Systematically Controlling Younger and Athletic Opponents Top Guard by Gordon Ryan

What Will You Learn?

Controlling a younger, faster, more athletic opponent from top position is one of the hardest problems in grappling, and nobody has broken it down more systematically than Gordon Ryan.

Gordon Ryan is a multiple-time ADCC World Champion and IBJJF No-Gi World Champion, and at ADCC 2022 he became the first athlete to win his division and the superfight in the same year. Now he's sharing the top game approach he uses when the person in front of him can move faster and scramble harder.

In this 8-volume course, Ryan starts with the difference between a control game and a movement game, then builds the mechanisms of control you need to pass: half guard chest to chest, the body lock, half guard on frames, stack passing, and north south camping. From there he gives you a separate plan for the classical jiu jitsu player, the classical wrestler or MMA fighter, and the scrimmage wrestler, each from seated and supine guard. This isn't just a guard passing course, it's a complete control-based strategy for beating opponents who are faster and more athletic than you.

Whether you're an older grappler or someone who simply doesn't want to win scrambles with speed, the idea of negating movement serves as the foundation for everything you do on top. You'll learn when to feint, when to flank, when to backtrack, and why inside camping becomes your home base against the most mobile opponents.

This works because it doesn't depend on being the better athlete. Instead of chasing your opponent's movement, you take it away one option at a time with down block hands, head height, shoulder and hip control, and combinations that make their responses predictable. The result is a passing game that holds up against people who are younger, quicker, and more explosive than you.

If you've ever wondered how elite grapplers stay calm on top while their opponent tries to spin, invert, and scramble out of every position, this course shows you the system behind it.

Learn how to control the movement game, take away your opponent's options, and pass with structure instead of speed.

What Exactly Do You Get?

Part 1: Control Game vs Movement Game

• Control Game vs Movement Game
• Younger vs Older Grapplers
• Power to Weight vs Overall Power
• Mastering Movement and Control
• Applying Movement and Control
• Theory
• Two Directional vs Three Directional Guard
• Three Levels of Sophistication
• Tactics Questions and Assessments
• Mapping Movements

Part 2: Mechanisms of Control

• Gravity and Body Weight
• Hierarchy of Control Based Passing Positions
• Mechanisms of Control-Half Guard Chest to Chest
• Mechanisms of Control–Body Lock
• Mechanisms of Control–Half Guard on Frames
• Mechanisms of Control-Stack Passing
• Mechanisms of Control Outside/North South Camping
• The Big Three
• Solidify a Cranial Shift Before Passing
• Overview

Part 3: The Classical Jiu Jitsu Player, Seated Guard

• Intro to Approaching a Classical Jiu Jitsu Player-Seated Guard
• General Theory
• Down Block Hand - Low Head Is Unnecessary
• Lead Leg Feinting
• Outside-Opportunistic Movements
• Shoulders and Hips
• Body Lock Setups
• Combinations

Part 4: The Classical Jiu Jitsu Player, Supine Guard

• Intro to Approaching a Classical Jiu Jitsu Player-Supine Guard
• Outside-Opportunistic Passing
• Toreando to Outside Camping-North South
• High Step/Crossover Steps
• Stack Passing vs High Feet
• Feinting Knee Outside to Step Inside
• Playing Inside Passing Game
• Combinations
• Full Repertoire Passing

Part 5: Classical Wrestlers and MMA Fighters, Seated Guard

• Intro to Approaching Classical Wrestlers - MMA Fighters-Seated Guard
• Wrestling vs MMA vs Jiu Jitsu
• Middle Ground
• General Theory
• No Outside Opportunities
• Down Block Hand and Head Height
• Shoulders and Hips
• Flanking
• Making Flanking Work via Backtracking
• Stepping Inside
• Body Lock
• Combinations and Predictable Responses

Part 6: Classical Wrestlers and MMA Fighters, Supine Guard

• Intro to Approaching a Classical Wrestlers - MMA Fighters-Supine Guard
• Flanking
• Making Flanking Work via Backtracking
• Chasing the Back and Negating Movement
• Stack Passing-Backtracking
• Playing Inside Passing Game
• Full Repertoire

Part 7: The Scrimmage Wrestler, Negation of Movement

• Intro to Approaching Scrimmage Wrestler
• Unpredictability
• Movement Options
• General Theory
• Negation of Movement Is Key
• General Rules
• Touching on Previous Moves

Part 8: The Scrimmage Wrestler, Seated Guard

• Intro to Approaching Scrimmage Wrestlers-Seated Guard
• Down Block Hand
• No Flanking
• Body Lock
• Putting Opponent Supine ASAP
• Approaching Supine
• Denying Reverse De La Riva
• Inside Camping Is King
• Negating Movement from Body Lock
• Navigating Movement from Inside Camping
• Negating Movement from Chest to Chest Half Guard
• Future Direction of the Sport