to wanting to improve his game under one of the world’s greatest coaches. 2021 was not a bad year for Bodoni before joining New Wave anyway, as he won the nogi pan-ams.
Oliver Taza
A few weeks before the Death Squad moved out to Puerto Rico, Oliver Taza was gifted his black belt under Danaher whilst training at Renzo Gracie New York. He had previously trained sporadically with the DDS before making the move permanent and also moved to Puerto Rico. Taza has since claimed he would be training with New Wave and since he hasn’t been sighted at the B-Team, it seems as though he’s a man of his word.
Who is the leader of New Wave BJJ?
Honestly, this isn’t known at this time. However, if the hierarchy is anything to go by then you would put money on it being split between John Danaher and Gordon Ryan. In short, the other members aren’t as senior, and although Garry Tonon is – the reality is he doesn’t seem as involved in competition BJJ these days so it makes sense for him to step back. This may be wrong, but it seems as though the main two flagbearers for New Wave are Danaher and Gordon Ryan.
Where is New Wave BJJ located?
As of right now, there is no fixed location however there is one being built. For now, John Danaher currently teaches at Renzo Gracie Austin, which is an affiliate of the Renzo Gracie New York academy. Whilst here, Danaher has also been teaching newcomers, and apparently, all levels are welcome (for the time being at least) which is different compared to the B-Team which is currently invite-only and doesn’t have any members with lower belts.
Why was New Wave BJJ created?
Honestly, this information isn’t really known and the DDS name could have remained…but it didn’t. Perhaps this is because Danaher and Gordon Ryan partnered up so they made a new name, however this is purely speculation.
One thing that is interesting is that after the Puerto Rico venture, many people thought the DDS would re-form on US soil with the previous members. This didn’t happen and for now at least, the New Wave name remains.
What is worth noting is that for a while now, Danaher has spoken about bringing in a new meta to BJJ. This could mean blending in BJJ with wrestling, featuring a strong focus on takedowns and wrestling up from bottom positions. This may be where the name originates from as it hints towards a new wave of BJJ techniques and strategies.
If you’re a fan of John Danaher and his techniques then check out his book here.
