If you’re after faster progress in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, then watching instructionals is one of the best things you can do! Of course, just merely watching won’t be enough; you have to try the techniques out and troubleshoot things that don’t work. Trial and error: that’s the name of the game.
However, it goes without saying that BJJ instructionals can be quite expensive. For example, Joshua Richards paid a total of 1000$ for Gordon Ryan‘s instructional videos… But was it worth it?

Josh Rich of JoshRichBJJ, the content creator delves into his experience with Gordon Ryan’s BJJ instructionals, evaluating whether the investment of over $1000 was worthwhile. Ryan, known as a dominant figure in grappling, offers a range of instructionals that Josh Rich assesses based on their impact on his own grappling skills.

Insights and Reviews of Gordon Ryan’s Instructionals:

1. Seated Guard: Rich praises the “Seated Guard” instructional for teaching effective moves like the shoulder crunch sumigashi. He credits this instructional for his success against higher belt opponents, highlighting its practicality and usefulness.
2. Back Attack Instructional: This DVD significantly improved Rich’s back attacks, especially the arm trapping system. He values the systematic approach to breaking down an opponent’s defenses.
3. Getting Swole as a Grappler: This lesser-known workout plan by Ryan was critiqued for not covering aspects like finding a steroid dealer, reflecting on the controversy around steroid use in sports.
4. Systematically Attacking the Guard: Rich had mixed feelings about this instructional due to its disorganization. Despite this, he acknowledges the goldmine of content that greatly benefited him as a white belt.
5. Guard Retention Instructional: Rich’s guard retention skills were notably enhanced by this DVD. He appreciated the technical approaches to countering common passes.
6. Mindset Instructional: Rich found this DVD amusing as it mostly sounded like Ryan venting, but still valuable for understanding the mindset necessary for training and competition.
7. Side Control and Mount Instructionals: These helped Rich significantly in finishing from dominant positions, leading him to successfully predict and execute submissions in his matches.

PAYING 1000$ FOR GORDON RYAN’S INSTRUCTIONALS

For the most part, Joshua says that yes – Ryan’s instructionals have been worth the money. He has been able to use a lot of the things he’d seen on the instructional videos; for instance, Gordon’s signature Shoulder Crunch Sweep technique. As well as his guard retention tips.
The only thing he had against the instructionals was against one of the first ones that were issued – a lack of organization. But even that, in Joshua’s words, wanes in comparison to everything else shown in the series.

Bear in mind that, all in all, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructional videos and series will be worth your money only if you put in the effort to try and learn the stuff that’s shown in them.
Yes, seeing a mind-blowing detail or a novel technique might inspire you to use it in a roll or two… But if you want to make it a part of your game, then you will have to drill it. And probably drill it a lot.