Can you really learn Jiu Jitsu online? It’s a controversial topic. In my opinion: no, not exclusively. That said, watching videos online is an excellent supplement to your training at an academy.
These days, most elite BJJ athletes like Gordon Ryan and Keenan Cornelius have made at least some sort of instructional content. As fans and students of the sport, we’re incredibly lucky to be able to learn from the best of the best.
My Top Choices for Online BJJ Training in 2023
There are many Jiu Jitsu instructional websites out there to choose from, and I’ve done my best to go through them all and pick out the best options for you.
#1: BJJ Fanatics
Best Overall
Look, let me be clear: when it comes to Jiu Jitsu instructionals there is BJJ Fanatics… and then there is everyone else. I’ve reviewed a bunch of sites here, but none come close to the quality and depth of BJJ Fanatics. All of the top athletes put their instructional on BJJ Fanatics, and you can find amazing content on literally any area of grappling you are looking for.
If you’ve been following the Jiu Jitsu world at all, you’ve certainly seen athletes promoting their BJJ Fanatics instructional videos. BJJ Fanatics is one of the most established training sites, with instructional content from huge names in the sport including:
- Gordon Ryan
- John Danaher
- Marcelo Garcia
- Marcus “Buchecha” Almedia
- Andre Galvao
- Craig Jones
and the list goes on. The amount of content in their library is really astounding. It pains me to keep the above list of athletes short and leave off names like Rafael Lovato, Garry Tonon, Lucas Lepri, Mikey Musmeci, and more…. but you get the point.
Pros
- Insane amount of content from the biggest names in the sport. If you have a Jiu Jitsu athlete you want to learn from, chances are they’ve made an instructional for BJJ Fanatics
- Don’t have to pay for anything you aren’t interested in
- No subscription
Cons
- No membership option, you must purchase each course individually (which can get pricey)
Pricing: varies by course ($47 to $97 for most of their courses).
Over one million grapplers have used the videos from BJJ Fanatics to improve their game. The founder is Bernardo Faria (5 times world champion at Black Belt) and they are one of the most trusted names in Jiu Jitsu.
If you’re looking for a site where you can pick and choose the exact content you want to watch, BJJ Fanatics is the best option. If you want to learn more about the Jiu Jitsu courses they offer, check out my post on the best videos on BJJ Fanatics.
While BJJ Fanatics is my far and away number one choice for online Jiu Jitsu training, there are a ton of BJJ instructional sites and every one offers something different. The beautiful thing about Jiu Jitsu is you can truly learn something new from every instructor. Here are some other sites worth taking a look at…
#2: Sub Meta
Sub Meta is the work of ADCC standout Lachlan Giles.
Pros
- Easy to navigate website
- Courses are broken up into lots of short, digestible segments
- INCREDIBLE production quality
Cons
- Newer site, so it doesn’t have a huge backlog of videos
Pricing: $25/month, with an annual discount
The killer video quality, instruction from proven grapplers like Lachlan Giles, and super reasonable all-in monthly pricing make Sub Meta my #2 choice for online BJJ training.
#3: Jiu Jitsu X (formerly Keenan Online)
Jiu Jitsu X (formerly known as Keenan Online) is the brainchild of elite Jiu Jitsu athlete Keenan Cornelius. Keenan has his own academy (Legion) that he uses as his “BJJ laboratory” for coming up with new techniques. He is a pioneer in the sport and well known for his take on grappling which he calls American Jiu Jitsu, or AJJ.
Pros
- The videos are easy to watch on desktop, tablet, and mobile
- Super high def 4K content
- Tons of structured courses
- Incredibly detailed, actionable instruction
Cons
- They are rebuilding their library from scratch after rebranding to Jiu Jitsu X
Pricing: a la carte instructionals
The biggest strength of Jiu Jitsu X for me is the belt-specific programs. Instead of watching random videos out of or order, Keenan has cleanly organized them into courses for White Belts, Blue Belts, and Purple Belts. No matter what level you’re at, there is something in Keenan’s library for you.
#4: Atos BJJ On Demand
Atos BJJ On Demand is the digital training offering from Andre Galvao’s famous Atos Academy in San Diego. Andre is one of the most decorated competitors in the sport. As he’s transitioned away from competition, a big part of his focus has been building the video library at Atos Online.
There is a HUGE amount of content in the Atos Online library. Right now there are 1,517 videos from Professor Galvao alone.
Pros
- Where else can you learn from a legend like Galvao
- Easily filter by instructor to find content from specific athletes
- More drilling content than any other training website I’ve seen
- Excellent stand-up and wrestling instructionals
Cons
- The amount of content and layout is overwhelming
Pricing: $24.95/month or $249.95/year
Atos Online offers a wide variety of both Gi and No-Gi content, which is organized in sections by skill level. If you’re a beginner, you’ll enjoy all of the drilling content they provide. And if you’re a competitor, of course you are going to learn a ton from the Atos team that is consistently at the top of the podiums.
Their website is priced similarly to Keenan Online, and offers an equally vast amount of content. My only complaint is that it could be organized better. While there is a search bar, the 5 categories they have over 3,000 videos in can make it tough to know where to begin.
#5: Hidden Jiu Jitsu
Hidden Jiu Jitsu is a website ran by Henry Akins, who received his black belt from Jiu Jitsu pioneer Rickson Gracie. Rick Gracie does not give out black belts easily, and anyone who has earned one from him is going to be an extremely legit martial artist.
