With the Craig Jones Invitational coming up, I went back and I watched all Craig Jones’ instructionals (pfeh, took me a while). So now I can recommend to you the best Craig Jones instructional depending on your learning goals.
Since Craig Jones’ instructionals often have names that are funny but not very descriptive, I’ll first tell you what each instructional is about. Then I tell you what I think of it, and give you a recommendation.
1. Power Ride: A new philosophy on pinning
Learn the real way to control people with the new pinning system that Craig Jones stole from Khabib Nurmagomedov
Pin like Khabib
| Full name | Power Ride: A New Philosophy On Pinning |
| Total duration | 4 hours and 9 minutes |
| Publication year | 2022 |
| Where to buy | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
What’s it about: It’s all about the system that people like Khabib Nurmagomedov use to control people, with leg rides, leg shelves, wrist rides and many more unorthodox positions. And Craig Jones argues convincingly that these positions give you much greater control and submission opportunity than the tradition BJJ pins (mount, side control, north south, knee ride and standard back control).
Why I like it: This instructional is a little over 4 hours of completely new content. I can almost guarantee that every single technique that Craig shows here is somthing you’ve never been taught before in BJJ. And I believe Craig’s right that this pinning system is where the sport is heading now that more athletically gifted people (wrestlers) are entering our sport.
My recommendation: Power Ride is Craig Jones’ best instructional to me. It’s extremely good. My recommendation is to buy it now. This is where the sport is heading, don’t get left behind!
2. Make Z guard great again
Learn the guard that Craig Jones still uses to sweep and submit people at the highest level
Learn Craig’s Guard
| Title | Make Z Guard Great Again |
| Total duration | 5 hours and 11 minutes |
| Publication year | 2022 |
| Where to buy | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
What it’s about: It’s about knee shield half guard, both when you have it low (z guard) and high. It’s about how to retain this guard against common passes, how to attack the upper body and how to enter leg locks.
Why I like it: Craig plays the knee shield better than anybody, so this instructional is very thorough. I learned a lot of new details (even though I played this positional forever already) and my favorite part is actually on how to pass the knee shield (which I always found hard).
My recommendation: Get this instructional if you want to learn to play knee shield half guard. If you’re a beginner you should definitely do this because it’s probably the easiest guard to learn at first.
3. The anti-wrestling equation
Learn wrestling and anti-wrestling for jiu jitsu from Craig Jones
Wrestle like Craig
| Title | The anti-wrestling equation: submission systems for counter-wrestling success |
| Total duration | 6 hours and 2 minutes |
| Publication year | 2021 |
| Where to buy | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
What it’s about: It’s about takedowns, wrestling, and breaking people down. It’s also about all the differences between wrestling and jiu jitsu and why some moves work in one but not the other: fascinating.
Why I like it: Craig is super knowledgeable about wrestling and MMA and how those differ from BJJ. He also teaches a very easy to use system to break someone down from a rear body lock, to a 4 point, to the turtle, to a hip, to the back, to a strangle. It flows very well and is easy to use. I also like the takedowns in here.
My recommendation: Get this if you want to bring people down to the ground and keep them down. Also if you struggle with attacking the turtle. Or if you’re a martial arts nerd and want to learn why supplexes don’t work in jiu jitsu. (I love this instructional.)
4. Get off my legs gringo
| Title | Get off my legs Gringo: a complete roadmap to defending the modern leglock game |
| Total duration | 5 hours and 19 minutes |
| Publication year | 2021 |
| Where to buy | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
What it’s about: Leg lock defense. Early, middle and late stage. So it covers how to defend and escape single x, 50/50 and saddle, the reap, backside 50/50 and double trouble and even deep heel hooks.
Why I like it: Craig is super knowledgeable about leg lock defense. I learned a lot of details, and many more went over my head. I already radically improved my defense from single x.
My recommendation: Get this if you’re tired of being heel hooked by people who are worse than you.
5. Mexican ground karate escapes
Learn to finish and escape guillotines like Craig Jones in Mexican Ground Karate Escapes
Finish like Craig
| Title | Mexican ground karate escapes volume 1: front headlocks |
| Total duration | 3 hours and 29 minutes |
| Publication year | 2021 |
| Where to buy | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
What it’s about: Escapes from front headlock submissions, such as the guillotine, d’arce and anaconda choke. And Craig also shares great details for finishing all these submissions.
