In the 1990s people used to study the latest BJJ techniques coming out of Brazil by watching grainy VHS tapes. Back then the problem was a lack of information – tapes were expensive and uncommon.
Today BJJ practitioners have the opposite problem as there is an ocean of digital content to wade through (or drown in!). These online BJJ classes are available in lovely HD and offer easy playback options but unfortunately, it can be difficult to filter out what is quality and what is not, especially if you are not an experienced player.
The Proliferation of Online Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Classes
In the past decade, online BJJ classes have exploded both in popularity and in availability. World-famous BJJ champions, especially those renowned for their teaching ability as well as their competitive accomplishments, are increasingly offering subscription sites where anyone with an Internet connection can learn from their heroes.
In the early 2000’s it was common to hear coaches scoff at YouTube Jiu-Jitsu, laughing at the idea that you could learn anything of value online. This point of view has not aged gracefully and most experienced BJJ players will agree that there is plenty of great material to learn from online.
Online BJJ classes are an essential tool in learning Jiu Jitsu and not using them means you’re missing out on valuable opportunities for progress and growth. However, as anyone can post content online, it can be difficult to identify which subscription sites are truly worth your time and money.
This article aims to solve that, presenting a list of some of our favorite online BJJ classes. Each site offers its own unique flavor of BJJ – so be sure to pick one or two that seem to align with your play style and interests!
Our Pick of the 17 Best BJJ Learning Sites
#1. JIU JITSU X (Hybrid Model; One time purchases of individual courses, or subscription via monthly or annual plans)
Jiu Jitsu X is a BJJ website that offers a collection of instructionals and online classes from different BJJ celebrity instructors including Keenan Cornelius, Romulo Barral, Josh Hinger, and Robert Drysdale.
While many of the other sites here are based on a subscription model, Jiu Jitsu X offers a hybrid payment plan. You can purchase access to instructionals that appeal to you, like the traditional DVDs of yesteryear. This is a great option for those who tend to forget to cancel subscriptions as you only pay for the content you want to see.
For those interested in Keenan Cornelius’ content, previously you were looking for Keenan Online. However, KO is now a part of JJX. KeenanOnline can be purchased as a monthly or annual subscription.
The content can be sorted by instructor or by subject matter. Something worth mentioning is the daily deals section which offers 50% discounts on several courses that change every day!
Special Feature: Categorized shopping section offering apparel, combo deals, and even non-grappling content.
#2: MGINACTION (Subscription-based with monthly or annual plans)
MGINAACTION is Marcelo Garcia’s brainchild and is the gold standard when it comes to online Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes. It has the most extensive library of videos with over 2,500 technique videos and 2,500 sparring videos.
The site’s navigation, developed by Marcelo Garcia’s black belt student and chess prodigy, Josh Waitzkin, is by far the most intuitive and responsive layout. The UI offers search and categorization, slow motion, and their “In Action” clips allow viewers to see snippets of select moves in sparring videos.
The site largely presents Marcelo’s game: butterfly, X-guard, and guillotines. This style has been proven to be effective at the highest levels of competition but if this isn’t where you envision your BJJ game going never fear – we’ve got plenty of other content to recommend!
Special Feature: Mirror versions of the videos (for left-handed versions of the moves), intuitive and effective user interface.
#3: BJJ FANATICS (One-time purchases of individual courses, available online or on DVD)
BJJ Fanatics has the largest library of BJJ DVD instructionals in one place. They are a legendary source of all the latest and best online Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes. If the idea of paying for digital-only material makes you uncomfortable, BJJ Fanatics offers their instructionals in hardcopy DVD format in addition to a digital format available download immediately after purchase.
Bernardo “Huge Honor for Me” Faria, an incredibly successful competitor in his own right, founded the site and has managed to get all the biggest names of BJJ to record and release their classes, seminars, and even multi-part systems through the BJJ Fanatics platform. BJJ Fanatics is routinely releasing new content.
Special Feature: 8-part instructionals by some of the most popular grapplers in the world (John Danaher, Gordon Ryan, Craig Jones, Lachlan Giles, and more) organized in series that offer complete curriculums fit for BJJ athletes of all ranks.
#4: DIGITSU (One-time purchases of individual courses, available online or on DVD)
Digitsu is an online Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class site that follows a similar model to BJJ Fanatics. It offers access to a huge library of BJJ DVDs. They offer both DVDs and digital downloads, as well as a lot of on-demand content. Digitsu also offers pre-orders on upcoming titles and is getting regular new content featuring some of the biggest names in Jiu Jitsu as the instructors.
