I’ve watched 90+ hours of Craig Jones instructionals and ranked them to help you find the best Craig Jones instructionals for your game. Start with my Top 3 picks below, take the 30-second quiz to find your perfect match, or dive into my full reviews below.
✓ Black belt reviewer • ✓ ~90+ hours watched • ✓ Tested on the mat
Make Z-Guard Great Again
Finally feel safe in sparring. This system gives you a rock-solid guard that’s easy to learn and hard to pass, so you can stop defending and start attacking.
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Power Ride
Keep people stuck, forever. This system teaches you to hold anyone down, shut down their escapes, and completely crush their attempts to reguard.
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Submission Escapes
Stop tapping to submissions. This system gives you the secrets to escape dangerous chokes and arm locks, turning your defense into a strong counter-attack.
Check PriceWhy these 3?
I’ve watched every single Craig Jones instructional — front to back.
Started as a purple belt, now a black belt, and tested them all on the mats.
Rankings are based on:
- Impact on my game & teammates’ game (that’s why Power Ride is Best Overall).
- Community feedback from Reddit & BJJ forums to check blind spots.
- Value for money — if it’s outdated or inside another series, I rank it lower.
- Even #11 here could transform your game. The bar is just that high.
Goal: help you find the right Craig Jones instructional for your game right now.
Still not sure? Take the 30-sec quiz!
🥷 Find Your Craig Jones Instructional
Overwhelmed by the options? Find the perfect instructional for your game by answering 3 quick questions.
Let’s start with your main training style:
1. Power Ride — Khabib-Style Pinning, Adapted For BJJ
Learn Craig’s ride-based pinning (leg rides, shelves, wrist rides) that keeps opponents belly-down and opens clean routes to the back and submissions.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 4h09m
- 📅 2022
- 🎯 All levels
- 🎛️ Top control / pinning
What It’s 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 — The Knee-Shield Blueprint
Craig’s definitive knee-shield half-guard: retain under pressure, attack upper- and lower-body, and switch cleanly between z-guard heights.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 5h11m
- 📅 2022
- 🎯 All levels
- 🎛️ Knee-shield half-guard / entries
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 — Wrestle-Jitsu, Explained
Steal what works from wrestling (and ditch what doesn’t) for BJJ: rear body-lock breakdowns, 4-point → turtle → back, and clean stand-up entries.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 6h02m
- 📅 2021
- 🎯 All levels
- 🎛️ Wrestling integrations / takedowns / breakdowns
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 — Complete Leg-Lock Defense
Early-, mid-, and late-stage escapes for saddle, 50/50, single-X, outside ashi, reaps, double trouble—plus prevention.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 5h19m
- 📅 2021
- 🎯 All levels
- 🎛️ Leg-lock defense
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 — Front-Headlock Survival
Defense and finishing mechanics for guillotines, d’arce and anaconda—understand the choke first, then escape it.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 3h29m
- 📅 2021
- 🎯 All levels
- 🎛️ Front-headlock family
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. The B-Team Bottom Game (Power Bottom) — Stand-Up Guard
The wrestle-up style: gain height from traditional guards, stand from turtle, and keep threatening as you rise.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 5h34m
- 📅 2021
- 🎯 All levels
- 🎛️ Wrestle-ups / standing from guard
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 — Triangles × Leg Locks
High-level combinations that force opponents to pick their poison between upper- and lower-body threats.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 7h27m
- 📅 2020
- 🎯 Int-Adv
- 🎛️ Triangle chains / leg-lock combos
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. The B-Team Top Game (Power Top) — Strategic Passing
Engage only on your terms vs supine, seated, and stand-up guards—penetrate briefly, pull out of danger, and score without gifting entries.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 5h09m
- 📅 2022
- 🎯 Int-Adv
- 🎛️ Guard-passing strategy
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 — Modern Entry System
Use false-reap style entries from popular no-gi guards to get immediate heel-hook looks without exposing yourself.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 1h59m
- 📅 2022
- 🎯 Int-Adv
- 🎛️ Leg-lock entries
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
Advanced details for building height and not getting strangled on the way up—the follow-up to Power Bottom/Power Ride ideas.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 3h17m
- 📅 2023
- 🎯 Int-Adv
- 🎛️ Stand-ups / anti-choke details
What It’s 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.
