I spent over 200 hours tracking down every free BJJ instructional worth your time. Most of them aren’t worth it. But the ones that are? Some genuinely rival paid content.
Below you’ll find every legitimate free BJJ instructional I could find, organized by platform, with honest opinions on each. I’ve also included a few “basically free” options (under $5/month) that are too good to leave out.
Last updated: February 2026
Pendejo Guard by Craig Jones
The best free BJJ instructional, period. Craig teaches a complete guard system with his trademark humor. Real techniques that work in sparring, not a teaser for paid content.
Ultimate Submissions
Perfect starting point for white belts. Multiple instructors teach the highest-percentage submissions you’ll actually land in sparring. No fluff, just fundamentals that work.
Submeta by Lachlan Giles
Seven permanently free Foundations courses covering escapes, guard, takedowns, passing, submissions, and more. The most structured free BJJ curriculum online. Use code BJJMORE if you upgrade.
Free BJJ Instructionals: Quick Comparison
Here’s every major free BJJ resource at a glance. I’ve organized them by type so you can find what fits your training.
| Resource | Platform | Topic | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pendejo Guard (Craig Jones) | BJJ Fanatics | Complete guard system | All levels |
| Ultimate Submissions | BJJ Fanatics | High-percentage finishes | Beginner |
| Solo BJJ Training Drills (Danaher) | BJJ Fanatics | Solo training & movement | All levels |
| Daisy Fresh Knee Slice (Wiltse) | BJJ Fanatics | Knee slice passing | Intermediate |
| The Switch (Bucalet) | BJJ Fanatics | Wrestling for BJJ | All levels |
| Foundations I-VI + Intro (Lachlan Giles) | Submeta | Complete white belt curriculum | Beginner |
| Wrestling Foundations I (Lachlan Giles) | Submeta | Double leg, single leg, front headlock | Beginner |
| BJJ Wrestling Plan (Rich Salamone) | YouTube | Wrestling for grapplers (17+ hrs) | All levels |
| Back Attacks 1 & 2 (Tom Halpin) | YouTube | Complete back attack system | Intermediate |
| Guard Passing Study (Rory van Vliet) | YouTube | Floating pass, 17 parts | Intermediate |
| Single Leg X (Dominique Bell) | YouTube | SLX entries, sweeps, counters | Intermediate |
| 1,400+ free techniques | JiuJitsu.com | All positions | All levels |
| 170+ organized Danaher videos | BJJ.tips | All positions (curated YouTube) | All levels |
| Roadmap for BJJ + BJJ Master App | Grapplearts | Fundamentals (9.5 hrs free) | Beginner |
| 75+ min Rafael Mendes content | AOJ+ | Anaconda choke, guard, armbar | Intermediate |
BJJ Fanatics Free Instructionals
BJJ Fanatics has a dedicated free products section that most people don’t know about. The selection rotates, so when you see something free, grab it immediately. I’ve seen instructionals appear and disappear within days.
Here’s everything that’s been available for free (some rotate in and out):
Pendejo Guard by Craig Jones
This is the single best free BJJ instructional available anywhere. Craig Jones teaches a complete guard system built around controlling your opponent’s posture and creating submission opportunities. It’s funny (Craig being Craig), but the techniques are legit. I’ve used the collar sleeve entries from this in sparring and they work against people who should be beating me. If you only download one free instructional, make it this one.
Ultimate Submissions
A multi-instructor course covering the submissions that actually work at every belt level. Think armbar from closed guard, triangle setups, kimura from side control. Nothing flashy, but that’s the point: these are the finishes you’ll use for your entire BJJ career. Best for white and blue belts who want to stop surviving and start finishing.
Self Mastery: Solo BJJ Training Drills by John Danaher
Danaher released this during COVID as a gift to the community, and it’s still available. Four volumes covering the 18 solo movements that actually translate to mat performance: bridges, shrimps, technical stand-ups, and guard retention drills. Danaher being Danaher, he explains the why behind each drill, not just the how. I use these as my warmup routine before every open mat.
