A data-backed ranking of Nicholas Meregali’s most useful BJJ Fanatics instructionals with Reddit sentiment, product details, who each suits, and smart alternatives.
Fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu: Standing Guard Passing
A complete standing-first passing system that teaches you to camp, fatigue opponents, and finish clean passes with pressure.
Fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu: Open Guard Attacks
Build a collar-sleeve hub that funnels to triangles, omoplatas, and back takes with lasso and DLR links.
Fundamentals of Jiu Jitsu: Closed Distance Open Guard
Get underneath efficiently from outside DLR and lasso to sweep, back take, or finish against bigger passers.
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🥋 #1 Fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu: Standing Guard Passing by Nicholas Meregali
Instructor: Nicholas Meregali
Style: System Based, Conceptual
Best for: All Levels
Format: Gi
Runtime: 4 hours and 8 minutes
Volumes: 6
Biggest takeaway: Fatigue before finishing
Techniques: Knee Cut, Stack Pass, Camping Method
- Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu: Half Guard Pressure Passing – If opponents force half guard, this continues the same pressure system.
- Fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu: Open Guard Attacks – Pair with your passing to round out bottom and top.
- Fundamentals of Jiu Jitsu: Closed Distance Open Guard – Understand what your opponents want from bottom to counter earlier.
You will learn when and how to apply camping pressure from standing. You will connect toreando, knee cut, leg drag, and stack sequences. You will not get a random move dump without structure.
✅ Pros
- The camping framework makes passing efficient and repeatable.
- The sequences connect loose entries to tight finishes clearly.
- Volume structure helps you troubleshoot common modern guards.
⚠️ Cons
- It assumes gi grips; pure no-gi players may need adaptations.
- A few viewers felt earlier Fanatics sets were clearer.
- Production is straightforward, not cinematic.
💡 I found the camping concept finally explains why my side-to-side passes used to stall and how to maintain pressure without overcommitting. Recommendation: Buy it now.
🥋 #2 Fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu: Open Guard Attacks by Nicholas Meregali
Instructor: Nicholas Meregali
Style: System Based, Drill Heavy, Conceptual
Best for: All Levels
Format: Gi
Runtime: 2 hours and 34 minutes
Volumes: 6
Biggest takeaway: Frames before attacks
Techniques: Collar Sleeve, Omoplata, Lasso Guard
- Fundamentals of Jiu Jitsu: Closed Distance Open Guard - Pairs perfectly if you like under-the-hips entries.
- Fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu: Standing Guard Passing - Balance your game with top pressure answers.
You will learn a cohesive open guard built on collar-sleeve and lasso. You will connect off-balances to high-percentage finishes. You will not get scattered techniques without clear grips.
✅ Pros
- Clear grip priorities prevent stalls and panic scrambles.
- Drills translate concepts into timing fast.
- Connects to X-guard and back takes for complete routes.
⚠️ Cons
- Pure no-gi athletes will not use lapel-based attacks.
- Some early segments feel verbose to a few viewers.
- You must practice grip transitions deliberately off the mat.
💡 I realized his collar-sleeve frames make leg drags and toreandos bounce off, buying endless time to set triangles. Recommendation: Wait for daily deal.
🥋 #3 Fundamentals of Jiu Jitsu: Closed Distance Open Guard by Nicholas Meregali
Instructor: Nicholas Meregali
Style: System Based, Conceptual
Best for: All Levels
Format: Gi
Runtime: 3 hours and 26 minutes
Volumes: 6
Biggest takeaway: Under the hips first
Techniques: Outside De La Riva, Single Leg X, Sumi Gaeshi
- Fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu: Open Guard Attacks - Start with collar-sleeve, then add under-the-hips.
- Fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu: Standing Guard Passing - Understand how passers try to beat these entries.
You will learn entries that place your hips under theirs. You will connect collar-pants and DLR to single-leg X dilemmas. You will not rely on random tricky inversions.
✅ Pros
- Clean entries that reduce strength mismatches.
- Back-take routes punish aggressive posture breaks.
- Pairs naturally with the frontal open-guard set.
⚠️ Cons
- Lapels and pants grips are essential; not for no-gi.
