John Danaher is one of the foremost minds in jiu-jitsu and submission wrestling. A sought-after coach and one of the main teachers at the Renzo Gracie academy in Manhattan, New York, Danaher's analysis of the development of the art of grappling – in this case, judo and jiu-jitsu – is one of the most comprehensive and clear assessments available today. 

In the following 14-minute clip – which I strongly suggest you listen to in it's entirety – is an excellent breakdown of the current state of the art of grappling. The interview and training footage was shot by Jeff Chu of FighterPlus.

He philosophizes on the history of gi grappling, the divergence into the specialized areas of stand-up and ground fighting, and the modern incarnations of the sports of judo and jiu-jitsu. 




A large chunk of the interview focuses on American judo Olympian Travis Stevens, who trains is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Danaher. 

With elite stand-up and ground skills, Danaher believes that Stevens represents a vision of the future – an elite-level grappler able to compete in an international judo tournament and a professional jiu-jitsu event a week later.