BJJ fanatics is probably the best place to purchase BJJ instructionals online. The only problem they have is that there are so many great instructors to choose from. I guess that is a good problem to have but it still can make things overwhelming. So with that said, let’s talk about who are the best BJJ fanatics instructors!
Of course, I have to admit like everyone else I am biased towards certain grapplers and instructors on BJJ fanatics over others. But these are simply who I believe put out the best instructionals and are the best teachers. This does not even mean they are the best competitors but that they simply are good at teaching BJJ.
How To Choose The Best Instructor On BJJ Fanatics
The way to find the best instructor on BJJ fanatics is by choosing the right instructor for you. What I mean by this is choosing and finding great instructors that are teaching instructionals on things you should be learning.
For example, if you are a beginner then you want to choose a BJJ Fanatics instructor that has programs that are designed for white belts and beginners. Focus on instructors that are going to best suit you for where you are in your jiu-jitsu journey.
What I am trying to say is that some BJJ fanatics instructors might be better than others in certain areas. If you want to get better at takedowns there might be instructors that are the best at teaching takedowns but might not be the best in other areas.
So when trying to choose the best instructor on BJJ fanatics, you might also want to ask yourself who is the best instructor for what I am trying to learn at the moment.
Note that this article does contain affiliate links to BJJfanatics.com. This means that I might receive compensation if you purchase through my link but at no extra cost to you!
My Top 11 BJJ Fanatics Instructors
Of course, I must preface this by saying that there are a ton of great instructors on BJJ fanatics. These are simply my favorite people to learn from. However, there is a very long list of instructors and you need to simply figure out which ones you prefer to learn from.
#1 Lachlan Giles
Lachlan Giles is probably my favorite instructor to learn from on BJJ fanatics. What I love about him is his teaching style and the fact that he is a very well-rounded grappler.
So whether you are interested in Gi or No-Gi BJJ, Lachlan Giles has great content and instructionals on BJJ fanatics. He was also one of the more influential coaches for Craig Jones and a well-established competitor in his own right.
The thing that sets his instructionals apart from many others is that he typically does provide more content than other instructors on BJJ fanatics. On top of that, he does not put as much fluff content as some instructors do as well. Simply put, he is gracious with the amount of valuable content he provides without wasting your time.
Check Out Lachlan Giles On BJJ Fanatics
#2 Neil Melanson
Neil Melanson is another amazing instructor on BJJ fanatics. If you are not familiar with Neil Melanson he is one of the best grappling coaches in the world.
He has coached not only great grapplers but some of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. This would include fighters like Randy Couture, Chael Sonnen, and Dominick Cruz just to name a few. He is one of the head instructors of the Blackzilians.
That said, what I really love about Neil Melanson as a grappling instructor is his unique grappling style. Unlike most the grapplers on BJJ fanatics, Neil does originally from a BJJ background ( though he has incorporated a lot of BJJ into his training).
Instead, his background comes from a mixture of catch wrestling, judo, and many other grappling styles. Neil was trained by some of the greatest grappling instructors of all time such as Gene Lebell, Gokor Chivivhyan, and Karo Parisian.
Because of this, he has a very unique style of grappling that you cannot find through anyone but Neil Himself. Check out this video from Neil Melanson on how to wreck the half-guard with catch wrestling!
Much of what you learn from his instructionals will catch your BJJ training partners off guard. But be warned some of what he teaches might also get you into a fistfight on the rolling mat as well.
Check Out Neil Melanson On BJJ Fanatics
#3 Craig Jones
Craig Jones is an instructor on BJJ fanatics that probably does not need an introduction. He is the head coach and cofounder of B-team jiu-jitsu and one of the best no-gi grapplers in the world.
Craig Jones is known for many things, but one of them is certainly his leg lock game. Of course, people have been doing leg locks for a very long time before Craig came along, but most would acknowledge that he is very integral in popularizing the more current leg lock game in jiu-jitsu.
So though he has a ton of great instructionals on BJJ fanatics, I would say he would be one of the best instructors if you want to improve you’re leg lock game.
He has great instructionals such as Get Off My Legs Gringo. This is a great one to get started with because I think it is best to learn how to escape from leg locks first then learn how to master them. After you know how to escape them then learning them will come fast.
Next, is Craig Jones’s classic, Down Under Leg Attacks. This instructional is his foundational program and an introduction to his leg lock system. Last but not least, is Battle Tested Down Under Leg Locks. This really builds on down-under leg attacks but with some new leg lock techniques, he has further perfected.
That said, I do not want to pigion hole Craig Jones because he is much more than a leg locks specialist. In fact, he is extremely well-rounded and probably the funniest and most entertaining instructor on BJJ fanatics.
Check Out All Of Craigs BJJ Fanatics Instructionals Here
#4 Bernardo Faria
Bernardo Faria is another fantastic instructor on BJJ fanatics. In fact, he is one of the founders of BJJfanatics.com and has some of the best instructionals on the site.
Of course, he is also a 5 Time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and is considered one of the best competitors of all time. I really enjoy learning from Bernardo because he just seems to be a very nice and likable guy with really good jiu-jitsu.
His Foundations of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructional is the first instructional I ever purchased. He has great instruction for all levels but he has really good content for beginners and older grapplers.
All of his content is great but if you are an older grappler and looking for instruction, his Jiu-Jitsu For Old Guys Bundle is a great place to start. It’s not cheap but by purchasing all 5 of his Jiu-Jitsu for old guys instructionals in one bundle you can typically get a pretty deep discount.
That alone should keep you busy for quite some time.
Check Out All Of Bernardo Faria’s Content On BJJ Fanatics Here!