The Daisy Fresh Knee Slice by Andrew Wiltse
Wiltse’s knee slice system from the Daisy Fresh camp. Covers entries from half guard, single leg X, and De La Riva, plus troubleshooting when your opponent hits body locks or frames. Wiltse is a competition-tested black belt (trained under Pedigo Submission Fighting), and his passing has a blue-collar efficiency to it. Best for intermediate players who already know basic passing but want a sharper knee slice.
The Switch: Wrestling Applied to BJJ by Dinu Bucalet
If you’ve ever been stuck in bottom turtle and thought “I wish I knew wrestling,” this is your answer. Bucalet teaches the switch (a wrestling escape/reversal) and shows how it applies from body lock, double leg defense, and single leg situations. Short but genuinely useful, especially for no-gi players who end up in scrambles.
Other Free BJJ Fanatics Downloads
BJJ Fanatics also offers Judo at Home Workouts by Travis Stevens (Olympic silver medalist) and Top 10 Dumbbell Movements by Jason Khalipa (CrossFit Games champion). These aren’t BJJ technique instructionals, but the Stevens judo drills are solid for developing throwing movement patterns at home, and Khalipa’s dumbbell work builds the kind of functional strength that helps on the mat.
Pro tip: Bookmark BJJ Fanatics’ free section and check it weekly. They’ve previously offered Gordon Ryan’s High Percentage Gi Passes for free (now gone), and new free releases appear without announcement. The free products don’t show up in the main catalog search, so you have to visit the free section directly.
Submeta: The Best Free BJJ Curriculum
As I explain in my Submeta review, Lachlan Giles built something unusual: a BJJ learning platform with permanently free foundational courses. Not a free trial. Not a teaser. Seven complete courses that cover everything a white belt needs, with structured lessons, review questions, and troubleshooting exercises.
Here’s what you get without paying anything:
Introduction (4+ hours)
Lachlan and his team (Michael Hourigan, Livia Giles) walk you through the essential ideas, techniques, and common mistakes that trip up new students. Four hours of structured teaching, for free, from one of the best BJJ coaches alive. This alone is worth more than most paid white belt courses I’ve reviewed.
Foundations I: Escapes
My philosophy: you can’t attack until you can survive. This course nails it. Lachlan covers escapes from mount, side control, north-south, and back control with his signature systematic approach. Each escape builds on principles from the last, so you’re learning a system, not isolated moves.
Foundations II: Guard
Developing strategy from bottom, controlling and dominating from guard. Covers the thought process behind guard play, not just the moves.
Foundations III: Takedowns
Three offensive options (double leg, single leg, snap down) plus the sprawl. Most BJJ schools barely teach takedowns. This fills that gap with Lachlan’s clear, principle-based teaching.
Foundations IV: Passing
Opening closed guard, establishing headquarters, smash pass, cross knee through, and half guard passing. Instead of showing you 47 different passes, Lachlan teaches the principles behind guard passing. This is exactly the kind of systematic thinking that separates good instruction from random technique dumps.
Foundations V: Controls & Submissions
Attaining, maintaining, and submitting from mount, side control, and back. Covers the armbar, rear naked choke, and other high-percentage finishes with Lachlan’s trademark clarity.
Foundations VI: Expanding Your Game
The capstone course. Side control escape variants, dealing with back hooks, inverting, butterfly hooks for guard recovery, triangle and armbar setups. This is where Submeta starts showing you what’s possible beyond basic survival.
Wrestling Foundations I: Offense
A newer addition, co-taught with Talgat Ilyasov. Covers double leg, single leg, front headlock, and rear body lock. If your takedown game is weak (like most BJJ players), this is a great place to start.