11. Closet (Closed) Guard — Sticky Classic, Modern Details
Posture breaks, grip variations, and layered attacks that make closed guard feel dangerous again.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 ≈2h57m
- 📅 2025
- 🎯 All levels
- 🎛️ Closed-guard sweeps & subs
What It’s About
High-percentage omoplata/armbar/triangle routes and back-take threats from a posture-broken closed guard.
Why I Like It
- Makes closed guard proactive again, not stalling.
- Great “plan B” when wrestle-ups get stuffed.
My Recommendation
Best for: Players who want a tethered, safe attacking hub.
Avoid if: You never close guard in no-gi.
Pairs with: Power Bottom (mix close/open with wrestle-ups).
12. Edging Your Way Out of Danger — Submission Escapes
Turn defense into offense against armbars, triangles, kimuras, buggy chokes and more—counters baked in.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 ≈3h42m
- 📅 2024
- 🎯 All levels
- 🎛️ Submission escapes (non-leg)
What It’s About
Positioning heuristics and specific escapes that return you to offense immediately.
Why I Like It
- “Edge out” philosophy is easy to remember under stress.
- Makes escapes fun—you’re attacking again fast.
My Recommendation
Best for: Everyone; fills real holes for blue-purple belts.
Avoid if: You already master Danaher-style escapes and want only leg defense.
Pairs with: Get Off My Legs Gringo
13. Don’t Be Finished — Positional Escapes
Side-control, mount, back control—survive, reverse, and attack from the body-triangle and other tight pins.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 ≈2h47m
- 📅 2023
- 🎯 All levels
- 🎛️ Pin escapes & reversals
What It’s About
Kipping, running-man, and structured sequences that land you on top or on the back.
Why I Like It
- Great habits for avoiding panic and conserving energy.
- Immediately useful for hobbyists and competitors.
My Recommendation
Best for: White–blue belts building survival first.
Avoid if: You only train offense (don’t).
Pairs with: Power Ride (understand the pin you’re escaping).
14. Higher Tripod Passing — Current Meta Details
Tripod pinning as a launchpad: upper/lower-body control, ashi baits, and timing to beat modern guards.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 ≈2h
- 📅 2025
- 🎯 Int-Adv
- 🎛️ Tripod passing / control
What It’s About
Entries to a stable tripod, then systematic dismantling of frames and legs.
Why I Like It
- Concise, tactical add-on to Power Top.
- Great “what’s working now” module.
My Recommendation
Best for: Passers already comfortable disengaging/re-engaging.
Avoid if: You’re new to passing—start with Power Top first.
Pairs with: Power Top
15. You Can’t Kneebahh — A Deep Dive
Dog-bar, Victor roll, 50/50 and toe-control finishes—plus breaking mechanics so your kneebar actually ends matches.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 ≈2h17m
- 📅 2024
- 🎯 Int-Adv
- 🎛️ Kneebar system
What It’s About
Entries and finishes across common positions, with preventative counters to their counters.
Why I Like It
- Fills the kneebar gap in Craig’s otherwise heel-hook-heavy catalog.
- Clear leg-positioning cues → better breaks.
My Recommendation
Best for: Leg-lockers expanding beyond heels.
Avoid if: You rarely attack legs.
Pairs with: False Reap Accusations (entries).
16. Balls to Wall — Cage Wrestling For MMA
Cage/wall offense and defense: pummeling on the fence, body-locks, trips, mat returns and wall escapes—engineered for MMA.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 ≈2h05m
- 📅 2024
- 🎯 Int-Adv
- 🎛️ Cage wrestling / wall work (MMA)
What It’s About
Clinching and finishing against the fence with safe head-positioning, plus defensive routes back to the center.
Why I Like It
- Rare deep dive on a crucial MMA skill-set.
- Transfers well to gyms that train with a wall.
My Recommendation
Best for: MMA athletes and grapplers who spar with a wall.
Avoid if: Your gym never trains against barriers (pure sport BJJ).
Pairs with: Anti-Wrestling Equation
17. The Reach Around (Octopus Guard) — Scrambles You Can’t Lose
A modern octopus-guard system for reversals, back-takes, and exits that keep you attacking.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 ≈1h
- 📅 2023
- 🎯 Int-Adv
- 🎛️ Octopus guard / scrambles
What It’s About
Off-balancing from octopus grips, then riding the scramble to score or submit.
Why I Like It
- Great for smaller players who thrive in movement.
