Systematically Attacking The Kimura by Gordon Ryan: No-Gi Kimura System

By BJJ University Editorial · Published 2026-10-26

8 listed volumesNo-gi curriculum

Our buying assessment

Best for: No-gi players building kimura control across positions.
Buy less if: You mainly want Americana/keylock mechanics instead.
Main tradeoff: Deep kimura focus, but no verified gi adaptation.

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Based 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 the kimura as both a submission and a controlling position, with entries and follow-ups from closed guard, open guard, half guard, top open guard, top half guard, side control, north-south, mount, and back.

A central theme is decision-making after resistance: locked hands, posture, failed hip bumps, failed sumi gaeshi, underhooks, cross-shoulder posts, and transitions into legs, armbars, back triangles, trimuras, and leg locks all appear in the listed curriculum.

Curriculum overview

Kimura concepts and closed guard entries

Covers kimura types, two functions, pulling versus pushing, one-on-one and two-on-one closed-guard setups, plus hip-bump dilemmas and trimura follow-ups.

Study this if: Build a shared framework before chasing finishes from guard.

Open guard kimura chains

Addresses power kimura, sumi gaeshi connections, roll-through options, triangle responses to locked hands, leg entries, and links back to half guard.

Study this if: Keep attacking when open-guard kimuras meet posture or grip defense.

Half guard proactive and reactive locks

Separates proactive and reactive kimura methods from half guard, including power kimura, reverting to open guard, sumi gaeshi, leg entries, and pass-bait roll-throughs.

Study this if: Turn half guard kimura threats into sweeps, recoveries, or follow-up attacks.

Top open guard and top half guard attacks

Shows kimura setups from collar ties, knee posts, ankle grabs, shin-to-shin, and supine positions, then top-half answers to posts, underhooks, and passing options.

Study this if: Add kimura threats to passing exchanges instead of only attacking from bottom.

Side control and north-south control

Covers powerline, hand-behind-back rules, underhook and elbow-position reactions, underclasp kimura, near-hand pins, trimura, rotational setups, legs kimura, and leg-lock links.

Study this if: Convert dominant pins into layered kimura control and secondary attacks.

Mount, back, and finishing connections

Covers failed-underhook kimuras from mount, back triangle and trimura transitions, plus back-position links to armbar and trimura.

Study this if: Keep upper-body attacks connected after reaching dominant positions.

Rolling footage and commentary

Includes rolling rounds with named partners and separate commentary chapters that explain the kimura system in motion.

Study this if: Study live reactions after learning the static technique categories.

Who it is for

Consider this if your no-gi game already uses the kimura grip but you want more systematic answers from bottom guard, top passing situations, and dominant pins instead of treating the kimura as a one-off shoulder lock.

It may also suit athletes who learn well from seeing technique applied in sparring, because the course includes rolling footage and separate rolling commentary sections.

Prerequisites

The source lists fundamentals and concept chapters, including kimura types, functions, pulling versus pushing mechanics, and early closed-guard setups, so the course appears to include some conceptual groundwork.

Our suggested prerequisite is comfort with common no-gi positions—closed guard, open guard, half guard, top half, side control, mount, and back—because the curriculum moves quickly across all of them and uses follow-up attacks from failed entries.

Format and training context

The supplied brief verifies the format as no-gi, and the product text frames the instructor as a no-gi grappler. The course is listed as eight volumes.

The source says the course can be streamed or downloaded through the BJJ Fanatics app, but this guide does not rely on price, guarantee, or app-access claims for the buying recommendation because those terms can change.

Strengths

The strongest curriculum feature is coverage from many positional families: bottom guard, top guard-passing exchanges, top half guard, side control, north-south, mount, and back all have dedicated kimura material.

Another strength is the emphasis on problem-solving against defensive reactions, especially locked hands, posture, underhooks, poor elbow position, and failed throw or sweep entries.

Limitations

Research limitation: the supplied sources verify the sales-page curriculum and format, but not independent testing outcomes, detailed coaching methodology, or gi-specific adaptations.

Buy less eagerly if you primarily want an Americana or keylock system rather than a kimura system; the related alternatives are specifically framed around the keylock/American lock, while this product’s curriculum is centered on kimura attacks and kimura-position connections.

Suggested study order

Our suggested order is to start with the concept chapters before drilling entries: types of kimuras, the two functions, and pulling versus pushing give the decision rules that make later position-specific chapters easier to organize.

After the concepts, consider studying bottom-position attacks first—closed guard, open guard, and half guard—then move to top open guard and top half guard, then pins, mount, back, and finally the rolling/commentary sections to connect the system to live reactions.

Alternatives to consider

Keylock Trap System by Vanessa Waltz is the closer alternative if you want a keylock/Americana-style control that branches to back takes, arm locks, reverse triangles, wrist locks, and other attacks, rather than a kimura-first map.

Master The Move: The American Lock by John Danaher is the more targeted alternative for studying American-lock mechanics and problems such as wrist/elbow alignment, arm extension, and elbow slip. Gordon Ryan’s course is the better match when the training need is kimura entries and connections across many no-gi positions.

Bundle or individual course

This is an individual course in the supplied brief, not a verified bundle, so there are no component courses to compare against buying the whole curriculum.

Purchase assessment

Consider buying if your current no-gi shoulder-lock game stalls after the initial grip and you want a structured kimura system with routes through guard, top pressure, pins, mount, back, and live-training examples.

You may want to prioritize another course if your immediate goal is a broader Americana/keylock curriculum, a gi-specific grip system, or a general submission overview instead of a deep kimura-focused study.