Gordon Ryan Seated Open Guard Attacking Course

By BJJ University Editorial · Published 2026-11-02

Our buying assessment

Best for: No-gi seated guard chains with leg entries and sumi gaeshi
Buy less if: You want gi lapel, sleeve, or lasso sit-up guard
Main tradeoff: Broad reaction system, but not a full seated-and-supine guard

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Based on the seller’s curriculum and cited product sources, checked 2026-10-26. This is a researched guide, not a firsthand review. Study recommendations are our editorial assessment.

In this guide

What it teaches

This course is organized around attacking from seated open guard, with stated emphasis on shoulder crunch sumi gaeshi, double kouchi gari, ashi garami entries, elevations, 2-on-1s, arm drags, and reaction-based follow-ups.

Our assessment: the main study value is not a single sweep, but learning how seated guard connects upper-body ties, lower-body entries, and opponent reactions into repeatable attacking chains.

Curriculum overview

Seated guard foundations

Covers body positions, goal setting, distance management, concave shoulders, and early ashi garami and kouchi entries from seated guard.

Study this if: You sit to guard but lack posture, distance, and first-action structure.

Standing-opponent entries

Builds attacks against square and staggered stances using 2-on-1s, kibisu gaeshi, de ashi harai, shin-to-shin, kouchi, and X guard or ashi garami access.

Study this if: You cannot make a standing passer commit weight or expose a leg.

Kneeling-opponent elevation

Introduces kneeling-opponent goals, push-pull control, sweep classifications, four quadrants, sticky hooks, elevation drills, and entries to irimi or cross ashi garami.

Study this if: Your seated guard gets compressed when the passer drops to the knees.

2-on-1 and under-over attacks

Develops 2-on-1 elbow attacks, hiza guruma, back takes, over-under sweeps, kata gatame transitions, forward shifts, and leg-entry follow-ups.

Study this if: You win an arm tie but do not convert it into sweeps or positional threats.

Pinch headlock and shoulder crunch

Links pinch headlock, kata gatame, shoulder crunch, multi-directional sumi gaeshi, triangle entries, and leg entries after failed upper-body attacks.

Study this if: Your upper-body control produces off-balancing but not reliable finishes.

Body-lock and collar-tie counters

Addresses double-unders, body-lock passing counters, double-overhook sumi gaeshi, underhook baiting, collar-tie roles, guillotine combinations, and yoko sumi gaeshi.

Study this if: You need seated guard answers when the passer clamps upper-body control.

Arm drags, submissions, and stepped-leg reactions

Covers triangle and armbar entries from collar ties, head-and-shoulder post counters, arm drags to the back, stepped-leg leg entries, yoko sumi gaeshi, and retention notes.

Study this if: You need follow-ups when the passer posts, steps up, or denies the first sweep.

Rolling and commentary

Includes rolling rounds from seated guard and a separate commentary section intended to show the system against resisting partners.

Study this if: You want examples of the decision tree appearing in live training contexts.

Who it is for

This is best suited to grapplers who already use seated open guard or want to build one around active hand fighting, off-balancing, shin-to-shin entries, leg entanglements, and sweeps rather than waiting for the passer to engage.

It may also appeal to students who learn well from seeing sparring examples followed by explanation, because the course includes live rolling and a separate rolling commentary section.

Prerequisites

The curriculum assumes comfort with open guard concepts such as distance management, grip fighting, kuzushi, shin-to-shin, ashi garami, X guard, triangles, arm bars, guillotines, and back takes.

Our suggested prerequisite is at least a working open-guard base. Newer students can still extract drills and concepts, but the number of branches may be easier to absorb after basic guard retention, seated posture, and leg-entry vocabulary are familiar.

Format and training context

The listing describes a digital video course with flow chart and visual notes, and says it can be streamed or downloaded through the BJJ Fanatics app.

Gi/no-gi format is not fully verified by the supplied metadata. The product copy frames the instructor as a no-gi grappler and includes no-gi-specific language, so our assessment is that the material appears no-gi oriented, but buyers should confirm current format details on the seller page before purchase.

Research limitation: this guide is based on the supplied product and comparison snapshots, not independent viewing or testing of the course.

Strengths

A key strength is breadth within one seated open guard framework: the curriculum addresses square stance, staggered stance, kneeling opponents, body-lock counters, head-and-shoulder posts, collar ties, and opponents stepping a leg up.

Another useful feature is its focus on contingency planning: many lesson titles address failed attacks and follow-ups into leg entries, back takes, submissions, or alternate sweeps.

Consider this a strong fit if your seated guard stalls after the first grip, because the listed material repeatedly links 2-on-1s, arm drags, collar ties, shoulder crunches, and pinch headlocks to different directions of attack.

Limitations

The course is described as the seated half of a broader open guard system, with the supine guard positioned as a separate upcoming complement in the source snapshot. That means this product should not be treated as a complete seated-and-supine open guard library by itself.

Buy less readily if you specifically want lapel, sleeve, lasso, or gi sit-up guard work. Those topics appear in the comparison courses, while this listing centers on no-gi-style ties, ashi garami, sumi gaeshi, and kouchi entries.

Suggested study order

Our suggested order is to begin with posture, goals, distance, concave shoulders, and the first square-stance ashi garami and kouchi entries before moving into the larger combination trees.

Next, study standing-opponent problems: 2-on-1s, kibisu gaeshi, de ashi harai, arm-drag entries, shin-to-shin access, and the opponent’s square versus staggered stance reactions.

Then move to kneeling-opponent elevation and sumi gaeshi work, because those sections introduce the push-pull relationship, sticky hooks, quadrants, shoulder crunch, pinch headlock, and body-lock counters that make the seated guard harder to flatten.

Finish by studying the rolling footage and commentary after you know the core branches, so the live examples function as pattern recognition rather than a first exposure to the system.

Alternatives to compare

Fabio Gurgel’s Coral Belt Concepts: Sit Up Guard is the more gi-oriented comparison if you want sleeve, lapel, reverse De La Riva, single leg X, and non-engaging-opponent material. The meaningful difference is that Gordon Ryan’s course is centered on seated open guard attacks such as ashi garami entries, double kouchi, and sumi gaeshi rather than lapel-and-sleeve sit-up guard development.

Lucas Lepri’s The Sit Up Guard may fit buyers looking for De La Riva, reverse De La Riva, lasso, collar-and-sleeve, single-leg, overhead sweep, and back-take combinations. Compared with this Gordon Ryan course, it appears more gi-guard combination focused, while the main product emphasizes no-gi-style seated guard reaction systems and rolling commentary.

Purchase guidance

Consider buying if your goal is to build a seated open guard that creates action through grips, leg entries, elevation, and chained reactions against standing and kneeling opponents.

Consider waiting or choosing a different course if you need a concise gi sit-up guard resource, a lapel-heavy game, or a complete open guard system that explicitly includes both seated and supine phases in one product.