- Pairs with wrestle-ups and back-takes.
My Recommendation
Best for: Dynamic guard players.
Avoid if: You prefer static half-guard battles only.
Pairs with: Power Bottom
18. Down Under Leg Attacks — Craig’s Early Leg-Lock System
Foundational lower-body submissions and angles that put Craig on the map.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 ≈4h33m
- 📅 2017
- 🎯 All levels
- 🎛️ Leg-lock attacks
What It’s About
Classic outside/inside heel hooks with entries and finishes across common positions.
Why I Like It
- Budget-friendly intro to Craig’s leg philosophy.
- Still applicable in no-gi today.
My Recommendation
Best for: New leg-lockers on a budget.
Avoid if: You already have SSD-level expertise.
Pairs with: Systematic Submission Dilemmas
19. Battle Tested Down Under Leg Locks — Entries & Finishes
Refined heel-hook pathways with back-take threats when opponents over-defend legs.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 ≈4h33m
- 📅 2017
- 🎯 Int-Adv
- 🎛️ Leg-lock attacks
What It’s About
Sharper breaking mechanics and routes to the back if they slip the heel.
Why I Like It
- Great upgrade after you know the basics.
- Back-take integrations feel very “Craig”.
My Recommendation
Best for: Intermediate leg-lockers.
Avoid if: You’re still learning basic ashi control.
Pairs with: Down Under Leg Attacks
20. The Triangle Machine — Clamp Your Way To Finishes
Craig’s clamp system and angles to consistently lock, adjust, and finish triangles.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 ≈4h23m
- 📅 2018
- 🎯 All levels
- 🎛️ Triangle offense
What It’s About
Entries from guard and transitions off failed attempts into other finishes.
Why I Like It
- Short, affordable upgrade to triangle mechanics.
- Builds confidence to attack up the middle.
My Recommendation
Best for: Anyone adding reliable upper-body subs.
Avoid if: You never attack from guard.
Pairs with: Systematic Submission Dilemmas
21. How To Pass Guards Quickly & Easily Using Leg Attacks
Use leg-attack threats to set up passes—opponents open upper-body defenses and give you easy scores.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 ≈2h
- 📅 2019
- 🎯 All levels
- 🎛️ Guard passing via leg threats
What It’s About
Timing and entries that force defensive reactions you can pass through.
Why I Like It
- Great “bridge” if you already attack legs.
- Very efficient for points players.
My Recommendation
Best for: Leg-lockers who want higher pass %.
Avoid if: You dislike mixing submission threats with passing.
Pairs with: Systematic Submission Dilemmas
22. Z-Guard Encyclopedia — The Early Blueprint
Craig’s first big z-guard release—classic entries and options that still work.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 ≈1h10m
- 📅 2020
- 🎯 All levels
- 🎛️ Z-guard offense
What It’s About
Entries to triangles, armbars and leg locks from knee-shield positions.
Why I Like It
- Low-cost way to test if z-guard fits your game.
- Pairs nicely with the newer “Make Z-Guard Great Again”.
My Recommendation
Best for: Budget learners exploring knee-shield.
Avoid if: You want only Craig’s latest material—get the 2022 set.
Pairs with: Make Z Guard Great Again
23. The Fight Dietician — Fuel Your Rounds (with Jordan Sullivan)
Structure your diet, macros, and energy availability for better training and comp performance.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 ≈2h30m
- 📅 2025
- 🎯 All levels
- 🎛️ Nutrition for BJJ
What It’s About
Simple nutrition frameworks you can actually stick to; supplements and cutting basics.
Why I Like It
- Actionable basics without guru fluff.
- Complements hard training blocks nicely.
My Recommendation
Best for: Anyone who trains more than twice a week.
Avoid if: You already work with a dedicated sports nutritionist.
Pairs with: None
24. Pendejo Guard (Free) — False-Reap Adjacent Entries
A short free mini-instructional that ties into false-reap style leg-lock entries.
Quick Facts
- 🕓 —
- 📅 2022
- 🎯 All levels
- 🎛️ Leg-lock entry concept
What It’s About
False-reap adjacent grips/angles that create quick leg looks and scrambles.
Why I Like It
- Zero-cost way to sample Craig’s newer entry ideas.
- Great teaser for the full False Reap Accusations.
My Recommendation
Best for: Everyone—grab it if it’s live.
Avoid if: It’s offline—go straight to False Reap.
