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What is Butterfly Guard in BJJ?
Butterfly Guard is one of the most common and fundamentally sound guards in BJJ. Popularised by Marcelo Garcia it involves using your legs to sweep your opponent and control their body. Because of its simplicity, it can be used by beginners and experts of the sport and is popular in both Gi and Nogi. In recent times butterfly guard has been reinvented by Polish grappler Adam Wardzinski who uses it from a half-guard position. Below we shall look at the position in more depth and how it is applied on the mats.
Entries into Butterfly Guard
Entries include when the opponent is standing and decides to sit or kneel on your feet whilst seated. This means the passer wants to engage a seated guard without using standing passes such as the Toreando. Another entry is from half guard which involves bringing the outer leg in as a hook. This can be seen with Wardzinski’s half-butterfly position which combines the two guards together.
A third butterfly entry is from escaping the mount position. If you bridge hard enough then you can elevate your partner into the air. From here you can bring your legs to the front of your opponent’s hips as opposed to behind their hips. This is a good way of improving your position as the butterfly guard is a giant upgrade compared to being stuck in the bottom mount.
When should I use the Butterfly Guard?
Butterfly guard is mostly used when the opponent is on both knees, trying to pass. This enables you to get your feet under them and start sweeping attempts.
The Butterfly Guard is always entered from a seated position. From here your opponent to kneel on your feet which act as hooks. This enables your legs to start elevating your opponent by using your thigh muscles. Also, remember to have your knees flared in butterfly as putting your legs together will nullify the power of your thighs and can cause strain to your knee ligaments.
Regarding the upper body, the butterfly position requires an overhook or underhook to get under the opponent and take away their base. For instance, if sweeping to the left you need to overhook their right arm to stop them posting. This takes away their opportunity to defend the sweep as their arm is under full control.
Sweeps from the Butterfly position
When attacking a sweep you should fall to the side instead of your back flat on the mat. It is a beginners mistake to have a flat back whilst trying a sweep which results in a less effective sweep and sometimes completely losing the position. This is because it takes away the power from your legs as they are stretched more with less connection to the opponent. Not only this, but a good passer may use a flat back to start applying weight and pressure which can nullify the butterfly hooks.
To recap, the basics include a seated position whilst using your legs to elevate and controlling the upper body with underhooks or overhooks. Further, you should never have a flat back whilst attempting sweeps in the butterfly position. It should be noted however, that having a flat back can be used when elevating the opponent either to take the back or to attack their legs.
Another sweep includes the body lock position which was a favorite of Marcelo Garcia. If double underhooks are achieved you can push forward into the opponent and topple them backwards. This is similar to a bodylock takedown whilst standing as it has the same mechanics which involving pushing your foe backwards.
Remember to use your head like a rhino when pushing the opponent as it adds more force. If the opponent leans too far back you can also simply move forwards and come up into a knee tap / single leg takedown position
Submissions from the Butterfly guard
In modern times Nogi great Gordon Ryan has also used the butterfly position very effectively. Ryan often favors the Sumi Gaeshi attack which simultaneously acts as a sweep and submission. Whilst in butterfly, Ryan attaches the opponent’s arm to his neck with his hands clamped on the opponent’s elbow joint.
This either results in an armlock submission or a sweep if the opponent chooses to defend the arm and forfeit the top position as a result. By creating a two vs one dilemma, Ryan forces his opponents into picking a negative outcome. This is also referred to as the shoulder crunch sweep.
However, it’s not just armlocks that can be attacked from the butterfly guard. It can also open up headlock positions too, most noticeably the guillotine. This is often available when the opponent’s head and posture are broken.
In the gi, it can also lead to triangle chokes too. By grabbing the back of the belt, you can anchor yourself onto the opponent and effectively cut off one side of their body. By isolating their one side, you can shoot your legs over the shoulder of the opponent and hit a triangle.
How to pass the Butterfly guard
A question asked by many people is ‘How do I beat the Butterfly guard?’ Like all guards the butterfly is not invincible. If the opponent gets you flat on your back it makes their weight harder to carry and wastes energy.
This means your legs become less powerful which can lead to controlling your ankles to start passing. Alternatively, the opponent can get a body lock pass via double underhooks. Combined with a sprawl, the opponent may move their legs away from yours and walk around your hips.
In short, to pass the butterfly you need to control the legs at some point and immobilize them. This can be done via hugging them and sprawling or putting weight onto them whilst hugging the upper body. A good example of this is with Khabib Nurmagomedov in MMA. Here Khabib will often hug the opponent’s legs together and walk up the body slowly to secure a pass.
Summary
Overall the butterfly guard is very effective. It can lead to a number of sweeps and also can elevate opponents into standing to attack the legs. The Butterfly is used often in Nogi and MMA but is also common in the Gi too which shows its versatility. It is known for controlling stronger, bigger opponents which add to its list of positives. In brief, butterfly guard is fundamentally solid and all students should look into its many benefits whilst grappling.