Special Feature: Free samples of some of the instructionals that you can download to preview what you get with the full course.
#5. DEFENSIVE BJJ (Subscription-based with monthly or annual plans)
This is the newest, and arguably the most innovative Jiu Jitsu website in existence. From its subject matter to its approach to teaching, be prepared for an unorthodox approach that will quickly have you hooked. The man behind all of this Priit Mihkkelson, a black belt from Estonia and the ultimate BJJ escape artist.
The site’s organization is different from most traditional online BJJ instructional websites. Defensive BJJ is not just a collection of videos but is more of a true online academy. This model allows you to interact with Priit directly by submitting videos and in turn receiving feedback from Priit.
The site features a huge video section, FAQ section, free videos, as well as a testimonial section.
Special Feature: Homework! No other online Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes platform offers the concept of giving out monthly homework, and then providing feedback to everyone that completes it!
#6: MMA LEACH (One-time purchases of individual courses)
MMA Leach is run by Gustavo Gasparin, a Fabricio Werdum black belt, and is one of the best online coaches in the world. He puts together great instructional videos and has a great YouTube channel in addition to his online Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class site.
Gustavo offers courses on different subjects from leg locks to some very sneaky and effective ways of escaping some of the worst positions in the sport. In fact, he has a very unique course on
Special Feature: A 30% discount when you bulk-purchase all the courses that are available on the site!
# 7 : ASHLEY WILLIAMS (Subscription-based with monthly or annual plans)
The Polaris triple champion Ashley Williams is one of the best submission grapplers out there and is a joy to watch and listen to. Williams’ online BJJ courses cover lots of different topics, organized in chapters that are further divided into lessons, making the content easy to keep a track of.
Given that Ashely is a fan of no-gi Jiu Jitsu, most of the content on the site is demonstrated without a gi. The site is regularly updated, offers a deep grappling insight into the content, and even has a community feature allowing you to communicate directly with other members and even Ash himself.
Special Feature: The mindset and learning course series that covers subjects that other similar sites usually do not look into.
Read our full review about Ashley Williams Instructionals >>
#8. BECAUSE-JITSU (One-time purchases of individual cour ses)
A brand new Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes website focused on providing different courses that address mostly modern Jiu Jitsu. Their creed is that BJJ evolves and we should progress with it. The instructor is BJJ black belt Drew Wetherhead.
Despite the site being brand new, there are several courses already available and many more coming. Moreover, the site offers cross-platform synchronization via their IOS and Android app that allows you to pick up where you left off even when switching your playback device.
Special Feature: The Mini Series. For a very reasonable price, you gain access to a series of short videos covering very specific subjects like 10 no-gi back attacks, or 10 IBJJF legal ankle locks.
#9: GRACIE UNIVERSITY (Hybrid Model; One time purchases of individual courses, or subscription via a variety of monthly or annual plans)
This is one of the first online Brazilian Jiu jitsu class libraries. Founded by the famous Ryron and Rener Gracie brothers, this site features many original features, ranging from a belt-by-belt online curriculum to specialized anti-bullying programs for kids and self-defense curriculums for women, to name a few.
The site also offers a map of all the Gracie University-affiliated schools around the world, as well as a platform for contacting other members. Signing up for the site is free, and a new feature since the spring of 2020 is regular Zoom classes.
Special Feature: A program that allows you to submit a video of you performing techniques and drills in order to obtain a Gracie Combatives belt.
#10. ROGERGRACIE TV (Subscription-based with monthly or annual plans)
Roger Gracie is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all times BJJ competitors in the gi – so who wouldn’t want to learn from him? Well, if you aren’t able to move to London and train with him full time, Roger Gracie TV is your best chance to learn from the GOAT.
The site is meticulously organized and is well established. There is new content weekly, and everything is neatly categorized according to the major BJJ positions like the guard, mount, side control, and self-defense.
The classes are further categorized by concepts, something you don’t often see with online Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes. The classes build on each other, allowing you to learn entire systems or just focus on the areas you’d like to see improvement on.
Special Feature: Roger Gracie TV features a mobile app allowing you to enjoy the contents on different devices wherever you are. Available for Android and iOS – as well as ChromeCast and AppleTV.
#11. RICKSON ACADEMY (Subscription-based with an annual plan available)
There are two main sections of the site – posts and lessons. The posts sometimes contain short video lessons and are generally free to access. Lessons are for premium users only. The site offers one live class per week, as well as a questions and answers session with Rickson himself once a month. Posts are added every few days, usually covering a highly specific subject like where to place your feet while grappling.
The content on the Rickson Academy site contains detailed explanations of concepts and philosophies in addition to techniques and sequences. For example, Rickson shares Gracie family moments and philosophies which have never been seen before.
