How To Use BJJ Instructionals To Improve Fast

What are BJJ instructionals?

BJJ instructionals are educational video series created by professional BJJ teachers and competitors. These video series typically range from 4-12 hours in length. The topics of a BJJ instructional can vary greatly depending on the instructor, but they often focus on specific BJJ techniques, such as guard retention, guard passing, or leg locks.

Do BJJ instructionals help you improve?

Yes, BJJ instructionals can help you improve your game a lot. Here are some benefits of using them:

• Access to high-level instruction: BJJ instructionals are often taught by world-class BJJ practitioners and coaches. They provide detailed explanations, demonstrations, and insights that you may not get from your regular training.
• Convenient and flexible: With BJJ instructionals, you can learn and practice on your schedule and at your pace. This is especially useful if you have a busy schedule or cannot attend regular classes.
• Supplement your training: BJJ and grappling instructionals are not a replacement for attending classes, but they can be an excellent tool to supplement your training. You can use them to learn new techniques, review old ones, or focus on specific areas of your game.
• Focus your training: Normal BJJ classes often force you to train one topic this week and a completely different topic the next. BJJ instructionals let you focus on one area of your game for a longer stretch.

I’ve noticed many times that a training partner suddenly makes a ‘jump’ in their progress, and it’s almost always because they’re studying an instructional.

What to look for in a BJJ instructional?

When looking for a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructional, there are several factors to consider:

1. Instructor: The instructor should be a high-level black belt, but more importantly, they should be a good teacher. Teaching requires more than just knowing techniques; it means being able to communicate them clearly and understand how students learn best.
2. Common thread or concept: The instructional should have a common thread or concept that ties the techniques together. This ensures that you are not just learning a bunch of random techniques but rather a cohesive system of BJJ. Unfortunately, many instructionals lack this.
3. Relevance to your situation: The instructional should fit your situation, what you want to learn, and what you can implement in your training. If you are a beginner, you want an instructional that focuses on fundamentals. If you are a competitor, you want high-level competition techniques.
4. Quality of production: Production quality matters too — clear instruction, sharp video, and good audio. Most modern BJJ instructionals are produced to a high standard, though some older ones can look dated.
5. Innovation: This matters less if you’re a white belt, but if you’re more experienced, look for an instructional that offers new concepts or strategies you haven’t seen before. That’s how you add new tools to your game and surprise your training partners.

Also read: The 7 Best BJJ Instructors: Choose wisely who to learn from

How to use BJJ instructionals

BJJ instructionals are great tools, if you know how to use them. To get the most out of them, you’ll have to do more than merely watch them passively. Here are a few tips on how to learn from BJJ instructionals effectively:

• Set goals: Before you start, set specific goals. What techniques or positions do you want to improve? With clear goals you’ll use the instructional more efficiently, and you’ll know when you’ve actually got what you came for.
• Focus on one topic at a time: Avoid jumping from one instructional to another (like I always do…). Instead, focus on one technique or position and use the instructional to learn and drill it. Repetition is essential for mastering any skill, and BJJ is no different.
• Take notes: Take notes while watching, as this will help you remember the details and key points. You can use these notes to refresh your memory during training, so you won’t forget what you wanted to drill.
• Practice, practice, practice: Use the instructional to learn the theory, then practice it with a partner during open mats or drills. This is how you apply what you learned and build timing, precision, and confidence.
• Find a partner: What works best for me is watching an instructional together with a friend, then meeting up before and after class to drill the techniques. It helps you troubleshoot, it’s more fun, and it keeps you accountable.

Where do you buy BJJ instructionals?

There are many places to buy BJJ and grappling instructionals nowadays. Some of the best options include:

• BJJMore: My own written guide, The BJJ Map, lays out every technique in jiu-jitsu, which ones actually matter, and what to learn first. It’s the best starting point before you spend on a video set. You can read the first chapters for free to see if it’s for you.
• BJJ Fanatics: One of the biggest and most popular sites for buying grappling and BJJ instructional videos, with courses from many well-known instructors across just about every topic. It’s owned by Bernardo Faria, former world champion and the original BJJ Fanatic.
• Submeta: A budget-friendly subscription created by Lachlan Giles, a world-class coach and competitor. It offers a deep library of courses on different techniques and positions.
• BJJ Mental Models: A community and platform with audio courses by BJJ black belt Steve Kwan and other high-level competitors. The focus is on the underlying principles and concepts of BJJ rather than just memorizing techniques.
• Jiu-Jitsu X: A site created by Keenan Cornelius. Not my personal favorite, but it offers a variety of courses from Cornelius and other top athletes.
• Grapplers Guide: A site from BJJ black belt Jason Scully that’s been around a long time and offers lifetime access. Some people still enjoy it, though I think it’s been overtaken by the competition.
• Individual publishers: Some coaches sell their own material on their own websites or on platforms like Teachable. Great if you want to learn from one specific instructor. Examples: Jon Thomas, Dominique Bell, Roy Dean, Andre Galvao, Stephan Kesting, Roger Gracie, Rob Biernacki, Rener Gracie, Travis Stevens and Shintaro Higashi (for judo).

Browse all my BJJ instructional reviews

I’ve reviewed a lot of grappling and BJJ instructionals over the years. Here’s everything sorted by category, so you can go straight to whatever you’re trying to learn.

BJJ instructional books

Most BJJ instructionals are video series, but some people prefer instructional books. That’s one of the reasons I wrote my own, a digital guide with checklists and flowcharts. There are some other good BJJ books too:

• The BJJ Map: My own guide, written for beginners and anyone who feels lost about what to learn first. It maps out the whole sport, shows which techniques actually matter, and gives you an order to learn them in. The first chapters are free.
• Jiu-Jitsu University: an absolute classic, but a little dated now. It uses photos to illustrate techniques and covers the basics well, though some of the suggestions are very pre-2010 and don’t fully hold up against modern grappling.
• Mastering Jiu-Jitsu: written by John Danaher and Renzo Gracie, this is a classic too. It’s more theoretical than Jiu-Jitsu University with fewer technique photos, but it’s good. I liked it.
• Mastering the 21 Immutable Principles of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: my favorite BJJ book (other than my own). It does a great job introducing concepts you’ll use throughout your whole BJJ journey.

Are BJJ instructionals worth it?

Whether BJJ and grappling instructionals are worth the investment depends on your goals, budget, and learning style. A few things to consider:

• Cost: Instructionals range from free online videos to bundle sets over $1000. Think about your budget and how much you’re willing to spend.
• Learning style: Some people learn better from video than from a busy class. If you’re a cerebral learner, instructionals can be a great fit.
• Specific goals: If you have specific goals, like competing or mastering a particular position, the right instructional can give you insights and details that genuinely move the needle.

Just keep in mind that instructionals are great value compared to seminars or private lessons: 8 hours from a world-class athlete for $200-$300 is around $25 an hour.

Also read: Are BJJ Instructionals Worth the Money?

Which BJJ instructional should I start with?

If you’re a white belt, start with something that gives you the map before you spend on a deep video set. That’s exactly why I wrote The BJJ Map: it’s text-based, quick to read, and it shows you what a blue belt actually needs to know and in what order. You can read the first chapters for free first.

After that, buy an instructional on a relatively easy topic. The most commonly suggested topic for a white belt is closed guard, but I think half guard is at least as good a starting point. Many beginners also like John Danaher as an instructor, because he explains everything in detail. Good options are New Wave closed guard by John Danaher (for no-gi) and Go Further Faster closed guard by John Danaher (for the gi).

FAQ