Why Submeta’s free courses are special: Unlike YouTube, Submeta courses have a structured learning path with review questions, troubleshooting exercises, and a logical progression from one course to the next. Lachlan also periodically makes paid courses temporarily free (recent examples: Smash Pass, Berimbolo). Follow him on Instagram (@lachlan_giles) to catch those. If you decide to upgrade, code BJJMORE gets you $16 off your first month.
Other Free BJJ Platforms Worth Knowing
JiuJitsu.com: 1,400+ Free Techniques
JiuJitsu.com is quietly one of the biggest free BJJ libraries online. Over 50 series and 1,400+ techniques, all free, from legitimate black belts: Braulio Estima (closed guard), Rafael Lovato Jr. (cross collar attacks), Rodolfo Vieira (guard passing), Denilson Pimenta (deep half guard), and more. The instruction quality is professional, not shaky phone recordings. The downside? There’s no structured curriculum. It’s a library, not a course. Best used when you want to learn a specific technique or position, not for systematic progression.
Grapplearts: Stephan Kesting’s Free Resources
Stephan Kesting is a BJJ black belt who’s been creating instructional content longer than most people have been training. His free offerings include:
- BJJ Master App: 9.5 hours of free instruction covering 123 techniques. Available on iOS and Android.
- “A Roadmap for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu”: A free guide that’s been downloaded over 200,000 times. Gives you a mental framework for understanding how all of BJJ’s positions and techniques connect.
- YouTube channel: 61+ million views worth of technique breakdowns, with Kesting’s characteristically scientific approach.
Kesting’s content is especially good for visual learners who want to understand the big picture of BJJ, not just individual techniques.
AOJ+ (Art of Jiu Jitsu): Free Content from Rafael Mendes
AOJ+ offers some permanently free content from one of the most technically brilliant competitors in BJJ history. You get 75+ minutes from Rafael Mendes’ Anaconda Choke Masterclass, six weeks of his “Framing the Guard” curriculum, six classes on his armbar system, and a preview of Gui Mendes’ Guard Pass System. The full platform has 10,000+ hours of content behind a subscription, but these free samples are substantial.
BJJ.tips: 170+ Organized Danaher Videos
Someone did the Lord’s work and organized every free John Danaher YouTube video by position: standing (22 videos), guard (21), back control (16), closed guard (16), half guard (16), open guard (11), side control (10), and more. If you want to learn Danaher’s teaching style before buying one of his paid instructionals, this is the best way to sample it. The content comes from seminar clips, podcast appearances, and official BJJ Fanatics previews.
Best Free BJJ YouTube Series
YouTube is flooded with random technique videos, but buried in there are some genuinely systematic instructional series that rival paid content. The key difference: these are structured playlists that build on each other, not isolated technique demos.
Rich Salamone’s BJJ Wrestling Plan (17+ hours)
Eight volumes, over 17 hours, from a 7x national wrestling champion. This is the most comprehensive free wrestling-for-BJJ resource on the internet. Salamone covers stance, movement, setups, tie-ups, takedowns, front headlocks, pummeling, and fall defense. Sherdog forum users compared the impact of this series to Rickson-level instruction for wrestling education. If you’ve ever lost a match because you pulled guard instead of taking someone down, start here.
Tom Halpin’s Back Attacks (+ Back Attacks 2.0)
Two comprehensive series on attacking the back, built sequentially. The first series covers back-take entries, the “straight-jacket” arm trap system, and body-triangle finishes. Back Attacks 2.0 adds turtle attacks and improvements to the original system. Halpin is an Irish ADCC competitor, and his system is heavily influenced by Danaher’s back attack methodology. Watch from the beginning. This isn’t random technique spam.
Rory van Vliet’s Gordon Ryan Guard Passing Study (17 parts)
A 17-part breakdown of Gordon Ryan’s floating pass system, from a black belt under Rob Biernacki. What makes this special: Van Vliet doesn’t just show what Gordon does, he explains why it works and how to adapt the concepts to gi training. If you can’t afford Gordon’s $250 passing instructional, this series gives you the core concepts for free.