Pros
- Henry Akins earned his black belt from Rickson Gracie, an absolute legend in the sport
- Takes a fundamentally sound approach to Jiu Jitsu with heavy pressure and emphasis of staying on top
- A la carte pricing, where you can choose which content you’d like to purchase
- Lots of free content is provided before you sign up
Cons
- The site feels a little heavy on the marketing to me. Honestly I am impressed with any Rickson Gracie black belt, and I don’t need a long sales page or welcome e-mail series to get me warmed up about the product
Pricing: varies by course
If you want to learn some of the techniques that Rickson Gracie used incredibly effectively in both Jiu Jitsu and MMA, Hidden Jiu Jitsu is a good option to check out. There isn’t that much training content from Rickson himself (as opposed to the new guard of BJJ), so learning from one of his black belts is a rare opportunity.
#6: Caio Terra Online
Caio Terra Online Jiu Jitsu Academy is ran by twelve time world champion BJJ athlete Caio Terra. My favorite part about this site is how invested in it Caio is. You can really tell that he is putting his all into this project, and that he truly wants you to improve your Jiu Jitsu.
While he had an incredibly successful run on the BJJ tournament circuit, Caio has definitely found his calling in teaching Jiu Jitsu. Running an online training site allows him to reach many more athletes than he could by teaching seminars on the road.
Pros
- Over 1700 videos covering a huge variety of techniques
- Mobile friendly website that streams well on any device
- Very high definition, well-produced content
- Active community of members
Cons
- Heavily based around Caio’s BJJ style, while other sites have multiple athletes to learn from
Pricing: $25/month or $250/year
Caio Terra’s training site is one of the most established in the industry, and it shows. The website has a very polished feel and a respectable library of content.
#7: Grapplers Guide
Grapplers Guide is one of the most popular online BJJ training sites, it has been active for over 10 years. It features a ton of content, and all of it is downloadable in .mp4 format so you can save the videos on your phone to watch on the go or while on a flight. Most other sites are “streaming only” and require an active internet connection, so this is a great unique selling point for Grapplers Guide.
Pros
- One of the few sites that offers a one time payment option
- Huge amount of content, since they started in 2007
- Payment plan ($55 x 6) if you want to space things out
Cons
- Steep up front price point
Pricing: $297 One Time Payment
My favorite part about Grapplers Guide is their private member’s only Facebook group. It’s a very active community that will help keep you motivated to watch the content and improve your Jiu Jitsu game.
#8: 10th Planet Pro
Eddie Bravo is an absolute legend in grappling. He gave Joe Rogan his black belt. He invented Combat Jiu Jitsu. And of course, he’s the head of the 10th Planet grappling school, whose students have excelled in No-Gi BJJ competition.
10th Planet’s online offering is very different from most competitors, first off it is very cheap:
Their online platform is also very old school, it does not have the bells and whistles offered by some of the modern sites.
Pros
- The cheapest paid option available
- Very long videos (many are over an hour) that go super in depth
- Learn from Eddie Bravo, one of the GOATs of grappling
Cons
- Site just feels a little janky
- Only No-Gi content
Pricing: $4.99/month
If you’re looking for a budget option, and train a lot of No-Gi, you cant go wrong checking out 10th Planet Pro at such a bargain price point.
#9: MG In Action
MG in Action is Marcelo Garcia’s long established training platform. If you don’t know who Marcelo Garcia is, stop immediately and go watch this video on YouTube. Yea, he really is the GOAT. Marcelo is a 5x World Champion and 4x ADCC Champion and has won pretty much everything both Gi and No-Gi Jiu Jitsu have to offer.
Most impressive to me is Marcelo’s performance in the Absolute divisions, given he competes at the 66kg – 77kg (146lb – 169lb) weight class. He has completely destroyed grapplers twice his size, routinely showing what Jiu Jitsu is meant to be: the most effective martial art for self defense, against an attacker of any size.
The best part about MG in Action is the way it allows you to filter through the videos. Some of these other sites really struggle as their library gets huge, but MG in Action excels here. They have an absurd number of videos but they are all tagged in a very intuitive way.
For example, if you want to see standing submissions from the front headlock position, you can drill down into this subcategory.
You can even further narrow the content by filtering by gi/no-gi, belt level, and weight class.
There is no other site that organizes their content in such an intuitive manner. If you’re a 145lb blue belt that wants to work on side control, you can find videos specifically showing this position from your body type and skill level.
Pros
- Operated by World Champ / ADCC Champ Marcelo Garcia
- More theory-based videos than any other site I’ve seen
- Format designed by Josh Waitzkin (BJJ black belt, expert in memory and learning)
- Super detailed filters
Cons
- The sheer amount of content on the site can be overwhelming, but it’s neatly organized so you can find exactly the techniques you want to improve on
Pricing: $25/month, $250/year, or $450/year with a gi and 1 week pass at MG’s NYC Academy
Final Thoughts on Online BJJ Training
Remember, these sites are a great tool to use in addition to your training at the academy. You’re simply not going to get better at Jiu Jitsu if you’re not rolling and sparring with training partners. Similar to BJJ books, online training is just one more tool in your arsenal to become a better grappler.
I hope you enjoyed reading my breakdown of these BJJ training sites. Do you like one that I didn’t cover? Let me know in the comments!