Gordon Ryan Supine Open Guard No-Gi Course

By BJJ University Editorial · Published 2026-11-02

8 listed volumesNo-gi curriculum

Our buying assessment

Best for: No-gi supine guard players linking X guard, ashi and back takes
Buy less if: You need gi sleeve, collar, lasso or lapel guard study
Main tradeoff: Broad system coverage, not a narrow single-guard course

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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 covers attacking from a supine open guard in no-gi, with the product page identifying sweeps, back takes, leg locks, X guard, De La Riva, reverse De La Riva, and related ashi garami entries as core subjects.

The central theme is connecting bottom-position off-balancing to either a sweep, leg-entry, or back-exposure pathway rather than treating each guard as an isolated move list.

Curriculum overview

Supine guard foundations

Covers scenarios, inside/outside leg positioning, movement negation, concave shoulders, ashi drills, basic ashi entries, switching legs, and early sweep/reap decisions.

Study this if: Build a stable bottom framework before chasing entries.

Ashi X, X guard and scorpion links

Develops Ashi X versus X guard, transitions to outside ashi, X guard scissor sweeps, heel exposure after failed sweeps, reverse X, scorpion sweeps, back takes, and leg entries.

Study this if: Turn X-guard reactions into sweeps, back exposure or leg attacks.

Ushiro X decision tree

Focuses on backstep counters, transferring to Ushiro X, scissor and reverse scissor sweeps, forward-step counters, cross ashi, back attacks, crab ride, and a back/pass/leg-lock trilemma.

Study this if: Keep attacking when opponents step, backstep or clear standard X guard.

No-gi De La Riva entries

Covers tripod sweep, failed-tripod ashi entries, knee-bump ashi entry, switching to far-leg X guard, inside-leg ashi entries, and 50/50 from De La Riva.

Study this if: Make DLR a launch point for sweeps and leg entanglements without gi grips.

No-gi berimbolo and inversion attacks

Introduces no-gi berimbolo, cross-body ride entry, upper-back exposure, leg drag, failed leg-drag leg entries, inverted leg entries, and float-pass counters.

Study this if: Convert inversion sequences into back exposure or leg-entry follow-ups.

Reverse De La Riva connections

Covers reverse tripod, failed-tripod leg entries, switching to outside DLR, single-leg entry, RDLR ashi entries, full inversions, 2-on-1 knee lever, and DLR/RDLR interface.

Study this if: Move between RDLR, outside DLR, single-leg and ashi pathways.

Rolling and commentary

Includes live rolling sections with named partners and a separate rolling-commentary volume where the footage is broken down in real time.

Study this if: See how the curriculum’s choices appear in live training scenarios.

Who it is for

This is for grapplers who play, or want to build, a no-gi guard from their back and want options that link sweeps, leg attacks, and back takes from common open-guard positions.

It may especially fit students who already like leg entanglement-based guards, because the chapter list repeatedly returns to ashi garami, Ashi X, outside ashi, cross ashi, 50/50, and heel exposure.

Prerequisites

The source says the approach is presented for broad use, but the lesson list includes inversions, berimbolo, crab ride, reverse X, cross ashi, and multiple ashi transitions, so practical study will be easier with prior open-guard and leg-entanglement familiarity.

If heel hooks or reaping are restricted in your room or ruleset, consider checking how you will adapt the material, because the curriculum includes heel exposure, reaping dilemmas, cross ashi, and leg-lock entries.

Format and ruleset

The verified format is no-gi. The product page specifically mentions no-gi De La Riva, reverse De La Riva, and no-gi berimbolo content.

The course is listed as an eight-volume series and includes live rolling plus rolling commentary; research is limited to the supplied product-page snapshot, not independent viewing or testing.

Strengths

A clear strength is breadth within one no-gi supine guard ecosystem: the listed lessons move from ashi garami basics into X guard, Ushiro X, De La Riva, reverse De La Riva, berimbolo-style back exposure, and rolling commentary.

The curriculum appears especially useful for students who want contingency planning, because many chapters are framed around failed sweeps, opponent counters, backsteps, float-pass counters, and switching to alternate guards or leg entries.

Limitations

This is not a gi grip-based open guard course. The supplied format is no-gi, and the DLR/RDLR material is described as no-gi specific, so buyers seeking sleeve, collar, lasso, or lapel-heavy study should look elsewhere.

The course is broad, which may be a limitation if your immediate goal is one small, easily isolated guard. The page lists numerous guard families and transitions rather than a single-position specialization.

Suggested study order

Our suggested order is to begin with the first volume’s positioning and ashi garami foundations before adding X/Ashi X decisions, because the early chapters define the leg-position interface, movement control, and basic entries.

After that, consider studying X guard and Ushiro X before the DLR/RDLR volumes, then use the berimbolo and rolling-commentary sections as integration work once the main sweep, back-take, and leg-entry branches are familiar.

Alternatives to compare

The Double Sleeve System by Mikey Musumeci is the more gi-grip-oriented alternative in the supplied sources, emphasizing double sleeves, spider, lasso, collar/sleeve, triangles, omoplatas, and grip recovery rather than no-gi ashi/X-guard leg-entry chains.

Fundamentals of Jiu Jitsu: Closed Distance Open Guard by Nicholas Meregali is the closer conceptual alternative for getting underneath the hips and using X-guard-style attacks, but its supplied page emphasizes gi controls such as collar/pants, collar-and-sleeve/spider entries, and lapel back-take setups.

Purchase considerations

Consider buying this if your priority is a no-gi supine open guard framework that links off-balancing, ashi garami, X guard, De La Riva/RDLR, back exposure, and live rolling commentary in one course.

Buy less quickly if you mainly need gi sleeve/lapel guard, a beginner-only closed syllabus, or one isolated guard position, because the supplied curriculum is no-gi and spans multiple interconnected open-guard families.

Bundle or individual course

This product is supplied as an individual course, not a bundle of separate components. No component courses were supplied for individual-versus-bundle comparison.