BJJ Fanatics Review: Are the Videos Worth It?

BJJ Fanatics is the largest BJJ instructional video platform on the internet. The lineup reads like a who's who of modern grappling: John Danaher, Gordon Ryan, Craig Jones, Lachlan Giles, Bernardo Faria, the list runs deep. The question every BJJ practitioner eventually asks: are the videos actually worth paying for, and is there a free alternative that gets you most of the way there?

I have used the platform, bought instructionals, and also worked through plenty of the free YouTube material. Here is the honest take.

Quick verdict

BJJ Fanatics has the best library of paid BJJ instructionals you can buy, but the full sticker prices are genuinely steep. The platform runs heavy discounts almost constantly. Never pay full price. Watch the "Daily Deals" page, stack coupon codes, and wait for holiday sales.

For most beginners and recreational hobbyists, the free YouTube content is enough to get from white belt to a competent blue belt. The paid BJJ Fanatics videos start to earn their cost once you are an upper white belt or blue belt with specific positional gaps to fill.

A free YouTube roadmap before you spend a penny

If you have not already worked through the best free content on YouTube, do that first. Most paid instructionals make more sense once you have a foundation to plug them into.

First month

1. Rener Gracie, Six BJJ Techniques for Beginners, followed by Two More Beginner Techniques.
2. Bruce Hoyer, Mindset for Learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
3. Stephan Kesting, A Roadmap for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and 16 Most Important Techniques for the BJJ Beginner.
4. Chris Paines, How to Defend Everything. Solid defensive base.
5. John Danaher, Solo BJJ Training Drills for when you cannot get to the gym.

First year

1. Rory van Vliet, How to Suck As Little As Possible: An Introduction to BJJ. Probably the most useful free white-belt playlist out there.
2. Matt Serra, BJJ Basics.
3. John B. Will, 36 Core Techniques.
4. Nick "Chewy" Albin, White Belt Tips.
5. Gracie Barra Fundamentals Curriculum.
6. If you are ready to invest, John Danaher's Go Further Faster series is the gold standard for fundamentals. Wait for a sale.

High white belt to blue belt

1. John Danaher, Enter the System. Wait for a discount.
2. Gracie Barra Advanced Curriculum.
3. Cesar Gracie, Gi-Less Jiu-Jitsu.
4. Carlos Machado, The Machado Method, Infinite Jiu-Jitsu and Mount Escapes and Guard Passes.
5. Braulio Estima, Invisible Jiu-Jitsu, Guard Control and Side Control.
6. Firas Zahabi and Karel "Silver Fox" Pravec, BJJ Techniques.
7. Richard Salamone, BJJ Wrestling Plan.
8. Nick Gwiazdowski, Winning Mat Wrestling Volume 1 and Volume 2.

What BJJ Fanatics actually is

BJJ Fanatics is an online store for downloadable and streamable BJJ instructionals. You buy a course (or stream it through a subscription), and own access to a multi-hour breakdown of a specific positional system or technique set. The catalogue spans gi, no-gi, fundamentals, advanced systems, leg locks, takedowns, escapes and competition mindset.

The model works on a revenue-share basis with instructors, with roughly 50 percent going to the creator and more for top sellers. That structure has attracted most of the elite names in modern grappling, which is the platform's real moat. If you want a John Danaher course, BJJ Fanatics is where it lives.

What people praise

• Catalogue depth. No other platform comes close on roster.
• Instructor quality. When you buy from a Danaher, a Gordon Ryan, a Lachlan Giles or a Craig Jones, the technical level is among the best in the world.
• Daily Deals. The platform discounts heavily and often, so most active buyers never pay full price.
• Customer service. Reviews lean positive on responsiveness and order issues.

What people complain about

• Full-price stickers. Some courses list at $200 or more before discounts, which is a lot for one set of videos.
• Discount dependency. Because sales are so frequent, full-price feels punishing if you miss the timing.
• Volume bloat. Some instructionals are extremely long (8 to 12 hours) and could be tighter. Plan to dip in over weeks rather than binge.
• Mixed Trustpilot scores. Reviews are split. Many are positive but a vocal minority report customer-service friction or buyer's regret on full-price purchases.

What is actually worth buying

The instructionals I would recommend to a working white belt or new blue belt:

• John Danaher, Go Further Faster series. The deepest fundamentals system on the platform. Buy it on sale, treat it as a long-term reference rather than a binge.
• John Danaher, Enter the System series. Pick the position you want to fix (back attacks, leg locks, half guard, etc.).
• Lachlan Giles, High Percentage Submissions. Excellent technical breakdowns and fair pricing.
• Bernardo Faria, Battle Tested Pressure Passing. If your top game is the gap.

For competitive-track black belt students who already have a deep base, the catalogue gets more granular and there is something for almost every positional need.

Free alternatives outside BJJ Fanatics

The YouTube list above will get most hobbyists to a competent blue belt without spending anything. Two specific paid options I would also flag:

• Grapplers Guide. If you want one structured paid platform that is significantly cheaper than buying multiple BJJ Fanatics courses, Grapplers Guide is a fair alternative.
• Ape Academy. Daniel "Raspberry Ape" Strauss runs Ape Academy with detailed, unique and very affordable courses, particularly his Guillotine Masterclass and grip-training programme.

Frequently asked questions

Are BJJ Fanatics videos worth the money? Yes, but only on sale. Full-price stickers are high, and the platform runs deep discounts so often that paying full price is unnecessary. Watch the Daily Deals page and stack coupons.

How does BJJ Fanatics pricing work? Most courses range from around $80 to $200 at full sticker. Daily deals routinely cut 30 to 70 percent off, and holiday sales go deeper. Some bundle deals make sense if you want a multi-instructor curriculum.

Is BJJ Fanatics good for beginners? For absolute beginners, free YouTube content is usually a better starting point. The platform shines once you have a base and want to deep-dive on a specific position or system.

Can anyone sell videos on BJJ Fanatics? Yes. The platform operates a revenue-share model that gives instructors around 50 percent of sales, with higher rates for best-sellers. This is why the catalogue has so much variety, including lesser-known instructors with strong technical content.

What are the best BJJ Fanatics instructionals to start with? John Danaher's Go Further Faster series is the standard recommendation for fundamentals. From there, pick courses based on your specific positional gaps rather than buying widely.

Are there free alternatives to BJJ Fanatics? Yes. The YouTube roadmap above is more than enough to take you to a solid blue belt. For paid alternatives, Grapplers Guide and Ape Academy are both cheaper and well regarded.

Final word

BJJ Fanatics is the best paid BJJ instructional platform on the market, but you should not buy at full price and you do not need it to make progress. Get a year of consistent training, work through the free YouTube roadmap, and then start buying targeted Fanatics courses on sale once you know exactly what you want to fix.

For BJJ gear recommendations alongside your training, see our guide to BJJ equipment you need and our best BJJ gis round-up.