John Danaher leaves coaching after announcing he will undergo four surgeries in 2025, including hip and knee replacements.
Danaher’s longtime student and star pupil, Gordon Ryan, takes over leadership at Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu.
The John Danaher retirement marks a turning point in No-Gi BJJ coaching, shifting the center of power from the Danaher Death Squad legacy to Ryan’s reign.
John Danaher Leaves Coaching Amid Health Crisis
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world is adjusting to news that John Danaher leaves coaching after more than two decades of shaping the sport from the inside out – despite huge struggles with serious injuries.
Known for creating systems that revolutionized No-Gi competition and producing elite athletes like Gordon Ryan, Garry Tonon, and Nicky Ryan, Danaher announced his exit due to the toll coaching has taken on his body.
“This year I will have to do four surgeries to try and get a satisfactory body back… The doctors say that generally this is the end of any kind of jiu-jitsu type movement at high level.”– John Danaher –
We know why John Danaher left coaching, but what does that mean for the BJJ world? Danaher’s departure brings to a close the most influential chapter in modern No-Gi BJJ coaching—a system that once began under the blue mats of Renzo Gracie Academy and evolved into the juggernaut now known as Kingsway.
Gordon Ryan Takes the Helm at Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu
As John Danaher leaves coaching, the torch passes to the man many believe was destined to carry it: Gordon Ryan. Already considered the greatest No-Gi grappler of all time, Ryan now leads the gym where he trained for years under Danaher.
“Gordon would be the first person to say that there is no replacing Danaher. But no one is better suited than Gordon to take over that position.”– Brian Glick –
With Ryan at the helm of Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu, the rebranded successor to New Wave, the expectation is that he will extend and evolve the Danaher Death Squad legacy, applying the same systems and structure that defined their dominance.
Ryan’s ability to teach is already well-documented through his instructionals and seminar appearances. Now, that responsibility becomes central to his role.
“He’s been running half the room already. Now it’s official.”– Kingsway Athlete (anonymous, via Reddit) –
No-Gi BJJ Coaching Faces Its First Real Power Shift
This isn’t just a change of personnel—it’s a fundamental shift in the balance of influence in submission grappling.
As Gordon Ryan replaces John Danaher as head coach, the sport loses one of its most cerebral tacticians at the same time it gains a more aggressive, hands-on leader with real-time championship experience.
“Between Nicholas and Giancarlo and Gordon, there isn’t a better group of people I could think of to take over or to kind of serve as proxy for Danaher.”– Brian Glick –
The presence of stars like Nicholas Meregali, Giancarlo Bodoni, and Ryan himself ensures that Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu leadership remains intact, even without its mastermind on the mats every day.
This transition also comes at a time when whispers of Ryan’s own retirement—spurred by chronic health issues—continue to swirl. For now, though, he remains the centerpiece of Kingsway’s present and future.
A Complicated Legacy: Revered, Feared, and Misunderstood
While Danaher is widely revered for his contributions to BJJ, his coaching style has also come under criticism. In a recent Reddit thread that went viral, several former students described the environment under Danaher as intense, at times bordering on “emotionally taxing.”
“He was brilliant but cold. If you were in his system, you performed. If you fell behind, it was sink or swim.”
Yet even those who criticized his methods rarely disputed his effectiveness. His departure now raises a deeper question: Is the era of authoritarian coaching over in elite Jiu-Jitsu? And if so, is Gordon Ryan’s leadership style a departure—or just a louder echo?
John Danaher Leaves Coaching, But His System Endures
While it’s jarring to see a headline like “John Danaher leaves coaching,” it doesn’t signal an end so much as an evolution. His teaching methods, positional hierarchies, and tactical frameworks will live on—not just through Gordon Ryan Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu, but through every black belt who came through his orbit.
In stepping back, Danaher allows the next generation to step forward—and if that generation includes the likes of Ryan, Meregali, and Bodoni, then No-Gi BJJ may still be in the safest hands imaginable.
