Home / Reviews / They Shall Not Pass – Gordon Ryan
They Shall Not Pass – Gordon Ryan
An in-depth review of Gordon Ryan’s They Shall Not Pass: the clearest no-gi guard-retention system on the market, broken down by a black belt.
BJJMore earns a commission if you buy through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you.
At a glance
The verdictThey Shall Not Pass – Gordon Ryan
Gordon Ryan · BJJ FanaticsThe clearest no-gi retention system on the market. Gordon strips guard retention down to three priorities (head, shoulder line, hips) and shows how to shut down knee cuts, torreandos, and leg drags before they get to the pin.
You play guard and keep getting passed by knee cuts, torreandos, or leg drags; you are blue belt or above and want a no-gi retention framework you can actually remember mid-roll; you like priority-based teaching (do A before B before C) over big technique anthologies; you already own Gordon’s passing material and want the other side of the coin.
You are a pure white belt who hasn’t built a base guard yet (start with a fundamentals course); you compete strictly gi IBJJF and want gi-specific grip details; you already own the Giles/Tabak Retention Anthology and want zero overlap; Gordon’s flat delivery puts you to sleep (a real complaint from some viewers).
- Three-priority decision tree (head, shoulder line, hips) you can apply the next time you train
- Specific scripts against knee cut, torreando/leg drag, stack, and back-step passes
- Concrete frames (knee shield retention, shin shield, hip heist) explained step by step
- ADCC-tested material, not theoretical drills
- Re-guard timing is taught explicitly, not as “feel it”
- Monotone delivery. Hard to binge in long sessions.
- No-gi only. Gi players have to translate grips themselves.
- Less encyclopedic than the Giles/Tabak Anthology if you want every situation covered
- MSRP is high for 11 hours; only worth it on a daily-deal price drop
What is inside
8 volumes, around 11 hours
Gordon opens with his retention philosophy: pass attempts are decided by who controls the head and shoulder line, not who has grips. Each volume then drills a specific pass type and his counter.
Core concepts taught
- Head position as the first priority (if your head is under their chest, you have already lost)
- Shoulder line defense versus knee-cut and stacking passes
- Hip heist and shin-shield mechanics for re-guard
- Knee-shield retention against half-guard cut-throughs
- Invert-to-re-guard timing (when to invert, when not to)
- Underhook denial for blocking back-takes off failed passes
- Pummel recovery and X-guard entries as offensive resets
Volumes (high level)
- Foundations of retention (head, shoulders, hips priority)
- Knee cut and leg drag defense
- Torreando and double-under defense
- Stacking and back-step counters
- Inversion and re-guard scripts
- Connecting retention to offensive guards (X, single leg X, deep half)
- Footage breakdowns from competition
Key techniques covered
- Head position as the first retention priority
- Shoulder line defense versus knee-cut and stacking passes
- Hip heist and shin-shield mechanics for re-guard
- Knee-shield retention against half-guard cut-throughs
- Invert-to-re-guard timing (when to invert, when not to)
- Underhook denial for blocking back-takes off failed passes
- Pummel recovery and X-guard entries as offensive resets
Compare to
Guard Retention Anthology – Lachlan Giles & Ariel Tabak
The encyclopedia. ~16 hours, no-gi & gi. Covers more pass scenarios with more solutions per scenario. Better if you want depth over a clean decision tree. See our guard retention guide at bjjmore.com/best-guard-retention-instructional/.
The Fastest Way to Develop an Unpassable Guard – John Danaher
Concept-first, longer format, gi & no-gi. The same kind of priority-based teaching but in Danaher’s slower, more thorough voice. Pairs well with They Shall Not Pass rather than competing with it.
Guard Retention Made Easy – Firas Zahabi
Free on YouTube, introductory, gi. If you’re not sure you want to spend money yet, Zahabi’s breakdown is a solid free starting point. Read our Firas Zahabi retention breakdown first.
Ready to pull the trigger?
BJJ Fanatics drops the price by roughly 50% on daily deals every few weeks. If it is on sale today, it is the best retention dollar-per-hour on the market. The MSRP is steep for 11 hours of footage, so the daily-deal price is the one to wait for.
FAQ
Is They Shall Not Pass for beginners or experienced grapplers?
It works best for blue belts and above with at least a basic guard game (closed guard, half guard, knee shield). Pure beginners will get more out of a fundamentals course first because Gordon assumes you already know how to recover guard, not just survive in it.
Is the instructional gi or no-gi?
It is filmed no-gi. The framing, head-position, and shoulder-line concepts transfer directly to gi guard retention, but specific grip work is no-gi.
How long is it and how is it structured?
8 volumes, around 11 hours total. Gordon builds from priority hierarchies (head, shoulders, hips) into specific retention scenarios versus knee cut, torreando, leg drag, and stacking passes, with footage breakdowns.
They Shall Not Pass vs the Giles & Tabak Anthology: which one?
Gordon’s set gives you a simpler decision tree and fewer techniques to remember. The Giles/Tabak Anthology covers more situations in more depth. If you want a fast retention upgrade, start with Gordon. If you want an encyclopedia, get the Anthology.
Will the discount run again?
BJJ Fanatics drops daily-deal pricing on most Gordon Ryan titles every few weeks. If you want to wait, bookmark the daily deal page and check weekly. The price typically drops to roughly half of MSRP during deals.
Stop getting passed
If your retention is leaking, this is the most direct fix on the market. Buy on a daily deal, watch the first two volumes, and bring one cue (win the shoulder line) to your next round.