#5 Marcelo Garcia
If you are new to jiu-jitsu you might not be as familiar with Marcelo Garcia as you should. He is by some considered the greatest competitive grappler of all time. After all, he is a five-time world champion and a 4-time ADCC champion.
Though he might not be in the competition scene like he once was, he is still very active in teaching and is one of the best jiu-jitsu instructors in the world. His record goes to show that he is one of the greatest to learn from in both gi and no-gi BJJ.
Though he has many great instructionals on BJJ fanatics, two that really stick out are his No-Gi passing system and The Complete Butterfly Guard.
Check Out All Of Marcelo Garcias BJJ Fanatics Instructionals Here!
#6 Heath Pedigo
Heath Pedigo is a pretty new instructor to BJJ fanatics. That said, he is certainly a well-known name and I suspect that he has a lot more content to come soon. Heath is the head instructor of Daisy Fresh and is regarded as on of the best coaches in the world.
His students certainly testify to his work with notable competitors such as the Wiltze brothers and Jacob Couch. At this point, his only instructionals on BJJ fanatics are geared towards white belts. Of course, if you are a white belt then they are probably perfect for you.
He has four instructionals for each stripe on the white belt. Or you can get the whole bundle at a discounted rate.
Check Out Heath Pedigo On BJJ Fanatics
#7 Roger Gracie
Another person who is often referred to as the greatest BJJ competitor of all time is Roger Gracie. He is a 10-time BJJ world champion and an ADCC champion. On top of that, he has also proven his skills in the UFC and has a great MMA record.
Roger Gracie is known for submitting his opponents with tried and true BJJ basics. He has simply mastered his techniques so well that know seems to be able to do anything about it. Roger Gracie is proof that sometimes the best thing you can do is master the fundamentals.
He is known for simply passing his opponent’s guard, getting to mount, and submitting his opponent with a cross-collar choke. Watch him do it here with this video from Flograppling.
Like his jiu-jitsu style, Roger Gracie keeps it simple with his instructionals. Some might complain that he does not provide enough content but what he does provide is Gold. So if you really wanna keep it simple and focus on simple yet highly effective techniques then he is likely the best BJJ fanatics instructor for you.
Check Out Roger Gracie On BJJ Fanatics
#8 Dean Lister
Dean Lister is yet another jiu-jitsu legend. In fact, he is accredited with helping John Danaher realize how important leg locks are in the sport of submission grappling.
Ps some of you might be wondering why I have not mentioned John Danaher. Simply put I recognize him as one of the best or perhaps the best BJJ instructor in the world.
But I simply am not the biggest fan of his teaching style. Nothing against him and obviously he knows what he is doing but he is hard for me to learn from.
He goes in the opposite direction of Roger Gracie and goes into extreme detail and is a bit long-winded. So I still recommend you check him out if you like him but he does not make my list simply because of that.
But back to Dean Lister. Dean is a great teacher who really helped make leg locks more mainstream. Though some of his content is a bit older it still holds up and he is a great instructor to learn leg locks from.
Check Out Deal Lister On BJJ Fanatics
#9 Marcus ” Buchecha” Almedia
Marcus Almedia also nicknamed Buchecha is another multiple-time world and ADCC champion. He is a great BJJ instructor who is very well-rounded and has some of the best instructionals on BJJ fanatics.
One that stands out to me is the Buchecha Takedown System in the Gi. He might be the best instructor to watch if you are interested in learning simple and effective BJJ takedowns in the gi.
Though there are many other great instructors on BJJ fanatics that will teach you the best Judo throws for BJJ, Marcus keeps it simple and effective for those who want to master a few great Gi takedowns.
That said, he is a well-rounded instructor and has great content on the half guard, leg locks, side control, and more.
Check Out Marcus Almedia On BJJ Fanatics
#10 Andre Galvao
Andre Galvao is the head instructor and co-founder of Atos Jiu-Jitsu. He is not only one of the greatest grapplers of all time but has also produced some of the best grapplers in the world.
As a multiple-time world champion and ADCC champion Andre is a master both in and out of the gi. Along with being a 4th degree black belt he also holds a black belt in Judo and is one of the best wrestlers in grappling.
He is an all-around great instructor and it’s hard to go wrong with any of his instructionals. That said, he does have quite a few of them to choose from.
Check Out Andre Galvao On BJJ Fanatics
#11 Josh Barnett
Of course, I could not complete my list without including another catch wrestler. Josh Barnett is a catch wrestler that has used his skills to compete at the highest level of grappling and MMA. He is a former UFC heavyweight champion and an all-around skilled fighter.
But it is his grappling style that really sticks out. Since he comes from a catch wrestling background he looks at submission grappling through a slightly different lens than many of the instructors from a BJJ background. Just look at the way he handles side control.
Because of that, he has techniques and details to techniques that are hard to find anywhere else. Even at a lower belt, I was able to get some submissions on grapplers much better than me simply because I executed a technique I learned from Josh Barnett that they were not expecting.
I think one of the best things a BJJ player can do is to learn from grapplers from other styles and there is really none better than Josh Barnett. He is arguably the best Catch Wrestling instructor alive today.
Check Out Josh Barnett On BJJ Fanatics!
Other Great BJJ Fanatics Instructors
There are hundreds if not thousands of instructors on BJJ fanatics. Because of that, it can be very overwhelming to choose from. So for me, my favorites are the instructors already mentioned. But there are many many more world-class instructors on their platform.
My suggestion is to browse through all of the content and check out their best sellers as well as their daily discounts. Their daily discounts page is a great way to get instructionals at a great price.