The Tao Of MMA Bundle by Duane Ludwig: MMA Fundamentals Across Striking, Wrestling and Grappling

What it teaches

The Tao Of MMA Bundle is presented as an 8-volume MMA fundamentals series covering striking, grappling, wrestling, transitions, cage-specific work, and submissions, with instruction attributed to a group that includes Bas Rutten, Trevor Wittman, Duane Ludwig, TJ Dillashaw, Alberto Crane, and Sam Coutts.

For a BJJ athlete, our assessment is that this is best treated as an MMA integration course: it shows how basic striking, wrestling entries, cage control, ground-and-pound, and submission choices connect under mixed-rules constraints, rather than isolating sport-BJJ guard passing or gi-specific material.

Curriculum overview

Who it is for

The product page describes the course as usable by “students of all levels” and includes beginner-facing chapters such as advice for beginners, stance, footwork, breakfalls, warm-up drills, and basic jiu-jitsu positions.

Consider it if you are a grappler beginning MMA cross-training, a coach building a fundamentals outline for MMA classes, or a striker-wrestler trying to organize the connection between punches, takedowns, cage control, and submissions.

Prerequisites

The listing does not state a required rank, competition record, or prior MMA experience; it explicitly frames the material as fundamentals and includes introductory chapters across striking, wrestling, and jiu-jitsu.

Our suggested prerequisite is access to safe coaching and appropriate training partners for striking, takedowns, cage work, and leg-lock or neck-crank material; the curriculum includes contact skills and submissions that should not be learned only by imitation.

Format and ruleset fit

The source verifies an 8-volume digital instructional and says it can be streamed or downloaded through the BJJ Fanatics app. The brief marks gi/no-gi format as unverified, and the product page does not identify the course as gi or no-gi.

For BJJ University readers, consider the ruleset fit as MMA-first and gi/no-gi unverified. The lesson titles emphasize MMA striking, cage control, ground-and-pound, and fight-ending submissions rather than lapel grips, gi passing, or sport-BJJ scoring sequences.

Strengths

A clear strength is range: the curriculum covers standup movement and punches, kick defense and kicking, wrestling entries and finishes, cage work, ground-and-pound, positional jiu-jitsu, back attacks, common submissions, conditioning and game-planning topics, and unorthodox Bas Rutten material.

The bundle may be especially useful for learners who need an organized MMA map before specializing. Instead of only showing takedowns or only showing submissions, it repeatedly links phases: strikes into shots, cage takedowns, ground-and-pound, and submissions from core positions.

Limitations

Research limitation: this guide is based on the supplied product snapshot and comparison excerpts, not on viewing the instructional. The snapshot provides chapter titles and marketing descriptions, but it does not verify teaching depth, production quality, sparring application, or how responsibilities are divided among the named instructors.

The main limitation for a sport-BJJ buyer is that this is not a narrow guard, passing, leg-lock, or no-gi wrestling system. If your current need is detailed standup hand-fighting for BJJ or a specific takedown family, the breadth here may feel less targeted.

Suggested study order

Our suggested order is to start with stance, footwork, rhythm, shadowboxing, and basic punches, then add punch catching, numbers, slip-rope work, and kicks before moving to wrestling entries. Those early chapters define the range and movement that make later takedown entries more realistic for MMA.

After the standup base, move into double-leg, single-leg, bodylock, finishes, defenses, cage control, and ground-and-pound; then study the jiu-jitsu positions, back position, escapes, and the core submissions. Save the Bas Rutten pro-tip and unorthodox chapters for context after the fundamentals are familiar.

Bundle or individual courses

The supplied brief identifies this product as a bundle, but no separate component products were supplied for individual-course comparison. The available source describes the bundle as one 8-volume course rather than listing verified standalone components.

Because no component handles are verified, consider buying this only if you want the whole cross-disciplinary MMA curriculum. If you only need one slice, such as BJJ standup or upper-body takedowns, the supplied alternatives are more specific than this bundle.

Alternatives to consider

Systematically Attacking The Scrimmage: Beginners Guide To Success by Gordon Ryan is a more BJJ-specific standing option. The supplied excerpt says it focuses on standing and takedown defense, universal concepts, stance and motion, gripping theory, distance management, and shot defense, with rolling and commentary sections.

Consider the Beginners Guide alternative if you mainly want to survive and understand the standing phase for grappling. Compared with The Tao Of MMA, it appears narrower and concept-heavy for BJJ standup, while Tao also includes striking, cage work, ground-and-pound, and MMA submissions.

Systematically Attacking The Scrimmage: Upper Body Takedowns by Gordon Ryan is the more specialized alternative for upper-body standup. The excerpt lists collar ties, overties, underhooks, overhooks, over-under, double unders, two-on-ones, arm drags, rear bodylocks, and rolling commentary.

Consider Upper Body Takedowns if your priority is a deep hand-fighting and throwing curriculum for no-gi BJJ standup. Tao is the broader MMA choice when you also need striking, cage, jiu-jitsu position, and fight-training coverage.

• Systematically Attacking The Scrimmage: Beginners Guide To Success by Gordon Ryan — check current price · Read our guide
• Systematically Attacking The Scrimmage: Upper Body Takedowns by Gordon Ryan — check current price · Read our guide

Purchase guidance

The renderer should supply current seller links and pricing. The source confirms digital access through streaming or download in the BJJ Fanatics app; this guide does not rely on the snapshot’s printed price, sale timer, or guarantee language for purchase advice.

Consider purchasing if your training goal is a single MMA fundamentals library spanning feet, takedowns, cage, ground strikes, and basic submissions. Buy less urgently if you already have MMA coaching and only need a focused BJJ standing system.