There are some really underrated BJJ instructors in the world, and we’ve put together a list of the 10 best that anyone can learn a lot from. There are hundreds of coaches and competitors who have released instructionals so it can often be hard to determine who is actually worth listening to. That’s why so many people flock to the biggest names in the sport like Gordon Ryan, John Danaher, Lachlan Giles, and Craig Jones. Obviously they’re all fantastic instructors with a high level of BJJ knowledge, but here we’re breaking down 10 other instructors who are often overlooked but can be just as great to learn from.
Click here to see all the instructionals available from these instructors.
10 Of The Most Underrated BJJ Instructors You Can Learn From
Edwin ‘Junny’ Ocasio
Edwin ‘Junny’ Ocasio has reached the very highest level of the sport as a competitor, with the height of his career coming in 2023 when he won an IBJJF Grand Slam in no gi competition. Junny dominated the roosterweight division for the entire year and is known as a fearsome competitor with lethal leglocks. His use of the Z-lock was revolutionary and not only has he broken that and dozens of leglock entries down in instructionals but he’s also taken the time to create a full catalogue of no gi fundamentals as well. Junny is a great teacher and he has enough material out there to guide someone from the start of their BJJ journey all the way to the highest level.
Click here to see all of the instructionals available from Edwin ‘Junny’ Ocasio.
Priit Mihkelson
If you’ve ever rolled with someone who seemed impossible to submit even from the worst positions then chances are, they’ve been learning from Priit Mihkelson. Although he hasn’t ever been a successful competitor, Mihkelson is a brilliant coach who spends time on a core element of BJJ that is often overlooked. He has some of the best defensive content out there with hours of instructionals all focused around escapes and survival, and his ‘Grilled Chicken’ guard retention system is equally fantastic. Although Mihkelson focuses primarily on one area of the sport, he may well be the best instructor out there for it.
Click here to see all of the instructionals available from Priit Mihkelson.
Brian Glick
Brian Glick is a Judo black belt under Shintaro Higashi and a BJJ black belt under both John Danaher and Renzo Gracie, so he’s spent decades learning under some of the best minds in the grappling world. There aren’t many people around who have spent more time honing their skills under legends like that and even fewer of them who are able to teach as well as Glick. He’s able to simplify complex concepts or go as deep as necessary on a topic, so he’s someone that everyone can learn from at every level. Although he might not be as well-known as his coaches, he’s every bit as good as all of them.
Click here to see all of the instructionals available from Brian Glick.
Nicky Ryan
Nicky Ryan is probably the most popular competitor on the list, but the B-Team Jiu-Jitsu co-founder is often overlooked as an instructor. A lot of that comes down to how young he is, but he genuinely has an incredible mind for the sport. He made it to ADCC while he was still just a teenager and while that should be proof that he’s incredibly talented, it’s still might surprise some to see how insightful he is. Ryan generally covers more advanced concepts than some of the other names on this list of 10 of the most underrated BJJ instructors, but that means that even the most experienced grapplers will be able to learn a lot from him.
Click here to see all of the instructionals available from Nicky Ryan.
Adam Wardzinski
Adam Wardzinski has been a high-level competitor for several years but he really took things to a whole new level in 2024 by becoming the first male European IBJJF World Champion. Despite that being the peak of his competitive career so far, Wardzinski has been a phenomenal instructor for a long time already. He’s created several instructionals covering a very wide range of areas, but Wardzinski’s specialty is butterfly guard. He has created hours and hours of content covering butterfly guard in both gi and no gi, and he’s able to replicate everything he shows at the highest level of competition.
Click here to see all of the instructionals available from Adam Wardzinski.
Paul Schreiner
Paul Schreiner might not be as well-known as some of the other names on this list of underrated BJJ instructors, but he’s proven his ability as a coach for several years. Schreiner was one of the key instructors working alongside Marcelo Garcia at his New York gym for a well over a decade, teaching a whole generation of elite competitors. During that time Schreiner has created over a dozen lengthy instructionals covering virtually every area of the sport. His coaching methods and technical knowledge has been proven many times over, and he’s spent hours putting it all out there for anyone to benefit from.
Click here to see all of the instructionals available from Paul Schreiner.
Jeff Glover
Jeff Glover is one of the top American BJJ competitors of his generation and he was renowned for his innovative and creative style. His biggest successes were in no gi competition, winning an IBJJF No Gi World Championship and a bronze medal at ADCC 2011. Glover was one of the biggest proponents of deep half guard during his time as a competitor and he’s released a number of instructionals on the topic, along with his other areas of expertise like donkey guard and D’arce chokes. Glover also has a multiple instructionals on solo exercises and drills which are particularly useful for people new to BJJ.
Click here to see all of the instructionals available from Jeff Glover.
Jason Rau
It’s a genuine mystery why Jason Rau has broken through to the wider BJJ world because he’s genuinely one of the best instructors in the sport. He has an insane depth of knowledge in pretty much every area and he’s held in incredibly high regard by a number of elite competitors as a result. He’s brought out hours of content on a wide range of different guards and passing techniques; more than enough to see someone through years of technical development. There aren’t many better instructors out there and the opportunity to learn so much directly from Rau is one that can’t be missed.
Click here to see all of the instructionals available from Jason Rau.
Eoghan O’Flanagan
Eoghan O’Flanagan broke through to the highest level of the sport at ADCC 2022 when he had an incredible performance as the dark horse in the under 88kg division. Before that he was known as one of the best-kept secrets in the UK and there are many across the country who can testify to his skill as an instructor. O’Flanagan has focused primarily on leglocks and guard-play in the instructionals he’s released but he has a unique take on all of it. His insight can’t be replicated and if you consider yourself a leglocker then he’s one of the best sources to learn from that you might not have already come across.
Click here to see all of the instructionals available from Eoghan O’Flanagan.
Dante Leon
Dante Leon is another top competitor who has spent a long time breaking down the systems he uses on the mats, and he does it far better than most. Leon is an ADCC bronze medalist who has won the IBJJF No Gi World Championship multiple times, so everything he shows has been tested at the highest level imaginable. He has fantastic wrestling and passing but his real strength is that he’s one of the most well-rounded competitors in the world. That means that he’s able to teach pretty much every area of the sport, but his top-game and wrestling-focused instructionals in particular are excellent.
Click here to see all of the instructionals available from Dante Leon.
