Best Martial Arts DVD Instructionals

There are many reasons to learn Martial arts. Some people want to learn self-defense, while others want to join the armed forces. Some people want to enhance their fighting ability to give them an edge when competing. Besides the physical fitness and technique you gain from martial arts; it also improves your discipline, reaction time, and resiliency. 

DVD instructionals are one of the easiest and most convenient ways to learn martial arts. You get to learn the secrets from top martial arts instructors around the world. This helps you to learn the proper technique and improve the fastest. In this article, we’ll cover eight of the best martial art DVD instructionals in the market. 

In this round up review, we survey the best courses for the money in all the major martial arts styles.

The Best Martial Arts DVD Courses By Style

Judo Throw Encyclopedia by Matt D’Aquino 

Matt D’Aquino is a master Australian judoka who holds a fourth-degree black belt and completed many accolades in the discipline. He is a multiple-time Oceanian champion and a two-time Australian judo champion. 

Judo can be a difficult martial art to learn, especially in the early stage. The technique is a critical factor when it comes to executing Judo throws. Most beginners struggle to progress in their belts due to a lack of technique.

In this five-part DVD, Matt gives you 40 Judo throws to add to your arsenal. We recommend this as an excellent resource in your Judo journey. He covers throws that can be used when your target is static and moving. For example, Matt demonstrates the hane makikomi, one of his signature throws, by using his leg to sweep the opponent off balance and flip them to the ground. 

Highlights: 

  • Great for any level of judo
  • Learn from Matt D’Aquino, an Olympian and 4th-degree Judo black belt fighter 
  • Covers 40 different throws with moving and static applications 

Head more reviews and courses, hear over to our Judo instructionals page.


Foundations of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by Bernardo Faria 

Bernardo Faria is one of the most renowned teachers of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He’s a five-time black belt world champion and is recognized for teaching older guys. His teachings are unique because it doesn’t require any speed, strength, or flexibility, meaning anybody can learn from his techniques. 

Most people get into the sport of BJJ with bad fundamentals. Many people learn techniques without proper stance and footwork. Bernardo emphasizes the importance of mastering the basics. Even advanced BJJ fighters will miss some of the basic fundamentals that could result in significant improvement. 

In this DVD, you get access to a six-part volume of comprehensive BJJ fundamentals. It covers everything, such as sweeps, guards, attacks, and escapes. We love how we break down little adjustments you can make to fix common technique mistakes. For example, most people fail to land the scissors sweep. He demonstrates how you need your opponent on top of you, so their body is light, and you’ll be able to sweep them easily. 

Highlights: 

  • Ideal for everyone no matter age, fitness or athletic level 
  • Learn from Bernardo, winner of five Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu championships 
  • Six volumes of comprehensive training videos to learn the fundamentals of Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Check out our BJJ DVD reviews section for more great BJJ courses.


The Fundamentals of MMA by Greg Jackson 

Learn from one of the greatest MMA coaches of all time. Greg Jackson has coached some of the biggest named fighters such as Carlos Condit, Jon Jones, and Georges St. Pierre. MMA can be a tricky sport to learn since it involves so many different fighting styles. Greg is an experienced coach who understands how to break down concepts and show them to you in combat. 

This is a two-part DVD covering clinching, striking, and grappling techniques and explaining the principles behind each move so that you know when to use it. Greg also talks about important MMA concepts such as the Gemini twin, artillery screening, and the post and riff. 

Highlights: 

  • Learn the principles behind common techniques 
  • Covers the application of striking, clinching, and grappling in MMA situations 
  • Learn from legendary MMA coach Greg Jackson who coached Georges St. Pierre and Jon Jones

Looking for more MMA DVDs? Head over to our reviews of the best MMA instructionals.  


Krav Maga: Krav Maga Close-Range Fighting on the Streets by Frass Azab 

Frass Azab is a fearless competitor who has dominated the sport of Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He’s the current Warrior’s Academy KC owner and has previously earned the 2012 BJJ National Champion. 

Street fighting can be incredibly dangerous and unpredictable. Krav Maga is often seen as the most effective form of martial arts in street fights. The idea of Krav Maga is to attack your opponents in areas where they are most vulnerable and incapacitate them to prevent them from launching further strikes. 

This DVD has four-parts that cover both offense and defense. We like how Frass is explicitly clear in his instructions. The training starts with the basics such as stances and how to get up from being knocked down. He then advances to sweeps, sprawls, takedowns, locks, and other combative holds. Sprawling is a technique to defend and prevent takedowns. 

Highlights: 

  • Learn how to defend yourself even in the most dangerous scenarios 
  • Close range combat originally implemented by the Israeli military
Learn Krav Maga from the best in the business.

Wrestling Fundamentals from the Bad Guy by Chael Sonnen 

Chael Sonnen is revered as one of the best wrestling teachers on planet earth. He was an All-American wrestler winning a university gold meal and also held an Olympic spot. 

Wrestling comes down to the basics. Whether you’re in the junior leagues or in the Olympic games, mastering the fundamentals is crucial to winning. Chael teaches you fundamentals and teaching you all the basics such as scoring the pink, escaping from holds, and performing takedowns. 

In this DVD, it includes four parts of the comprehensive concept and real-world application of wrestling technique. What makes this training standout is how Chael teaches your various drills and warmups to ingrain the ideas taught in his course. Chael shows you some of his most famous combinations, such as the 2-on-1, the collar tie, and the underhook. 

