Gordon Ryan has produced hundreds of hours of instructional content detailing the techniques that made him dominant. Yet when asked if he’s concerned about competitors studying his material to beat him, Ryan’s response reveals a harsh truth about human nature and the path to mastery.
“One of the biggest questions I get is: you have hundreds and hundreds of hours of instructionals. Aren’t you afraid people are going to, like, just steal your stuff and use it to beat you?”
Ryan explained during a recent conversation. His answer was honest:
“Yeah, if they weren’t, if they were, if they actually watch the instructionals, like, people are just too arrogant to even purchase the instructional and watch it.”
This statement cuts to the core of why true excellence remains rare. Ryan believes that most competitors’ egos prevent them from genuinely learning from others, even when the information is readily available. His own approach stands in stark contrast. When Felipe Pena hit the same back take on him twice in major matches, Ryan didn’t dismiss it—he adopted it.
“That sucked. I hate you for it, but that was a good move, and now I also use it,”
he recalled.
Ryan argues that genuine humility is essential for reaching the highest levels of achievement.
“You can’t really get to a true level of greatness without being humble, without some kind of humility,”
he explained.
“If you just think you’re the best at everything all the time, it’s a pretty delusional way to think about things, and actually very counterproductive.”
This philosophy extends beyond grappling. Ryan emphasizes the importance of learning from the best practitioners rather than following conventional wisdom. He suggests that many traditional training methods waste years teaching techniques that won’t work at elite levels, forcing athletes to unlearn bad habits later.
“If you learn—start learning the correct way right from the beginning—you just learn high percentage and low percentage moves,”
he explained, advocating for immediate exposure to what actually works at the highest level.
The champion’s confidence in sharing his knowledge stems from understanding that information alone isn’t enough. Success requires consistent application, mental fortitude, and the willingness to honestly assess one’s weaknesses—qualities he believes most people lack.
“If you can just show up every day for a decade and do the thing, you’re already ahead of 99% of the people,”
Ryan noted, citing the difficulty most have with simple consistency.
Ryan’s perspective offers a provocative challenge: the biggest obstacle to copying his success isn’t the secrecy of his methods, but rather the arrogance and lack of discipline that prevents most people from genuinely implementing what’s already available to them.
