Gordon Ryan Mount System – In-Depth Review

Practical, high-mount focused routes with live-round analysis that speed up your finishing rate.

Systematically Attacking From Top Pins: Mount Cover Art

The Bottom Line

You learn a simple arm-isolation plan that snowballs to s-mount finishes. The course shows exactly how it works in sparring. It is no-gi first and expensive.

⚡️ Quick facts

Best for: Finish-focused no-gi players

Skip if: You want gi collars

Tech focus: High Mount, Arm Triangle, Mounted Triangle

Biggest takeaway: Isolate an arm early

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What You'll Learn

This is an 8-volume no-gi mount system built on the same control-then-isolate logic Ryan developed with John Danaher. BJJ Fanatics describes it as teaching you to “maintain position, shut down escapes, and isolate limbs for submissions.” The structure runs in a clear order rather than a grab-bag of moves:

Vol 1 – Entries: getting to mount from side control via arm isolation, shin mount, and head-and-arm setups.
Vol 2 – Holding it: hip and foot placement, pinning an arm, and remounting when they recover guard.
Vol 3 – Killing escapes: shutting down the elbow-knee escape and the bridge, with cross-wrist control plus exits to the back and triangle.
Vol 4 – Seated head-and-arm: the front, side, and back triangles, the 3/4 juji armbar grip, and the armbar-vs-triangle dilemma.
Vol 5 – Cross-wrist to kata-gatame: finishing the arm triangle, double-underhook entries, and beating the bridge.
Vol 6 – High mount and S-mount: climbing up, separating the hands, the mounted triangle, and resetting the system.
Vol 7-8 – Live rounds: Gordon spars from mount against five partners, then breaks down the footage so you see the system fire in real time.

The whole thing is no-gi. The control principles transfer to the gi, but the grips and the cross-wrist work are built for no-gi.

Primary Techniques You'll Drill

High Mount
S Mount
Cross Wrist Control
Seated Head And Arm
Arm Triangle
Mounted Triangle
Juji Gatame Armbar
Back Takes
Remount

Format & Level

Instructional style: System Based, Footage Breakdown
Skill level: All Levels
Format: No-Gi
Volumes: 8 (Volumes 7-8 are live sparring rounds with breakdown)
Listed as: Best Seller on BJJ Fanatics

Should You Buy It?

List price is $349, which is steep for a single-position course. The thing it does better than almost anything else on the market is the live-rounds payoff: Volumes 7-8 show Gordon actually hitting the system against five partners, so you are not just buying technique clips, you are buying the timing and the decision tree.

Buy it if you already live in mount and want to turn it from a holding spot into a finishing position, and you want the if-then dilemma structure (pin the arm, force the gift wrap, climb to S-mount) rather than isolated moves.

Skip it if you mainly train gi or you want a cheaper structured option. John Danaher’s 4×4 Mount System covers the same position for $197 with a tighter four-step framework. Either way, BJJ Fanatics runs frequent discounts, so it is worth checking the price before paying full freight.

Why Gordon Ryan?

Gordon Ryan is a multiple-time ADCC champion and top no-gi finisher. He models Danaher-style systems and explains choices clearly using live footage.

What reviewers actually say

This is a newer single-position release, so independent written reviews are still thin. The most detailed public breakdown comes from BJJ coach Enrique Iturriaga, who walks through the core control detail on his 80/20 BJJ Coach newsletter and is blunt about why it worked for him.

😍 What works

The grip detail is the whole sell. Iturriaga: “If you use a Palm-Up Cross Grip instead, you’ll be able to push against their rotator cuff muscles, and isolating the arms will be much easier and more effective.”
It is a true if-then system, not a move list. The plan is to pin one arm to the mat, then force a dilemma: “If they try to strip the grip, they’ll have to expose the other arm and their back, and in this situation, we get a gift wrap.” (Iturriaga)
His verdict after drilling it: the details “have revolutionized my mount game, making me more aggressive and successful from this position.” (Iturriaga)

🤔 Worth weighing first

It is no-gi only. The cross-wrist and palm-up grips are built for no-gi, so gi players adapt more than they copy.
At $349 list it is a premium price for one position, and Danaher’s 4×4 Mount System covers the same ground for $197.
Public third-party reviews are limited so far, so most of the signal is the official footage plus Iturriaga’s breakdown rather than a deep reviewer consensus.

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Smart Alternatives

New Wave Jiu Jitsu: Mounted Pin Attacks – The 4×4 Mount System – More structured four-step progression. (Price: $197.00, 8 vols, 2022)
Mount Dominance – 10th Planet no-gi flavor with spiderweb options. (Price: $127.00, 6 vols)
The Complete MG Mount System – Classic pressure and simplicity from MG. (Price: $149.00)

Sources & References

Your next step

You have the breakdown, community feedback, and my final thoughts. Now it’s your move.

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