Special Feature: The “Ask Me Anything” section in which Rickson Gracie answers questions of premium members via videos.
#12: UDEMY (One-time purchases of individual courses)
Udemy is the world’s leading online learning platform. It offers more than 130,000 courses on different subjects, including hundreds of Brazilan Jiu Jitsu classes.
The site allows you to sort by ranking, showcasing top-rated video content first. Additionally, they offer a best-in-class 30-day money-back guarantee. Udemy videos are available to watch through your web browser, Android, iOS, ChromeCast, and AppleTV.
Special Feature: Udemy offers unique content like a step-by-step course on how to start children in Jiu Jitsu.
#13: ART OF JIU JITSU ONLINE (Subscription-based with monthly or annual plans)
AOJ Online is the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu site started by the world-famous Mendes brothers. It was revamped in late-2016 to include videos of almost every class taught at AOJ Academy, including those classes taught by their assistant coaches. They currently have over 3,500 videos in the library, although a possible criticism is the site lacks sparring videos.
Nevertheless, the quality of instruction is not in question and both Rafa and Gui, both fluent in English, provide some of the most detailed and technical explanations around. In fact, this might be the most technical and detail-oriented of all the online Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes.
Just like MGINACTION, the style taught here follows the Mendes brothers’ personal game: De la Riva, berimbolos, and 50/50.
Special Feature: Access to full classes by different coaches, all taught with extreme attention to detail
#14: CAIO TERRA ONLINE (Subscription-based with monthly or annual plans)
Even as a rooster weight or light featherweight competitor, Caio Terra has been known to enjoy considerable success in the black belt absolute divisions. This is attributed to his extremely deep understanding of techniques and concepts and is reflected in his teaching style (as any participant of one of his seminars will tell you).
While the website does not show the number of videos available to non-members; Caio Terra’s online Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructional site has very well-organized content and regular uploads. Moreover, the site features live-streaming classes so you are basically getting an online membership to Caio Terra’s gym!
Special Feature: Classes are organized into lesson plans, providing a curated learning experience. The gold-tier annual subscription includes a gi of your choice.
#15: ESTIMAINACTION (Subscription-based with monthly or annual plans)
This site, launched by Braulio Estima, uses the same interface as MGinAction. If you are a long-legged lanky spider guard player who wants to emulate Braulio’s style; then this is the perfect online Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class site for you.
While it is far newer and does not have as many videos as MGinAction; it already has built up to over 1,000 technique videos and over 600 sparring videos.
Special Feature: Customization options – you can create your personal online library of favorites.
#16: BJJLIBRARY (Subscription-based with monthly or annual plans)
Created by Saulo and Xande Ribeiro; the original world championship-winning siblings, this site offers a broader curriculum than the previous 4 options.
While the site features many videos taught by the brothers themselves at their academy, as well as many other high-profile instructors such as Andre Galvao, Luiz Panza, Dean Lister, and myriad others. Currently, the site has almost 1,500 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes in total
Special Feature: The seminar series of video classes, featuring different big-name professors
#17. 10TH PLANET JIU JITSU (Subscription-based with a monthly plan available)
There is really no introduction needed for the 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu system and its enigmatically charismatic founder Eddie Bravo. As you would expect, this online Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class platform is set up quite differently from all other ones. Eddie Bravo puts up content several times a month, without a specific schedule as to when.
He releases his content in the form of episodes that last anywhere between 1 and 2 hours. In these episodes he doesn’t just show moves but he also breaks down concepts unique to the 10th Planet system, promotes 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu grapplers and affiliate gyms, talks philosophy, and even sometimes dabbles in conspiracy.
Special Feature: Extremely detailed 10th Planet warmups breakdowns, most often demonstrated by Eddie Bravo hImself. The entire concept of the “Mastering the System” episodes is different from other online BJJ classes and the featured warmups are definitely not something you’ll find elsewhere.
In Conclusion
Online Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes are a valuable and practical learning tool. However, the exponential growth of the video and written instructional content available online requires its own filter of sorts. Importantly, not everything that you find online will help you at a specific point of your Jiu Jitsu journey, or at all for that matter!
Knowing what to expect from each online-based BJJ classes website is essential in order to get the most out of your time and money! The list we’ve compiled here is big enough to satisfy even the pickiest grappler, while still offering a manageable number of options!
We care about Jiu Jitsu so much that we decided to create this page for all the people like us – that eat, breath and live the Jiu Jitsu Lifestyle! We truly hope our content will make every one of your days better, on the mat and off the mat!
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