Systematically Attacking The Guard by Gordon Ryan: No-Gi Passing Course
Our buying assessment
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Check current price at BJJ FanaticsBased on the seller’s curriculum and cited product sources, checked 2026-10-19. This is a researched guide, not a firsthand review. Study recommendations are our editorial assessment.
In this guide
What it teaches
This course teaches a no-gi guard passing system organized around connected top positions rather than isolated passes. The source describes a “three part passing system” and specifically names split squat, half butterfly, and half guard as key positions used to drive the exchange.
The curriculum addresses common modern guard problems: closed guard and rubber guard openings, reverse De La Riva, knee shield, deep half, lockdown, De La Riva, shin-to-shin, ashi garami variations, X guard, 50/50, supine guard, torreando foot positioning, drills, rolling, and rolling commentary.
Curriculum overview
Split squat and inside-foot passing
Introduces guard passing, establishes inside foot position, handles reverse De La Riva and inversion, then builds passing from split squat with lasso and back-step responses.
Study this if: You enter headquarters-style positions but lose direction when the guard player frames, inverts, or lasso-controls.
Knee shield and half guard passing
Covers low and high knee shield passing, cross shoulder posts, underhook shutdowns, body lock options, over-under passing, deep half, lockdown/scorpion defense, and submission threats.
Study this if: Your passing stalls when half guard players frame, recover knee shield, underhook, or enter deep half/lockdown.
Half butterfly passing
Builds half butterfly passing from split squat and standard half butterfly entries, including responses to the opponent’s underhook, guillotine opportunities, and cross shoulder posts.
Study this if: Half butterfly hooks keep your weight off-balance and prevent you from settling into pressure or body-lock passing.
De La Riva, seated guard, and body locks
Addresses De La Riva from inside-foot/straight-hamstring positions, side body locks on seated guard, and double-under body lock passing with long-arm/short-arm and tight-waist details.
Study this if: Seated and De La Riva guards prevent chest-to-chest control and make it hard to lock the hips down.
Leg entanglement and X-guard passing
Covers shin-to-shin entries, standard and outside ashi, X guard, ushiro X, reverse X, ushiro reverse X, 50/50, cross ashi, and butterfly when the bottom player has double underhooks.
Study this if: Leg attacks and X-guard variations interrupt your passing before you can establish stable top position.
Supine guard, torreando, drills, and live analysis
Adds V-grip supine guard passing, torreando foot-positioning, drills, rolling rounds, and a dedicated rolling commentary volume for seeing the passing system in motion.
Study this if: You understand techniques in isolation but need examples of timing, movement, and decision-making during rounds.
Who it is for
This is most relevant for no-gi grapplers who want to pass from headquarters-style split squat, half guard, half butterfly, seated/body-lock situations, and leg-entanglement-adjacent guards. The source explicitly frames the instruction around no-gi passing and includes lessons on ashi garami, X guard, reverse X, outside ashi, 50/50, and cross ashi.
Consider it if your passing stalls because you win one exchange but cannot connect the next one. The course’s stated idea is to force exchanges that limit counters and to prepare answers to predictable reactions.
Prerequisites
The source says the system is presented for different sizes and skill levels, but the lesson list includes many specialized guard configurations and leg entanglement names. A student should at least recognize basic top half guard, knee shield, butterfly, De La Riva, and common ashi/X guard positions before expecting to absorb the whole course efficiently.
If you are newer, our suggested approach is to use the course selectively rather than trying to memorize every branch. Start with closed guard opening, establishing inside foot, split squat, low knee shield, and body lock chapters, then return to the leg entanglement passing material as your positional vocabulary improves.
Format and ruleset fit
Verified format: no-gi. The source repeatedly frames the problem as no-gi guard passing and identifies Ryan’s no-gi competitive background in the product copy.
The product page lists digital video and visual study aids, including a flow chart and visual notes. It also lists eight volumes, with the final volume devoted to rolling commentary.
Strengths
The strongest buying case is breadth across modern no-gi guard families. The curriculum does not stop at one pass; it includes knee shield sequences, half butterfly, deep half, lockdown, seated guard body locks, double unders, shin-to-shin, multiple ashi positions, X guard variations, supine guard, and torreando foot positioning.
A second strength is the inclusion of rolling and commentary. For learners who struggle to connect instruction to live rounds, consider this valuable because the product page lists sparring rounds and a separate rolling commentary volume.
Limitations
This is not a narrow, single-position half guard passing course. Although it contains substantial knee shield, deep half, and lockdown content, the overall curriculum ranges across many guards, including De La Riva, butterfly, ashi garami, X guard, 50/50, supine guard, and rolling commentary.
Buy less urgently if you mainly want gi-specific grips, lapel passing, or collar-and-sleeve guard solutions; the verified format is no-gi, and the supplied curriculum does not list gi grip or lapel modules.
Suggested study order
Our suggested order is to begin with the overview, closed guard opening, establishing inside foot, and split squat material, because those chapters introduce the course’s top-position logic before the more specific counters.
Next, study low and high knee shield, underhook shutdowns, deep half, and lockdown. These chapters appear as a large contiguous block and give you answers to common half guard resistance before you move into half butterfly and leg entanglement passing.
Then add half butterfly, De La Riva/seated guard body locks, ashi/X/50-50 passing, and finally the drills, rolling, and commentary. That sequence may help you build from stable entries to more dynamic passing and then test recognition through live examples.
Alternatives to consider
Dismantling And Passing The Half Guard: Half Guard Top by Professor Henry Akins is the verified alternative in the supplied research. It is more position-specific: the comparison source centers on half guard top control, base and positioning, home base from high and low knee shield, Z-guard passing, mount transitions, quarter guard, lockdown defense, and knee cut passing.
Choose the Akins course if your main problem is controlling and clearing half guard from top. Consider Gordon Ryan’s course if you want a broader no-gi passing curriculum that also includes half butterfly, seated guard body locks, De La Riva, ashi garami, X guard, 50/50, and rolling commentary.
Purchase guidance
Consider buying this when you want one no-gi passing study that connects headquarters/split squat, half guard, half butterfly, body lock, leg entanglement passing, and live-analysis material. The product page lists digital video plus flow chart and visual notes, which may help if you like to review a large system away from the mat.
Hold off or choose a narrower option if you only need half guard top mechanics, or if your immediate training priority is gi-specific passing. The verified alternative is explicitly half-guard focused, while this product’s source is no-gi and broad across many guard types.