Why I like it: Super good details. I’m actually great at guillotines (relatively speaking) and I see that these escapes are the only ones that work against me. And the guillotine is one of the easiest submissions to get tapped with by people who are much worse than you, so it’s very worthwhile to learn these escapes.
My recommendation: Get this instructional if you want to counter guillotines. (This one is also great in combination with power bottom, in which you learn to get up from guard, because you can get up without fearing the guillotine.)
6. Power Bottom
Learn the modern guard game from Craig Jones that mixes wrestling, standing up and guard
See Craig’s Bottom
| Title | Power Bottom |
| Total duration | 5 hours and 34 minutes |
| Publication year | 2021 |
| Where to buy | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
What it’s about: How to wrestle up, how to gain height and stand up from guard, bottom turtle and how to threathen gaining height to enter traditional guard attacks.
Why I like it: My experience with the Power Bottom style is that I find the wrestle ups hard to complete most of the time, but trying them makes everything else in my guard a lot easier.
My recommendation: Get this if you want to learn a new style of guard in which you constantly threathen to stand back up. (I think this instructional pairs very well with the Anti-Wrestling Equation.)
7. Systematic submission dilemmas
| Title | Systematic Submission Dilemmas: High Level Triangle And Leg Lock Combos |
| Instructor | Craig Jones |
| Total duration | 7 hours and 27 minutes |
| Publication year | 2020 |
| Where to buy | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
What it’s about: Leg lock finishing mechanics, triangle finishing mechanics for all 5 triangle chokes, and how to combine upper and lower body attacks.
Why I like it: This is the best instructional about breaking mechanics I’ve seen. Given that Craig broke so many people’s leg (remember Vinny Magalhaes), I think he’s the best teacher about this topic. The triangle part is also great (but could be replaced by a Danaher dvd), and the leg lock entries are still up to date.
My recommendation: Get this is you want to make sure you really know how to break a leg (not just pop it). And if you want to spice up your leg entries.
8. Power Top
Learn to pass modern no gi guards with Craig Jones’ Power Bottom
Pass like Craig
| Title | Power Top: Penetrate And Pull Out Of Dangerous Entanglements |
| Instructor | Craig Jones |
| Total duration | 5 hours and 9 minutes |
| Publication year | 2022 |
| Where to buy | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
What it’s about: It’s about passing guard against 3 types of guard players: people on their back, seated guard players, and people that don’t want to stay on their back.
Why I like it: I actually don’t like this one that much, because a big part is about a passing style in which you only engage with your opponent on favorable terms. Obviously that’s very effective in competition, but I thik it makes for somewhat boring rolls in the gym. And I feel like the more I engage, the more I learn.
My recommendation: Get this if you want to learn how to pass while giving your opponent nothing. Don’t get it if you want to learn how to pass established guards (passing closed guard, passing de la riva, etc.) because it’s not about that.
9. False Reap accusations
| Title | False Reap Accusations: a deep dive on the false reap position |
| Total duration | 1 hour and 59 minutes |
| Publication year | 2022 |
| Where to buy | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
What it’s about: The false reap, which is a position from which you can enter leg attacks. It’s very hot right now in high level no gi competition.
Why I like it: I don’t like this instructional too much because it feels unfinished. It’s quite short, and Craig talks about some sections that didn’t make it into the dvd.
My recommendation: I think this is an instructional you can skip, because the quality is a bit lower and it’s a small topic. I would only get this if you identify as a leg locker and want to learn this new entry (which is very popular right now).
10. Just stand up: How jiu jitsu doesn’t work
Jiu jitsu doesn’t have to be hard…
Just Stand Up
Full review coming soon!
| Full name | Just Stand Up: How jiu jitsu doesn’t work if you just stand up |
| Total duration | 3 hours and 17 minutes |
| Publication year | 2023 |
| Where to buy | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
What’s it about: Much like in Craig’s other recent instructionals (anti-wrestling, power top, power bottom and power ride), Just stand Up integrates traditional and folk style wrestling techniques into grappling. It has more pins like those in Power Ride, and more ways to build height like in Power Bottom.
Why I like it: Just stand up is Craig Jones’ newest instructional. If you know me, you know I love this instructional. I’m 100% on board with Craig’s quest to learn from MMA and wrestling to make jiu jitsu even more effective than it already is.