Dominique Bell’s Single Leg X Guard
Short but complete. Bell (ATOS black belt under Andre Galvao) covers SLX entries from De La Riva guard, counters to common defenses, and sweeps in multiple directions. If you want to add one new guard to your game for free, SLX has one of the best effort-to-reward ratios in BJJ.
YouTube Channels Worth Subscribing To
These channels don’t have one definitive series, but they consistently produce high-quality free instruction:
- Jon Thomas: Reddit’s most-recommended free BJJ instructor. Principle-based approach, only teaches techniques he’s used in competition. Trained under Lucas Lepri and Romero Cavalcanti. 200+ technique videos.
- Bernardo Faria / BJJ Fanatics: 2,700+ videos and 79 million views. Mix of technique demonstrations, rolling footage, and interviews. The sheer volume means you can find Bernardo’s take on almost any position.
- Lachlan Giles / Absolute MMA: Lachlan posts technique breakdowns and match analysis on YouTube in addition to his paid Submeta content. His YouTube presence alone would make him one of the best free BJJ educators online.
- Chewjitsu (Nick Albin): More training advice and philosophy than pure technique, but Albin’s videos on training strategies, dealing with plateaus, and rolling tactics are genuinely helpful. 200K+ subscribers for a reason.
- Keenan Cornelius: One of the most creative competitors in modern BJJ. His YouTube covers most positions and submissions. Especially strong on lapel guard and modern open guard concepts.
- Jordan Teaches Jiu Jitsu: Clear, principle-based instruction aimed at making techniques easy to remember and apply. Good for visual learners who want concepts, not just moves.
Free vs. Paid: My Honest Take
Here’s the truth: the best free BJJ instructionals are enough to get you to blue belt. Between Submeta’s Foundations courses, the BJJ Fanatics free downloads, and the YouTube series above, you have everything you need for your first 1-2 years of training.
Where free content falls short:
- Depth on specific positions. Free content covers positions at a survey level. If you want 8 hours on half guard alone, you need a paid half guard instructional.
- Instructor-specific systems. If you want to play Danaher’s leg lock system or Gordon Ryan’s passing system as a complete package, there’s no free substitute for their paid instructionals.
- Structured intermediate-to-advanced progression. Free content is strongest at fundamentals. Once you’re past blue belt, paid content from specialists becomes much more valuable.
My recommendation: start with the free resources on this page. When you find a position or system you love, then invest in a paid instructional that goes deep on that topic. Check out my best BJJ instructionals ranking when you’re ready, or browse by instructor: Danaher, Craig Jones, Gordon Ryan.
If you’re on a tight budget, BJJ Fanatics discount codes and their daily deals (where $79 instructionals drop to $20-40) are the best way to build a library without going broke.
How to Find Free BJJ Instructionals (My System)
After years of hunting free content, here’s my battle-tested system:
1. Bookmark BJJ Fanatics’ free products page. Check it weekly. Free instructionals appear and disappear without announcement. The free section doesn’t show up in their main catalog search, so you have to visit it directly.
2. Follow Submeta’s social media. Lachlan announces monthly free courses on Instagram (@lachlan_giles). Recent examples include the Smash Pass and Berimbolo courses being made temporarily free. These are limited-time offers on top of the permanently free Foundations.
3. Search YouTube for playlists, not individual videos. The difference between “BJJ technique video” and “free BJJ instructional” is structure. Look for playlists with 5+ videos that build on each other. The channels and series I listed above are the best starting points.
4. Watch r/bjj on Reddit. The community regularly shares when new free content drops. Search for “free instructional” on the subreddit and sort by new. Users also post when BJJ Fanatics runs flash sales or temporary free offers.
5. Check BJJ Fanatics daily deals for near-free prices. While not free, their daily deals sometimes drop premium instructionals to $20-30. At that price, a John Danaher or Gordon Ryan instructional is basically a steal compared to the $77-79 retail price.