Pairs with: False Reap Accusations
7 Outdated Craig Jones Instructionals (and What to Get Instead)
Some of Craig’s older releases are much shorter and less complete than his modern systems. If you want the most effective, up-to-date material, skip these and go straight to the newer versions below.
- ❌ The Triangle Machine → ✅ Systematic Submission Dilemmas
- ❌ Leglock Defense → ✅ Get Off My Legs, Gringo
- ❌ Floating Z Half → ✅ Make Z-Guard Great Again
- ❌ Battle Tested Down Under Leg Locks → ✅ Make Z-Guard Great Again (entries) / ✅ Systematic Submission Dilemmas (finishing)
- ❌ How to Pass Guards Quickly & Easily Using Leg Attacks → ✅ Power Top
- ❌ Z-Guard Encyclopedia → ✅ Make Z-Guard Great Again
- ❌ Down Under Leg Attacks → ✅ Make Z-Guard Great Again (entries) / ✅ Systematic Submission Dilemmas (finishing)
Pro tip: Many of these upgraded instructionals are often on sale — check the BJJ Fanatics Daily Deals page before buying.
A list of all Craig Jones Instructionals – Newest to Oldest
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, with the most recent ones at the top. More detailed reviews follow in the rest of this article.
| Title | Topic | Duration | Year | Where to buy |
| Higher Tripod Passing | Tripod‑pin passing | 2 hours | 2025 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| Balls to Wall | Cage / wall wrestling | 2 hours and 5 minutes | 2024 | Here on BJJ Fanatics |
| Submission Escapes – BDSM Jitsu By Craig Jones | 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 |
| B team Top game: 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 |
| B team bottom game (formerly 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 | 1 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 |
What makes Craig Jones a good Instructor?
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 pay 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 Covers What?
Clever titles are part of Craig’s style, but they’re not always clear about what the instructional actually teaches. Here’s a plain-English breakdown so you know exactly which one matches your goals:
- 📌 Power Ride – Pinning systems and control.
- 📌 Power Top – Passing strategies and top-game pressure.
- 📌 Power Bottom – Guard work and wrestle-up attacks.
- 📌 False Reap Accusations – The false reap leg-lock entry system.
- 📌 Make Z-Guard Great Again – Knee-shield half guard (more than just z-guard).
- 📌 Mexican Ground Karate Escapes – Escapes from front-headlock submissions (guillotines, d’arces, etc.).
- 📌 Get Off My Legs, Gringo – Modern leg-lock defense.
- 📌 The Anti-Wrestling Equation – How BJJ and wrestling differ, plus takedown strategies.
- 📌 Systematic Submission Dilemmas – Leg-lock finishing mechanics, triangles, and combination attacks.
I Want to Learn X — Which Craig Jones Instructional Should I Get?
This is the reverse of the previous list. Pick your topic of interest, and here’s the best Craig Jones instructional for that area:
- 🎯 Leg lock finishing mechanics → Systematic Submission Dilemmas
- 🛡 Leg lock defense → Get Off My Legs, Gringo
- 🚀 Guard passing → Power Top
- 🌀 Playing guard → Power Bottom or Make Z-Guard Great Again
- 🎯 Back attacks → The Anti-Wrestling Equation
- 🎯 Mount attacks → Systematic Submission Dilemmas
- 🎯 Side control attacks → Systematic Submission Dilemmas
- 🛡 Turtle defense → Power Bottom
- ⚡ Turtle offense → The Anti-Wrestling Equation
- 🏋️ Takedowns → The Anti-Wrestling Equation
- 🛡 Pin escapes → Don’t Be Finished
- 🛡 Submission escapes → Edging Your Way Out of Danger
Best Craig Jones Instructional Combinations
Craig Jones has two main styles these days: leg locks and what I call wrestle-jitsu.
Leg locks are what made him famous — he’s still one of the best in the world at them, and he often enters from unexpected positions.
Wrestle-jitsu is his newer style, inspired by ADCC and UFC coaching experience. It’s all about refusing to accept bottom position, keeping opponents pinned who don’t want to stay there, and effective takedowns.
