Okay, so check it, today I wanna talk about something I was messing with – the whole Gordon Ryan vs. Patrick Gaudio thing. Not like, I fought ’em, obviously. I’m talking about trying to figure out their moves, ya know? Like dissecting their game.
First thing I did? Pulled up some fights. Started with the obvious stuff, YouTube highlights. But that’s just fluff, right? You gotta dig deeper. So, I hunted down some full matches, old ADCC stuff, random comps, anything I could get my hands on.
Ryan’s all about control, man. Like, suffocating pressure. I noticed how he’s always hunting for the legs, right? Inside position, knee reap… the usual suspect. I tried drilling some of those entries. Failed miserably at first, felt like a clumsy giraffe. Had to slow it down, focus on the grips, the angles, the weight distribution. It’s all about the details, turns out.
Gaudio, on the other hand, he’s more explosive, more… unpredictable. Dude’s got a nasty guard. I tried mimicking some of his sweeps, especially that one where he goes from butterfly to single leg. Messed that up a bunch of times too. Almost ate mat a few times. Realized my butterfly guard was weak sauce. Had to work on my base, my posture, my ability to create space.
So, I’m drilling these moves, right? But just going through the motions ain’t gonna cut it. I needed to put ’em into sparring. That’s where things got real interesting. Tried to leg lock someone like Ryan, got my guard passed. Tried to sweep someone like Gaudio, got stacked and smashed. Humbling experience, to say the least.
What I learned is this: it’s not just about knowing the moves, it’s about understanding the principles behind ’em. Why does Ryan go for leg locks? Because he controls the center line. Why does Gaudio have such a good guard? Because he’s constantly creating angles and disrupting your balance. I started focusing on those principles, rather than just the techniques themselves.
Then, I started trying to combine the two. Could I use Gaudio’s guard to set up a leg lock entry like Ryan? Could I use Ryan’s control to defend against Gaudio’s sweeps? Started experimenting, mixing things up. Some stuff worked, some stuff didn’t. That’s the fun part, though, right? The journey, not the destination.
- Watched a bunch of matches.
- Drilled individual techniques.
- Sparred and got my butt kicked.
- Focused on the underlying principles.
- Experimented with combinations.
I’m still nowhere near Ryan or Gaudio’s level, obviously. But I feel like I have a better understanding of their game now. And, more importantly, I’ve learned a few things about my own game in the process. So, yeah, that’s how I spent my week. Trying to be like Gordon and Patrick. Didn’t quite work out, but hey, at least I broke a sweat.