My Own Free BJJ Instructional
You can download the first chapters of my instructional for free. I call this an instructional (some people would call it an ebook) because it provides real scaffolding on how to learn jiu jitsu systematically, not just a collection of techniques.
A Note on Pirating BJJ Instructionals
I know a lot of people searching for “free BJJ instructionals” are actually looking for pirated copies of paid content. I get it. $79 for a digital download feels steep, especially if you’re a broke college student or training on a tight budget.
But here’s the thing: BJJ instructionals are made by people who compete, coach, and dedicate their lives to this sport. When you pirate their work, you’re directly taking money from grapplers. Craig Jones, Lachlan Giles, Gordon Ryan, and John Danaher all depend on instructional revenue. The BJJ instructional ecosystem only exists because enough people pay for content.
The good news? You genuinely don’t need to pirate anything. Between the free BJJ Fanatics downloads, Submeta’s free Foundations courses, and the YouTube series listed above, there are 200+ hours of legitimate free content. That’s more than enough to train for years.
If you want paid content but can’t afford full price, wait for BJJ Fanatics discount codes and daily deals. I’ve seen $79 instructionals drop to $20 during sales. That’s the price of a lunch.
FAQ: Free BJJ Instructionals
What is the best free BJJ instructional for beginners?
Submeta’s Foundations I: Escapes by Lachlan Giles is the best starting point. It teaches the survival skills you need from day one, with structured lessons and review questions. After that, BJJ Fanatics’ Ultimate Submissions covers the high-percentage finishes every white belt should know.
Are BJJ Fanatics instructionals free?
Most BJJ Fanatics instructionals cost $77-79, but they maintain a free products section with 5-8 completely free downloads. These include the Pendejo Guard by Craig Jones and Self Mastery by John Danaher. Free offerings rotate, so check the free section regularly.
How do I get BJJ instructionals for free?
There are three legitimate ways: (1) Download from BJJ Fanatics’ free products section, (2) Take Submeta’s free Foundations courses, (3) Watch structured YouTube series from creators like Tom Halpin, Rich Salamone, and Rory van Vliet. Between these sources, you can access 200+ hours of free instruction.
Can I get John Danaher instructionals for free?
Yes, partially. Danaher’s “Self Mastery: Solo BJJ Training Drills” is free on BJJ Fanatics. Additionally, BJJ.tips has organized 170+ free Danaher YouTube videos by position. For his full instructional systems (Enter the System, Go Further Faster, New Wave), you’ll need to buy those.
Is Submeta free?
Submeta has seven permanently free Foundations courses covering escapes, guard, takedowns, passing, submissions, and more. The full platform (180+ courses) costs $25/month. Code BJJMORE saves $16 on your first month if you decide to upgrade.
Are YouTube BJJ instructionals as good as paid ones?
The best YouTube series (Rich Salamone’s wrestling, Tom Halpin’s back attacks) genuinely rival paid content in quality and depth. However, paid instructionals from specialists like Danaher and Gordon Ryan go much deeper on specific systems. Free YouTube is excellent for fundamentals and survey-level learning. Paid content is better for mastering a specific position or system.
What free BJJ resources exist for no-gi?
For no-gi specifically: Craig Jones’ Pendejo Guard (BJJ Fanatics, free), Rory van Vliet’s Gordon Ryan guard passing study (YouTube, 17 parts), Tom Halpin’s back attacks (YouTube), and Submeta’s free Foundations courses which include no-gi content. Dominique Bell’s Single Leg X series is also no-gi focused.
How often does BJJ Fanatics release free instructionals?
BJJ Fanatics rotates their free products section regularly, but there’s no fixed schedule. Some free instructionals (like the Pendejo Guard and Solo Drills) have been available for over a year. Others appear for days or weeks and then disappear. Your best bet is to bookmark the free section and check weekly, or follow r/bjj on Reddit where users post about new free releases.