My recommendation:
- If you liked Power Ride, but still find it hard to convert your new pins to submissions (like me), you’ll find new weapons here.
- If you likes Power Bottom but still find yourself getting choked and power halved on your way up, this instructional will give you more details.
Bonus: free Craig Jones instructional
Craig Jones also made a free instructional called the Pendejo guard. It’s related to the false reap position.
This mini instructional only lasts about 30 minutes, so it’s not a replacement for a full instructional. But it’s a fun little product if you want to get to know Craig a little better.
Also read: The Essential Guide to BJJ Instructionals in 2023
Learn the best way to control anyone (inspired by Khabib)
Pin like Craig & Khabib
A list of all Craig Jones Instructionals – Newest to Latest
Craig Jones puts out so many instructionals that it can be hard to keep up. And it can also be hard to know which ones are new and which ones are old. So in this overview I’ll just list all Craig Jones instructionals in the order they came out, which the most recent ones at the top. More detailed reviews follow in the rest of this article.
| Title | Topic | Duration | Year | Where to buy |
| Submission Escapes – BDSM Jitsu By Craig Jones (new!) | Submission escapes | 2 hours and 43 minutes | 2023, October | Here on BJJFanatics |
| Don’t Be Finished: Edging Yourself Out Of Danger By Craig Jones | Pin escapes | 2 hours and 37 minutes | 2023, August | Here on BJJFanatics |
| Closet (Closed) Guard | Closed guard | 2 hours and 42 minutes | 2023 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| You Can’t Knee bahh | Knee bars | 2 hours and 13 minutes | 2023 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| The Fight Dietician | Nutrition | 2 hours and 11 minutes | 2023 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| Just stand up | Turtle, wrestling, Khabib pins | 3 hours and 17 minutes | 2023 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| Craig Jones Mini Product The Reach Around AKA Octopus Guard | Wrestling, half guard | 1 hour and 7 minutes | 2023 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| False Reap Accusations | The false reap | 1 hour and 59 minutes | 2022 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| Power Ride: A New Philosophy On Pinning | Pinning like Khabib | 4 hours and 9 minutes | 2022 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| Power Top: Penetrate and Pull Out of Dangerous Entanglements | Guard passing | 5 hours and 9 minutes | 2022 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| Make Z Guard Great Again | Knee shield half guard | 5 hours and 11 minutes | 2022 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| The Pendejo Guard | Leg locks | 35 minutes | 2022 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| Power Bottom | Guard & wrestle ups | 5 hours and 34 minutes | 2021 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| Mexican Ground Karate Escapes Volume 1: Front Headlock Escapes | Front headlock defense | 3 hours and 29 minutes | 2021 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| Get off my legs Gringo | Leg lock defense | 5 hours and 19 minutes | 2021 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| The anti-wrestling equation | (Anti-) wrestling | 6 hours and 2 minutes | 2021 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| Systematic Submission Dilemmas: High Level Triangle and Leg Lock Combos | Leg locks & triangles | 7 hours and 27 minutes | 2020 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| Battle Tested Down Under Leglocks | Leg locks | 3 hours and 33 minutes | 2019 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| How To Pass Guards Quickly And Easily Using Leg Attacks | Guard passing, leg locks | 4 hours and 9 minutes | 2019 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| The Z Guard Encyclopedia | Knee shield half guard | 10 hours and 10 minutes | 2019 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| The Triangle Machine | Triangles | 4 hours and 23 minutes | 2018 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| Down Under Leg Attacks | Leg locks | 4 hours and 33 minutes | 2017 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
Learn Craig’s most effective (and easiest) guard
EaZy Guard Play
The 10 Best Craig Jones Instructionals
Here’s the best Craig Jones instructionals that I watched.
