Nicholas Meregali appeared on MMA Hoje with Viktor Doria ready to address a debate that seems to follow him everywhere, would he and Gordon Ryan have reached the same level under a different coach. His answer was direct no and he built his argument entirely around John Danaher’s system.
When the topic came up Nicholas Meregali started with a harsh assessment:
 “John never competed and yet he’s the greatest coach in history. ”
“Even more incredible than Helio Gracie.”
He later added:
“John is a coach. We don’t have many real coaches in Jiu Jitsu and we definitely don’t have coaches at John’s level. He has spent 30 years studying Olympic sports. He knows how to implement a system. And he actually has a system.”
According to Nicholas Meregali that system flips the traditional Brazilian training model on its head:
“We do a lot of specific training. We focus on volume not intensity. In Brazil it’s the opposite people focus heavily on intensity. Here it’s the opposite it’s high volume with low intensity.”
For him the lower intensity is the key to real learning:
“The only way to learn technique is by slowing things down. When you reduce intensity you give your brain time to make decisions.”
He compared it to learning how to drive pointing out that beginners take corners slowly before speed becomes second nature. In his view high intensity training builds reactions but not understanding.
When it came to Gordon Ryan, Nicholas Meregali did not hesitate:
“If Gordon had trained under André Galvão, he wouldn’t be the Gordon we know. He would still be a successful athlete, but he wouldn’t have the same level of understanding of Jiu Jitsu.”
He applied the same logic to himself:
“I would still be training the same intense way six out of ten times without trying to understand these concepts. I wouldn’t care about why I control the hips or why I pass the knee line. I wouldn’t reach the level I have today. It would be impossible.”
As proof he pointed to the consistency across John Danaher’s athletes:
“Watch Helena compete, watch me, Luke, Gordon we all use the same system to win. The same hand fi ghting, the same arm drags, the same use of the legs, the same half guard. That shows what a well implemented system can do. It’s like having a technology that’s ahead of everyone else.”
He also pushed back on the idea that talent alone explains their success:
“A coach doesn’t create an athlete but he amplifies them. You can buy a $100,000 or $200,000 horse and leave it standing there it won’t do anything. But if you put a professional rider on that same horse, now it performs.”
His final word on the relationship between Gordon Ryan and John Danaher was simple:
“Gordon is a reflection of John and that’s why he was able to win the way he did.”
*translated quotes were edited for clarityÂ
