Gordon Ryan Top Pins Side Control & North South No-Gi Course

By BJJ University Editorial · Published 2026-11-02

8 listed volumesNo-gi curriculum

Our buying assessment

Best for: No-gi players building side-control and north-south attacks.
Buy less if: Less ideal for gi lapel offense or broad fundamentals.
Main tradeoff: Deep pinning system, narrow positional scope.

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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 top pins, specifically side control and north-south, with emphasis on control, isolations, submissions, and shutting down escapes in no-gi grappling.

The submission material is organized around kimuras, triangle variations, juji gatame, back head-and-arm control, north-south strangles, and transitions between side control and north-south.

Curriculum overview

Side-control goals and inside position

Frames the top and bottom player’s objectives, the battle for inside position, escape pathways, reverse crossface, knee-on-belly integration, and pseudo half guard pinning.

Study this if: You reach side control but do not know which battles decide control.

Escape shutdown and side guard control

Focuses on stopping knee-elbow connection, separating it once formed, addressing locked side guard, and closing out side-control escapes.

Study this if: Opponents rebuild guard before your attacks develop.

Far-arm kimura chains

Builds from far-arm isolation into kimura finishing, yoko sankaku dilemmas, gyaku sankaku, legs kimura, juji gatame, cross ashi, and back-take branches.

Study this if: Your kimura grip stalls instead of creating follow-up attacks.

Near-arm isolation and sankaku attacks

Covers near-arm isolation, shin pin entries, kimura/yoko sankaku against flat opponents, ushiro sankaku submissions, and hantai sankaku.

Study this if: You need attacks when the near arm is exposed or the opponent stays flat.

Transitioning to north-south

Explains when and why to move to north-south, how to enter it, high tripod control, and how to counter single or double knee recovery and turning in.

Study this if: Your side control weakens when opponents bridge, turn, or recover knees.

North-south attacks and exits

Develops figure-four back head-and-arm control, back takes, ushiro sankaku, juji gatame grip breaks, omote sankaku, north-south strangle, and returning to side control.

Study this if: You can hold north-south but lack reliable finishing and transition options.

Rolling and rolling commentary

Includes live rolling rounds and separate commentary rounds intended to show the pinning system in motion against training partners.

Study this if: You want examples of how the static chapters connect during live exchanges.

Who it is for

Consider this if you already reach side control or north-south in no-gi but lose opponents to knee-elbow recovery, underhooks, turning in, or guard re-entry.

It may also fit grapplers who want their top pins to create submission chains rather than only pressure or stalling control.

Prerequisites

The source says the material is presented for grapplers of all levels, but the curriculum includes detailed no-gi positional maintenance, multiple sankaku variations, kimura dilemmas, cross ashi, and grip-break sequences.

Our assessment: beginners may still learn the positional goals, but the best starting point is having basic familiarity with side control, north-south, kimura grips, and armbar mechanics before trying to absorb every branch.

Format and ruleset fit

The verified format is no-gi. The product page describes no-gi control and offense and positions the system for no-gi grappling.

The course is digital video and the source also mentions flow chart and visual notes. The listing includes rolling footage and rolling commentary, but our research is limited to the supplied product snapshot and comparison excerpts; we have not independently viewed the course.

Strengths

A major strength is the attention to retention from top: the outline repeatedly addresses escape pathways, knee-elbow connection, side guard, knee recovery, and opponents turning in.

Another useful feature is the connection between technical instruction and application footage, since the source lists rolling rounds and separate rolling commentary.

The attacking structure appears especially valuable for grapplers who like dilemmas: kimura to yoko sankaku, failed yoko sankaku back to kimura, kimura to juji gatame, and kimura entries into back takes are all listed.

Limitations

Buy less eagerly if you need a broad all-position curriculum. The supplied outline is concentrated on side control, north-south, top pin maintenance, and attacks from those pins.

This is not the most direct match for gi lapel offense: the source identifies no-gi grappling, and the listed techniques revolve around body positioning, underhooks, kimuras, sankaku, juji gatame, and strangles rather than lapel grips.

Suggested study order

Our suggested order is to start with the goal-setting and escape-pathway material before chasing submissions: inside position, bottom-player goals, top-player goals, and the two main side-control escape routes define what you are trying to stop.

Next, study the escape shutdown and maintenance chapters, then add far-arm kimura chains, near-arm sankaku attacks, the transition to north-south, and finally the rolling commentary to see how the pieces are connected under movement.

Alternatives to compare

Cobrinha’s Kimura Trap System is the closer alternative if your main interest is the kimura as a mobile attack from many positions, including top, bottom, standing, passing, closed guard, and side mount, rather than a side-control/north-south pinning system.

The Lapel Killer Series is a different lane: consider it for gi lapel attacks, lapel chokes, and lapel-based guard or side-control sequences, not for no-gi top-pin maintenance.

Purchase guidance

Consider buying when your training problem is specific: you can pass or scramble to top pins, but you need a no-gi system for staying attached, denying recovery, and converting side control or north-south into repeatable attacks.

Hold off if you are mainly shopping for guard retention, takedowns, gi lapel systems, or a single quick submission sequence; the supplied curriculum is detailed and position-specific rather than a general-purpose fundamentals course.