{"slug":"butterfly-guard","name":"Butterfly Guard","aliases":["seated guard","hooks guard","borboleta"],"category":"guard","format":"both","level":"fundamental","summary":"A seated inside-position guard that uses instep hooks, upper-body connection, and off-balancing to sweep or enter the legs.","overview":["Butterfly guard places one or both insteps inside the opponent's thighs while the guard player remains seated or on a hip. Its power comes from connecting a lifting hook to a strong upper-body tie and directing the opponent into a weak posting angle.","Because it works with overhooks, underhooks, collar grips, and head control, butterfly guard crosses gi and no-gi unusually well. It also connects naturally to single-leg X, X guard, front headlocks, and wrestle-ups."],"keyPrinciples":["Win inside knee position before trying to elevate.","Pull the opponent's upper body over the lifting hook.","Remove or overload the post on the sweeping side.","Follow the sweep to a stable top position rather than admiring the elevation."],"entries":[{"label":"Seated guard","description":"Establish inside hooks as the opponent approaches on their knees."},{"label":"Half guard","description":"Insert a butterfly hook from knee-shield or flattened half guard."},{"label":"Snap-down reaction","description":"Sit under a recovering opponent while maintaining an upper-body connection."}],"continuations":[{"label":"Butterfly sweep","description":"Load the opponent over a hook while steering the upper body past its post."},{"label":"Single-leg X","description":"Elevate one leg and connect underneath the opponent's center of gravity."},{"label":"Arm drag","description":"Redirect an arm across the centerline to expose the back or create a wrestle-up."}],"defenses":[{"label":"Hip distance","description":"Keep the hips heavy enough that the guard player cannot easily load your weight."},{"label":"Pummel inside","description":"Clear hooks and win knee position before committing to pressure."},{"label":"Stable posts","description":"Anticipate the side being overloaded and recover a post or hip turn."}],"relatedTechniqueSlugs":["single-leg-x","x-guard","wrestle-up","half-guard"],"athleteSlugs":["marcelo-garcia","bruno-malfacine","gordon-ryan","adam-wardzinski"],"rulesetNote":"Scoring and permitted grips vary by promotion and division. Check the current organizer rules before competing.","historyNote":"Butterfly guard has long existed across grappling styles, but modern jiu-jitsu competitors developed it into a highly connected sweeping and submission system.","sources":[{"label":"IBJJF rule book and rules resources","url":"https://ibjjf.com/books-videos","type":"rules"},{"label":"United World Wrestling — grappling disciplines","url":"https://cms.uww.org/disciplines","type":"reference"}],"lastUpdated":"2026-07-25","url":"https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/butterfly-guard","markdownUrl":"https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/butterfly-guard.md","jsonUrl":"https://www.ossmeta.com/api/public/techniques/butterfly-guard","relatedTechniques":[{"slug":"single-leg-x","name":"Single-Leg X","url":"https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/single-leg-x"},{"slug":"x-guard","name":"X Guard","url":"https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/x-guard"},{"slug":"wrestle-up","name":"Wrestle-Up","url":"https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/wrestle-up"},{"slug":"half-guard","name":"Half Guard","url":"https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/half-guard"}],"associatedAthletes":[{"slug":"marcelo-garcia","name":"Marcelo Garcia","url":"https://www.ossmeta.com/athletes/marcelo-garcia"},{"slug":"bruno-malfacine","name":"Bruno Malfacine","url":"https://www.ossmeta.com/athletes/bruno-malfacine"},{"slug":"gordon-ryan","name":"Gordon Ryan","url":"https://www.ossmeta.com/athletes/gordon-ryan"},{"slug":"adam-wardzinski","name":"Adam Wardziński","url":"https://www.ossmeta.com/athletes/adam-wardzinski"}],"sourceSite":{"name":"Ossmeta","url":"https://www.ossmeta.com"}}