Highlights: 

  • Learn wrestling moves that work in all levels from the little leagues up to college and beyond  
  • Covers the basics such as scoring the pin, tie-ups, and takedowns 
  • Great for beginner wrestlers

Need more wrestling content? Please visit our wrestling DVDs page.


Muay Thai Fundamentals by Rafael Cordeiro 

Rafael Cordeiro is currently one of the best striking coaches out there. He’s helped produce champions such as Anderson Silva, Shogun Rua, and Wanderlei Silva. Rafael also contributes to powerhouse gyms like Chute Boxe and Kings MMA. 

Muay Thai can be a challenging martial art to learn without proper guidance. It requires a lot of training and technique to master. Luckily, Rafael gives you drills to work on to hone in one of these tactics. 

Although Rafael teaches the fundamentals, the material is for MMA fighters of all levels. Rafael has a unique teaching style where he shows you how to strike using every limb possible. He shows you the same tactics he teaches to high-level professionals. The DVD is a four-part series of basics and even includes sparring with some of these big-named MMA stars such as Wanderlei Silva. You learn everything about the sport, such as footwork, blocking, punching, clinching, kicks, and more. 

Highlights: 

  • Learn from Rafael Cordeiro, who coached Anderson Sila, Shogun Rua, and Wanderlei Silva
  • Teaches you techniques, drills, and combos to get good fast
  • Four-part series that can be beneficial to fighters of all levels 

Find more Muy Thai DVD reviews on this page.


Boxing: The Fundamentals of Boxing by Teddy Atlas

Teddy Atlas is one of the most well-respected boxing coaches in the world. He’s training champions such as Timothy Bradley and Michael Moorer. 

Most people train in Boxing without learning the proper fundamentals. Boxing takes an incredible amount of endurance and technique to master. We like how Teddy breaks down his concepts into that you can practice with. He emphasizes shadow boxing, working with pads, using heavy bags, and working with sparring partners to improve your power and accuracy. 

Teddy’s DVD includes four parts that cover the gamut of Boxing. In part one, he talked about stretching and wrapping your hands. In part two, he goes over setting the jabs and leads counters. In part three, he goes over setting traps and doing pad work. Lastly, Teddy goes over using the heavy bag and shadow boxing for better training. 

Highlights: 

  • Train with one of the most well-respected boxing coaches 
  • Use shadow boxing, pad work, and heavy bags to improve fast
  • Designed to improve power and accuracy

Untangled: How to Disengage from Conflict by Eli Knight & Jared Jessup 

Eli Knight and Jared Jessup are black belt Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu masters who have learned under the legendary Royce Gracie. They’ve developed an easy-to-implement system that allows anyone to disengage from a street fight. Self-defense is often an overlooked topic and should be learned by everyone. Danger could lie anywhere, and knowing how to defend yourself and disengage can be life-altering. 

The Untangled DVD collection is a four-part series that covers A to Z on how to disengage. You learn how to sweep your opponents, perform headlocks, pin them, and disengage. We like how they show you how to turn the tables on your attackers. Attackers often prey on the weak. BJJ is a sport that favors smaller individuals who are being attacked by bigger and stronger people. By the end, you’ll know how to escape bad situations like rear chokes and headlocks. 

Highlights: 

  • Turn the table on aggressors by learning how to get out of chokes and headlocks 
  • Defend yourself even when the back is on the floor
  • Learn from two black-belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu masters

Learn more how to defend yourself at our Self Defense DVD reviews section.


Can you train martial arts at home?

If you’re unable to access a gym or martial arts coach, then learning martial arts at home is an excellent alternative. Martial arts DVD instructionals give you access to the world’s best instructors at your fingertips. You can do kickboxing, footwork, solo technique, and shadow boxing drills to practice punches, knees, and kicks at home. If you can invest in some equipment, we recommend using a free-standing bag or heavy bag. This helps improve your cardio, power, technique, timing, and footwork. 

There are even ways to perform solo grappling drills using a throwing dummy or heavy bags. Practice mat-based techniques to improve your wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills. Lastly, the best alternative is to find a sparring partner. A partner enables you to apply what you’ve learned from your DVDs. For example, perfecting the technique of a triangle choke requires a person to practice with. 

What’s the easiest form of martial arts to learn? 

There isn’t necessarily the easiest form of martial art since each form can be broken down to the absolute basics. Every beginner will have to learn the fundamentals of a martial arts form, which requires tremendous repetition.

However, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu may be the easiest to learn because it doesn’t involve learning any strikes. BJJ is a ground-based grappling style that utilizes a lot of chokeholds and joint locks. This is especially useful for smaller and weaker individuals who want to defend themselves against heavier, stronger, and bigger opponents. 

How to choose the right form of martial arts for you? 

As a beginner, you should always lean toward the martial art form that appeals most to you. Your curiosity and enjoyment of the sport will allow you to stick with it even when things get difficult. However, you should also consider your goals for learning martial arts. Each style has its advantages and disadvantages. 

For example, Boxing is excellent for people who want to improve their cardiovascular health while also improving their core and upper body strength.

If you want to learn self-defense, Krav Maga is an excellent option to consider. Krav Maga teaches you self defense moves such as disarming your opponent’s weapon, kicking to the groin, choke defense, and different body strikes.

If you crave real competition, then consider Muay Thai, Wrestling, or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Many of these styles are used in MMA fights, or you can specialize in them. Muay Thai teaches you all types of punches, strikes, and kicks, while BJJ and wrestling are excellent ground fighting styles. 


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