| Title | Topic | Duration | Year | Where to buy | |
| 1. | Power Ride: A New Philosophy On Pinning | Pinning like Khabib | 4 hours and 9 minutes | 2022 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| 2. | Make Z Guard Great Again | Knee shield half guard | 5 hours and 11 minutes | 2022 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| 3. | The anti-wrestling equation | (Anti-) wrestling | 6 hours and 2 minutes | 2021 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| 4. | Get off my legs Gringo | Leg lock defense | 5 hours and 19 minutes | 2021 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| 5. | Mexican ground karate escapes | Front headlock defense | 3 hours and 29 minutes | 2021 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| 6. | Power Bottom | Guard & wrestle ups | 5 hours and 34 minutes | 2021 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| 7. | Systematic Submission Dilemmas | Leg locks & triangles | 7 hours and 27 minutes | 2020 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| 8. | Power Top | Guard passing | 5 hours and 9 minutes | 2022 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| 9. | False Reap Accusations | The false reap | 1 hour and 59 minutes | 2022 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| 10. | Just stand up | Turtle, wrestling, Khabib pins | 3 hours and 17 minutes | 2023 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
Watch Craig’s only free instructional
Free
Craig Jones
Which Craig Jones instructionals are outdated?
Some Craig Jones instructionals are outdated. These are the ones that he did a long time ago and that were a lot smaller than what he makes now. In the table below you can see which instructionals are outdated and which ones to replace them with.
| Outdated instructional | Better alternative |
| The triangle machine | Systematic submission dilemmas |
| Leglock defense | Get off my legs Gringo |
| Floating Z half | Make z guard great again |
| Battle testes down under leglocks | Make z guard great again (for entries) / Systematic submission dilemmas (for finishing) |
| How to pass guard quickly and easilu using leg attacks | Power top |
| Z guard encyclopedia | Make z guard great again |
| Down under leg attacks | Make z guard great again (for entries) / Systematic submission dilemmas (for finishing) |
What makes Craig Jones a good teacher?
Craig Jones as an instructor has a unique skill set that makes him special:
- Funny: he makes (lame) jokes now and then, which makes it way easier to keep paying attention. (He seems to be the only guy in BJJ that realises that entertainment is part of being a good teacher..)
- To the point: Craig’s instructionals are a little shorter than others, and you should thank him for that. He doesn’t repeat himself for no reason and he stays on topic.
- Great techniques: he corrects many details that are usually thought wrong, and he shares techniques that only he knows. As far as technical details I put him in the same league as John Danaher, Gordon Ryan and Lachlan Giles.
Which Craig Jones Instructional is about what?
Since Craig sometimes gives names that are funny but not descriptive, I made an overview of all Craig Jones’ instructionals and what they’re about.
| Instructional | Topic |
| Power Ride | Pinning |
| Power Top | Passing |
| Power Bottom | Guard & Wrestle ups |
| False Reap Accusations | The false reap (a leg lock entry) |
| Make Z guard great again | Knee shield half guard (not only z guard) |
| Mexican ground karate escapes | Escapes from front headlock submissions (guillotines, d’arces, etc.) |
| Get off my legs Gringo | Leg lock defense |
| Anti-wrestling equation | Differences between BJJ and wrestling, how to take people down |
| Systematic submission dilemmas | Leg lock finishing mechanics, triangles, combinations |
I want to learn x, which Craig Jones instructional covers it?
This overview shows the reverse of the previous one. Per topic that you might be interested in, what’s the best Craig Jones instructional for that topic?
| Topic | Which instructional? |
| Leg lock finishing mechanics | Systematic submission dilemmas |
| Leg lock defense | Get off my legs Gringo |
| Guard passing | Power top |
| Playing guard | Power bottom, make z guard great again |
| Back attacks | Anti-wrestling equation |
| Mount attacks | Systematic submission dilemmas |
| Side control attacks | Systematic submission dilemmas |
| Turtle defense | Power bottom |
| Turtle offense | Anti-wrestling equation |
| Takedowns | Anti-wrestling equation |
| Pin escapes | None yet |
Best Craig Jones instructionals Combinations
Craig Jones basically has 2 styles now: leg locks, and wrestle-jitsu.
Leg locks are what he became famous with, and he’s still one of the best in the world at them. He’s broken many legs, and he typically enters his leg locks from
Wrestle-jitsu is what I call his new style, inspired by ADCC and his UFC coaching experience. It’s about not accepting bottom position, trying to keep people down that don’t accep bottom position, and takedowns.
If you want to buy multiple Craig Jones instructionals, or if you already have one and you want to add another that’s in the same style, I recommend the following combinations:
- Wrestle-jitsu: Power bottom + Anti-wrestling equation + Mexican ground karate escapes + Power Ride
- Leg locks: Make Z guard great again + Systematic submission dilemmas + Get off my legs gringo
Also read: Top 10 Best BJJ Instructionals Ranked (2022)