If you’re buying multiple Craig Jones instructionals — or you already own one and want to add another in the same style — here are the top combinations:
- 🤼 Wrestle-jitsu combo: Power Bottom + The Anti-Wrestling Equation + Mexican Ground Karate Escapes + Power Ride
- 🦵 Leg lock combo: Make Z-Guard Great Again + Systematic Submission Dilemmas + Get Off My Legs, Gringo
Also read: Top 10 Best BJJ Instructionals Ranked (2025)
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links
Which Craig Jones instructional is best for beginners?
Make Z Guard Great Again is the definitive knee‑shield half‑guard system and is the perfect starting point. It teaches leg‑lock entries from knee shield and is the easiest guard to learn and the perfect first guard to learn, making it ideal for beginners.
Which instructional focuses on leg‑lock finishing mechanics?
Systematic Submission Dilemmas is a master class in leg‑lock finishing mechanics. It covers triangle chokes and combination systems and is noted as the best resource for learning how to actually break legs rather than merely apply submissions.
Is there an instructional for advanced leg‑lock entries?
False Reap Accusations is an advanced entry system popular in high‑level competition. It’s a specialized technique suitable only for serious leg lockers.
Which Craig Jones instructionals are best for white and blue belts?
For beginners to intermediates, the most recommended Craig Jones instructionals are Power Ride, Make Z Guard Great Again, and Power Bottom (B-Team Bottom Game). These sets teach fundamental concepts like controlling opponents, standing up from guard, and attacking from knee-shield positions. Additionally, Edging Your Way Out of Danger (submission escapes) and Closet Guard are specifically designed for lower belts, offering beginner-friendly escape techniques and a modern closed-guard system that transforms stalling positions into constant attacks.
What’s the difference between Power Ride and Power Top instructionals?
Power Ride teaches a pinning system inspired by Khabib-style wrestling, focusing on leg rides, shelves, and wrist rides to keep opponents belly-down and control them from the top position. Power Top (B-Team Top Game) is about guard-passing and shows how to neutralize seated, supine, and standing guards. While Power Ride emphasizes holding and controlling opponents, Power Top focuses on passing guards, making them complementary instructional sets with minimal overlap.
Is Make Z Guard Great Again worth buying for preventing opponents from standing up?
Make Z Guard Great Again teaches an excellent knee-shield half-guard system covering guard retention, submissions, and sweeps, making it a great starting point for learning Z-guard concepts. However, the instructional doesn’t provide comprehensive solutions when opponents stand up, as Z-guard is primarily a reactive guard used to maintain distance and attack when opponents pressure forward. For complete standing defense, you’ll need to combine it with other guards or wrestle-up concepts from Power Bottom.
Is Get Off My Legs Gringo too advanced for beginners?
Get Off My Legs Gringo mostly covers escapes to advanced techniques, like heel hooks, and therefore it is not suitable for beginners. It’s best suited for intermediate grapplers who are already getting caught in heel hooks.
What does Anti-Wrestling Equation cover beyond anti-wrestling techniques?
Anti-Wrestling Equation is a comprehensive system that teaches breaking down standing opponents to turtle and back positions while covering differences between wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Beyond defensive anti-wrestling, it includes front head-lock attacks, back-attack sections, and techniques for using failed butterfly sweeps to enter front head-lock positions. The instructional shows how to use wrestling concepts offensively and pairs excellently with Power Bottom for practitioners without access to high-level wrestling training.
Is Just Stand Up a good follow-up to Power Ride and Power Bottom?
Just Stand Up is an excellent follow-up that focuses on converting pins into submissions and improving your ability to return to your feet. It uses wrestling moves adapted for jiu-jitsu, encourages not accepting bottom position, and offers better pinning positions than traditional side-control. While not as revolutionary as Power Ride, it provides valuable insights for practitioners who prefer mount or turtle positions and blends perfectly with the “always threatening to stand up” philosophy of Power Ride and Power Bottom.
Do Craig Jones instructionals work for gi training?
Most Craig Jones instructionals are filmed in no-gi but translate well to gi training since the concepts focus on underlying mechanics rather than specific grips. Techniques like wrestle-ups, leg rides, closed-guard posture breaks, and submissions work effectively in the gi with additional grip considerations. Instructionals like Power Ride and Make Z Guard Great Again are particularly adaptable across both gi and no-gi training environments.
When is the best time to buy Craig Jones instructionals?
The best time to purchase Craig Jones instructionals is during BJJ Fanatics daily deals, which rotate through different instructionals every few months and often offer 50% or more discounts. Rather than paying full price, waiting for these frequent sales can result in significant cost savings.
