Team Profile: New Wave Jiu Jitsu

Team Name: New Wave Jiu Jitsu
Location: Austin, TX, USA
Head Instructor: John Danaher

A new wave is taking over the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) world with the emergence of New Wave BJJ, a gym founded by John Danaher and his associates in Austin, Texas. After the breakup of the Danaher Death Squad, John Danaher, Gordon Ryan and Garry Tonon went on to form the group with some new training partners including (2022 ADCC champ) Giancarlo Bodoni Oliver Taza as founding members. New Wave BJJ is set to make a huge impact in the sport of submission grappling.

John Danaher

Born on July 30, 1967, in New Zealand, Danaher has been involved in martial arts since a young age. He started training in judo and wrestling before eventually transitioning to BJJ. He is known for his deep knowledge and analytical approach to the sport, and is widely regarded as one of the top BJJ coaches in the world.

Danaher has trained and coached many high-level BJJ competitors, including Georges St-Pierre, Garry Tonon, Gordon Ryan, and many members of the famous “Danaher Death Squad” team. He is known for his emphasis on technical precision, and his students are known for their highly effective and innovative grappling styles. Danaher has also released several highly acclaimed instructional videos, including the “Enter the System” series, which covers many of his unique approaches to BJJ techniques and training.

Danaher is known as one of the greatest BJJ minds, and he will continue his work as the main coach under the New Wave banner. Alongside john is his protege Gordon Ryan – considered widely as the current GOAT of BJJ (and potentially all time)who often credits Danaher as the man behind his success.

Gordon Ryan

Gordon Ryan is widely regarded as one of the greatest grapplers of all time. Born in 1995 in New Jersey, USA, Ryan started practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) at the age of five under the guidance of his older brother, who was also a BJJ practitioner. Ryan quickly fell in love with the sport and began competing in local tournaments as a child. Over the years, he has become one of the most successful and dominant competitors in BJJ with an impressive record as a Five–time ADCC World champion, two-time IBJJF No-Gi World champion and a four-time Eddie Bravo Invitational champion.

Ryan has also become known for his close association with the famed BJJ coach John Danaher, who has been instrumental in Ryan’s success in the sport. Today, Ryan is widely considered one of the most exciting and influential figures in the world of BJJ, and his career is closely watched by fans and fellow competitors alike.

Learn more about Gordon Ryan by checking out his Grappler Profile.

Garry Tonan

Garry Tonon is a well-known figure in the world of BJJ submission grappling, and is another founding member of New Wave. Born in New Jersey, Tonon started training BJJ at the age of 14 and received his black belt from Tom DeBlass in 2013. He is a multiple-time world champion and ADCC medalist, known for his aggressive style and versatile submission game.

Tonon is also an accomplished mixed martial artist and has fought for ONE Championship, where he holds a record of 6-0. In addition to his success on the mats and in the cage, Tonon is also a popular instructor and has coached numerous high-level athletes, including Eddie Cummings and Gordon Ryan. He is widely recognized as one of the most talented and exciting grapplers of his generation, and continues to be a prominent figure in the BJJ community today.

Giancarlo Bodoni

2023 ADCC 88kg Champ Giancarlo Bodoni is a talented BJJ practitioner who has made a name for himself in the competitive grappling scene. He started training in BJJ under the guidance of Bernardo Faria, who awarded him with his black belt. Bodoni has also trained with some of the best BJJ coaches and practitioners in the world, including John Danaher, Ryan Hall, and Garry Tonon. He is known for his aggressive and unorthodox style of grappling, which has earned him several accolades, including the nogi pan-ams championship in 2021 and the coveted ADCC championship title. With his meteoric rise, he’s a natural fit for team New Wave.

Check out our in-depth profile of Giancarlo Bodoni here.

While there is no fixed location for New Wave BJJ yet, John Danaher currently teaches at Renzo Gracie Austin, an affiliate of the Renzo Gracie New York academy. Danaher is also teaching newcomers, and all levels are welcome for now, which is different from the B-Team that is invite-only and has no members with lower belts.

It’s not known why Danaher chose the name New Wave for his new gym, but it may be related to the BJJ DVDs he released, titled ‘New Wave.’ The main two flagbearers for New Wave are Danaher and Gordon Ryan, with the other members not as senior.

New Wave BJJ is set to shake up the BJJ world, and with Danaher and King Gordon at the helm, expect big things from this team in the coming years.

Check out this recent vlog from FloGrappling with an insight into training at New Wave BJJ in Austin, TX:

Author
Recent Posts

Brian

My name is Brian and I'm a purple belt in BJJ. I train at GFTeam in Burnaby, Canada. My mission with this site is to inspire, educate and learn together with grappling enthusiasts around the world.