In BJJ, the term “sweep” is a word you’ll hear again and again. Perhaps the easiest way of describing a sweep is to reverse an opponent from a neutral position. The good thing about sweeps is that there are many of them to choose from, and you’ll find many high-percentage variants regardless of the guard you play.
The butterfly guard is one of the most potent guards you can use when the opponent kneels. Unlike in the standup, the weight and balance of a kneeling opponent are less widely distributed on the mat. In this article, we will talk about how to execute the butterfly sweep effectively.
The Butterfly Sweep
The butterfly guard is one of the fundamental guards in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Unlike other types of guard, where you mainly hold and neutralize the opponent for some time, the butterfly guard is known as an offensive guard, where you are encouraged to attack with drags, sweeps, and wrestle-ups. Over the past couple of years, the butterfly guard has become the starting hub for leg lock opportunities, particularly in no-gi grappling.
The most common attack from the butterfly guard is the sweep. Using your foot to hook underneath the opponent’s legs is the central movement in most butterfly sweeps. Once you enter the butterfly guard, your primary goal is to lift the opponent and unbalance them to a side while you remove their ability to post. Doing so disables their ability to recover their balance and stay upright. Learn the basic butterfly sweep from Lachlan Giles in the video below.
If you want to sweep the opponent on your left side effectively, you must first put your weight on your right hip while entering at an angle. Doing so makes it easier to take the opponent in the opposite direction. Before doing this, secure an underhook with your right arm first. Don’t try reaching out directly for an underhook with both arms, as the opponent can pummel back.
To secure an underhook, post your head on the opponent’s chest as you grab the underhook with your right hand. This closes the distance and prevents the opponent from re-pummeling. As soon as you grab the underhook, post your left hand on the mat and scoot your hip to the right side as your right foot hook is placed inside the thigh. Keep your left leg folded and your foot underneath your right hamstring. Remember to fold the same side’s leg, whichever side you’re sweeping the opponent.
As you scoot your hips to the right side while hooking your right foot, ensure you get a deep underhook while grabbing their belt with your right hand. Use your left hand to hold the opponent’s far arm. You can catch their elbow and press their arm to their hip; alternatively, you can grab their tricep and pull. As you pull their arm to your body, lock your elbow tight to the side over their wrist to deny the opponent’s ability to post their hand on the mat.
Because we are sweeping the opponent on the left side, fall to your left and not on your back. Fall on your left shoulder and use your bottom leg (left leg) to help lift your hips to elevate the opponent. There should be a minimal extension with your top leg (right leg), and you must ideally keep it at a 90-degree angle. Sweep the opponent and get to side control.
Improve Your Butterfly Sweep
The video shows three ways to improve your butterfly guard. Adam Wardzinski is one of the best butterfly guard players in the game today. We encourage you to study his game if you haven’t already.
Whenever you want to attack or sweep the opponent, it is imperative to keep your hips to the side where your underhook is. You want to avoid squaring your hips with the opponent because whenever the opponent moves forward, they can put your back flat on the mat. This denies the leverage your leg needs to elevate the opponent and limits your ability to attack their arm because of the angle.
If your hips are squared with the opponent, use your posting hand on the mat to set the position of your hips to the side. Always go with your hips outside as it allows you to fall on your shoulder, giving you the power to elevate the opponent with your legs instead of being flattened on the mat if the opponent pushes you backward. Remember to keep your head beside the opponent’s head. Assuming that you are attacking the right side, use your head to post on their head to get additional pressure. Doing this allows you to control and handle the position easier.
The second detail is to have control over the opponent’s far arm. As mentioned earlier, you can grab their tricep and lock your elbow to your body to keep their forearm to your hip. This limits the movement of the opponent’s far arm even more as you fall to the side. The same can be said when you grab the opponent by their wrist with a stiff arm and drive their arm on their hip. Having proper control over the opponent’s far arm forces the opponent’s upper body to turn with their shoulder towards the mat, which means it will be easier for you to execute the sweep.
The third detail is whenever you fall on your shoulder to the side, do not rush the sweep with your top leg (hooking leg). When you extend your top leg, you allow the opponent to smash your guard using the hip switch motion. Remember that extending your leg makes it weaker. Rather than extending, keep it bent to have more substantial leverage and to deny the opponent from smashing the guard.
Instead of extending the top leg, use your bottom leg. Plant your toes on the mat and look for three points of base: your toes, shoulder, and forehead. Elevate yourself using the bottom leg and push forward with the top leg to land on top and secure the position.
Conclusion
As the great Muhammad Ali said, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” While used in the context of boxing, the same can be said with the butterfly sweep. If executed with proper technique, the butterfly sweep can reverse even the biggest of your training partners. Learn the butterfly sweep today and watch your sweeping game improve instantly.
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