Half butterfly guard
Half guard where your free leg is inserted as a butterfly hook under their thigh instead of lying flat. The hook lets you lift their weight and sweep, and it keeps pressure passers from settling on you.
Press Bookmark while a detail you want to rewatch is on screen.
Essentials
Half guard with your free leg hooked under their thigh as a butterfly hook. The hook lifts their weight, so you can sweep or come up instead of being flattened.
- Get on your side with an underhook or frame
- Keep the butterfly hook active under their thigh
- Lift them and sweep, or come up to the dogfight
- Flatten you with a crossface
- Pin or push off your hook and pass
- Upper body connection before you lift
- The hook is a lever: use it while their weight is on it
- Lying flat with a passive hook
- Sweeping without arm or head control
Techniques to learn
Each one opens its own page and video.
Where it leads
- In courses
- Half guard set
If this happens…
- they lean their weight onto youElevate with the hook as you fall to your underhook side for the sweep
- they stand up tall to free their legLift the hook and slide into single leg X or X-guard
Advanced detailsTransitions, threats, reactions, troubleshooting and a sparring drill
1. Overview
Half guard where your free leg is inserted as a butterfly hook under their thigh instead of lying flat. The hook lets you lift their weight and sweep, and it keeps pressure passers from settling on you.
Key controls
- Butterfly hook inside their free thigh
- Your other leg traps their near leg
- Underhook or a strong frame on the hook side
- On your side, never flat
In this position
6 transitions · 2 sweeps · 0 submissions · 3 reactions · 2 troubleshooting fixes · 1 sparring exercise · 3 techniques