- Requires patience to build kuzushi before committing.
- Some hobbyists prefer wrestle-ups over X-guard.
💡 I saw why turning to the side in X makes off-balances stick and prevents re-centering. Recommendation: Wait for daily deal.
🥋 #4 Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu: Half Guard Pressure Passing by Nicholas Meregali
Instructor: Nicholas Meregali
Style: System Based, Conceptual
Best for: All Levels
Format: Gi
Runtime: 3 hours and 6 minutes
Volumes: 3
Biggest takeaway: Flatten then cut
Techniques: Crossface, Knee Cut, Belt Camping
- Fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu: Standing Guard Passing - If you prefer to avoid half entirely, build standing-first routes.
- Fundamentals of Jiu Jitsu: Closed Distance Open Guard - Understand bottom players’ best under-hips counters.
You will learn to neutralize knee shields and frames. You will chain knee cuts, leg drags, and pressure pins from top half. You will not get a grab-bag of one-offs.
✅ Pros
- Specific answers to common half guard roadblocks.
- Explains pressure without muscling through frames.
- Shorter 3-part format is easy to rewatch.
⚠️ Cons
- Less useful for strict no-gi practitioners.
- Some rival series go even deeper on half guard details.
- A few buyers disliked his passing style overall.
💡 I finally stopped fighting knee shields by force and started removing them with head and hip control first. Recommendation: Wait for daily deal.
🥋 #5 Fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu: Introduction To Meregali’s Gi System by Nicholas Meregali
Instructor: Nicholas Meregali
Style: Technique Collection, Conceptual
Best for: Beginner
Format: Gi
Runtime: 1 hour and 4 minutes
Volumes: 4
Biggest takeaway: Taste before deep dive
Techniques: Toreando, Top Half, Collar Pants Control
- Fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu: Open Guard Attacks - If open guard is your priority, go straight there.
- Fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu: Standing Guard Passing - Prefer top game focus? Start here instead.
You will learn the core grips, frames, and a few routes on top and bottom. You will see how his concepts fit together. You will not get exhaustive depth on any one topic.
✅ Pros
- Fast way to sample his teaching and system.
- Touches both top and bottom for context.
- Shorter run-time is easy to finish.
⚠️ Cons
- Shallow by design compared to focused sets.
- Overlap with later, deeper releases.
- Price-to-depth ratio is weaker unless discounted.
💡 I used it as a map and then bought the passing and open-guard deep dives with a clearer plan. Recommendation: Skip.
🥋 #6 Fundamentals Of No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu: Introduction To Meregali’s No-Gi System by Nicholas Meregali
Instructor: Nicholas Meregali
Style: Conceptual, System Based
Best for: All Levels
Format: No-Gi
Runtime: 1 hour and 51 minutes
Biggest takeaway: Pressure without cloth
Techniques: No-Gi Passing, Guard Retention, Wrestle Ups
- Fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu: Standing Guard Passing - If you split training time, start with universal passing concepts.
- Fundamentals of Jiu Jitsu: Closed Distance Open Guard - Under-hips ideas still matter with no-gi grips.
You will learn connection-based no-gi grips, retention, and passing cues. You will see how camping pressure adapts without cloth. You will not get lapel-dependent tricks.
✅ Pros
- Shows how to port gi concepts into no-gi contexts.
- Focus on control connections over grip names.
- Good primer if you are new to no-gi.
⚠️ Cons
- Shallower than specialist no-gi systems.
- Less lapel-based magic that people expect from him.
- Best as a bridge, not an endpoint.
💡 I liked how his camping idea becomes chest-to-hip control instead of grip dependency. Recommendation: Wait for daily deal.
Which Meregali set should you buy first?
If you want a single cornerstone, start with Standing Guard Passing: it solves the most common pain points for hobbyists, namely gassing while passing and failing to consolidate. If your A-game is bottom, Open Guard Attacks is the best first buy and Closed Distance Open Guard is the logical follow-up once opponents shut down long-range grips. Beginners unsure where to start can sample Introduction To Meregali’s Gi System, but most buyers should get a focused set first and add the complementary top/bottom course next.
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