The Danaher Diaries: Over 100 of John Danaher's Musings on Jiu-Jitsu, Kaizen, Training, and Living

John Danaher is one of the most famous and capable Brazilian Jiu-jitsu coaches on the planet. He is the leader for the Danaher Death Squad competition team. He is also a Renzo Gracie black belt and a former bouncer and philosophy student. The Danaher Diaries consist, as of the time of writing, of three volumes. They were published by one or more people calling themselves “Heroes of the Art.” The books are straightforward reproductions of Mr. Danaher’s social media posts, primarily from Instagram. Only text is included, although the first volume contains an introduction written by the publisher. I have not seen any commentary indicating Mr. Danaher is aware of these volumes or if he has anything to do with them.Mr. Danaher has written other materials on Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. He essentially wrote the text of the 2001 book Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Technique, and the 2003 book Mastering Jujitsu. (Note the spelling of jujitsu; this is unusual in a book on modern jiu-jitsu, but may indicate Mr. Danaher’s preference for the traditional names of judo-derived and associated topics.)Mr. Danaher is probably the most eloquent and philosophical advocate for jiu-jitsu on the world stage. Many in the community see jiu-jitsu as an assortment of techniques, with the newest or unseen likely to win against experienced practitioners. Danaher sees jiu-jitsu as a set of integrated systems, each with a goal. One cannot necessarily learn jiu-jitsu from a book, especially when compared to the video instructionals Mr. Danaher has been publishing in recent years. However, these volumes provide short reminders and insights that will definitely help anyone looking to improve their training and performance.I have very few concerns with these books. From a production standpoint, they are simple amalgamations of Instagram posts. Those who wish to save the $4.99 per volume cost could choose to consume the content from the source. I would have preferred if the compilers of these volumes would have corrected the typos that occasionally appear in Mr. Danaher’s writings. The third volume appears to have suffered some minor production issues. There are large spacing gaps between posts in the Kindle version.I have bought, and will continue to buy, the volumes in this series. I enjoy reading Mr. Danaher’s thoughts in this format, rather than as an Instagram feed. I would like to hear that Mr. Danaher is receiving the majority of the royalties from book sales, as this is his material and subject to his copyrights. As I am barely competent in a few aspects of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, I appreciate all the wisdom I can glean from texts such as this. Those who are much more capable practitioners will likely have better success in implementing Mr. Danaher’s strategies!

Wisdom, food for your brain if you are on this Jiu jitsu journey. Must read, regardless of your other people's opinions. The book gives you a map from one of the most successful coaches that produce beasts.

Little pieces of insight you can read daily about Jitsu much like the daily stoic from Ryan Holiday. I try to apply the things I read and focus on these little insights to improve different areas of my life on and off the mats. Worth the purchase for sure.

John Danaher is very knowledgeable about Jiu Jitsu and this book has helped me step my game up and I would definitely recommend it.

I read almost every page multiple times to really ensure I knew what he was trying to convey. Just like with every move in his jiu jitsu has meaning so does his words. I book marked some pages. I also opened up YouTube to watch matches he referenced and some of his lessons.

I’m not sure who said it, someone once said “learning how to do one thing well, teaches you to do all things well.” My enjoyment of the book was just as much about applying John’s perspective to my life outside of BJJ as within.

Thank you for the compilation of Danaher's thoughts, book is easy to read with large print, I also bought the digital version and enjoyed reading it while at World Master's in Vegas on my phone.

If you are seeking to be informed and have a strong strategy for training and developing your skills, this book fulfills on the intention.

This gift arrived in excellent condition on time very pleased

Five stars for sure. Danaher is on the top of the mountain on jiu jitsu scenario. He has the brilliant mind to make one of the best structure to study this sport which in general is so non formal.

Badly written; typos, bad grammar. Waste of money, just watch YouTube videos.

Professor Danaher makes BJJ refreshingly clear in simple words. What he says is absolutely to the point, and yet nobody else seems to have said it. My martial arts buddy and I have benefited from the book so much that we would love to make the book available in our mother tongue as well. I would be happy to volunteer in translation!

Perhaps the only dislike was that one came from UK and one from USA but both arrived on the same day so really no problem