Systemize Your Turtle Attacks with Gordon Ryan

 

The back position is widely considered to be the king of BJJ attacking platforms. With your opponents’ best defensive tools out front, controlling from the rear is enticing for many reasons, including an incredibly vast library of different finishes. But we didn't say it would be easy. No one wants to be stuck in the back control position. Often at the highest levels, the acquisition of the back is a game over move. Everyone makes it a point to never give up this precious real estate, which calls for extra study, precision, and no wasted movement when we're hunting for this coveted position. Some would say we need a system. 

If you’ve ever watched Gordon Ryan pursue the back, it's truly a thing of beauty. He seems to know where everyone is going before they do and to their peril, he's waiting when they arrive. Ryans movement is masterful. He navigates resisting bodies with such fluidity, that his positional dominance almost seems imminent. Ryan’s skill set includes a broad range of abilities, but his back attack game has been in the forefront for some time. At ADCC in 2019, Ryan came away with double gold, winning his weight and the absolute. Truly an amazing accomplishment that few will attain. At ADCC Ryans back game was on full display and served as a huge factor in much of his success at the competition.

Check out My Evolution Your Revolution, where Gordon breaks down his epic ADCC 2019 run! Click Learn More!

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Ryan takes a systemized approach to everything he does. We’ve seen in previous instructionals from Ryan that there is a blueprint laid out for every position, with contingencies for common reactions and circumstances worked into each scenario. This scientific approach to grappling has served Ryan quite well and through his instructional materials he's been sharing his amazingly insightful approach to some of BJJ’s most utilized positions with the masses.He’s helped thousands of practitioners to add instant value to their own games and he's shed light on some the most important themes in BJJ, that may have been off the radar for many of us.

With the release of Systematically Attacking The Turtle Position, We’re finally going to see how Ryan approaches this important position. This highly anticipated series is available now and with 8 information packed volumes, it's enough to keep you busy for weeks to come! This compilation will change the way you view the position and help you approach the Turtle with more intelligence. You’ll develop a more complete game plan and shore up those blindspots with Ryan's incredible ability to instruct and some of the most brilliant Turtle attack information available. 

Let’s take a look at an excerpt from the series. In this video , Ryan educates us on the theme of diagonal control, an absolutely critical principle to successfully controlling the back position. This is just the tip of the iceberg but truly a paramount piece of instruction. Take a look!  

 

Ryan first explains that the goal when attacking the back is to gain control over both hips and shoulders. This would be the ultimate form of back control but there's a process to acquire this kind of dominance, especially on a savvy training partner or opponent. In the earlier stages of the back attack, Ryan explains that we are at least looking for some form of this diagonal control concept. This means that we’re attempting  to secure at the very minimum, one of our partners hips and one of their shoulders as an early means of control. With this diagonal concept at play we can still gain complete control over our partner body, giving us the ability to continue working for the finish. 

In an example, Ryan sets a hook on a turtled partner and then controls the opposite side wrist. This would be an effective form of diagonal control and as you can see, when his partner begins to move, it gives Ryan the ability to easily follow. In the absence of diagonal control his partner easily sits back to the guard unobstructed and can move freely, stealing Ryan's ability to follow and achieve full control of the back. 

These are the types of details that win the exchange. For many of us, this may be where our pursuit of the back falls apart. Adding this important concept to your back attack toolbox will quickly spur on more success in the controlling and maintenance stages of attacking the back. 

We’ve only scratched the surface. There is an all encompassing Turtle attack library that awaits your viewing. In Systematically Attacking The Turtle Position. Ryan has pulled out all the stops and revealed one his most coveted skill sets in what may be his greatest instructional to date!

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