Butterfly Guard FREE Videos & Techniques – Best BJJ Guide
Butterfly guard is a seated open guard using shin hooks to elevate, sweep, and off-balance—great in gi and no-gi. Below, we’ve hand-picked free videos and concise breakdowns covering classic hook sweeps, underhook/overhook series, arm drags to the back, shoulder crunch entries, collar ties, wrestle-up transitions, and counters to pressure passing. Compare teaching styles from coaches like Marcelo Garcia, Lachlan Giles, Gordon Ryan, John Danaher concepts, and high-level competitors demonstrating modern systems. You’ll find quick clips, longer instructionals, and match-based analysis so you can cross-check grips, angles, kazushi, and finishing details fast. Scroll, watch, and build a progression from basic elevation mechanics to aggressive back takes and leg entanglement follow-ups. Read the full Butterfly Guard position guide.
Butterfly Guard Guard Retention (Top 20 Videos)
The Butterfly Re-Discovered Bundle by Adam Wardzinski
$317.00 • BJJ Fanatics
This four-part instructional video by Adam Wardzinski, a top-flight international competitor well-known for his butterfly guard, is designed to help you master this position in both gi and no-gi formats. The video explores techniques to build the butterfly guard from scratch and use it as a defensive tool to escape precarious situations or as an offensive weapon to execute sweeps, submissions, or back takes. The training also includes tips on how to launch attacks from complementary guards like the single leg X guard, supercharge your offense using lapels, and merge various butterfly positions like the classic, side, lazy, and half butterfly to form a comprehensive butterfly guard system.
Modern Guards Re-Introduced Bundle by Adam Wardzinski
$249.00 • BJJ Fanatics
This video features black belt world champion, Adam Wardzinski, teaching the art of BJJ guard with a focus on butterfly guard. He further elaborates butterfly guard variations like X, single X, and more. He uses his simple and effective approach to guard that has gained recognition on the global stage. This instructional video is ideal those with an interest in improving their guard, particularly seated guard, and butterfly guard.
Forging The Guard: Mastering The Foundations of Butterfly Guard by Giancarlo Bodoni
$197.00 • BJJ Fanatics
This instructional video by ADCC Gold Medalist Giancarlo Bodoni teaches students how to improve their effectiveness from the Butterfly Guard position. It presents a comprehensive curriculum which includes strategies for butterfly guard attacks, setups, and defenses. These techniques allow practitioners to dictate the pace of a match and dominate their opponents. According to Bodoni, who shares his championship-winning strategies, these skills can drastically improve a student's grappling game.
The Complete Butterfly Guard by Marcelo Garcia
$149.00 • BJJ Fanatics
Marcelo Garcia, a 9-Time ADCC IBJJF Champion, offers comprehensive instruction on his favored Butterfly Guard position. As a relatively smaller practitioner, Garcia often used this technique successfully against even significantly larger opponents. In this video, Marcelo shares the specific sweeps and submissions that became a key part of his award-winning strategy. The video is a masterclass in using the Butterfly Guard as an effective tool in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Butterfly Guard Rediscovered 3.0 by Adam Wardzinski
$149.00 • BJJ Fanatics
The video features BJJ black belt competitor Adam Wardzinski teaching various techniques from the butterfly guard position. He focuses on combining classic butterfly guard with variations like side butterfly, lazy butterfly, half butterfly and others. He also introduces attacks from the single leg X guard and explores the use of lapels to enhance offense. The tutorial is suitable for both beginners and experienced BJJ students, offering detailed instruction in Wardzinski’s innovative system.
The Marcelo Guard: Mastering The Butterfly Guard by Marcelo Garcia
$149.00 • BJJ Fanatics
This video features globally renowned instructor Marcelo Garcia, teaching his critically acclaimed Butterfly Guard Retention and Control technique. He explains how to skillfully manage your distance and establish superior grips from a seated Butterfly Guard position, setting the groundwork for strong defensive positions. Garcia provides step-by-step instructions for executing his signature offense and shows how to transition successfully to Single Leg X and X Guard positions. He advises on when and why to use powerful grips like the belt, two-on-one grips, and lapel controls to secure domination over the opponent and make the Butterfly Guard more effective.
Make My Day Butterfly Guard by Vitor Ribeiro
$127.00 • BJJ Fanatics
The video is an instructional session where three-time IBJJF Black Belt World Champion, Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, is seen demonstrating how to successfully utilize the butterfly guard against standing and kneeling opponents. Ribeiro emphasizes the importance of controlling opponents from the butterfly guard as a setup for various techniques. He also provides detailed instructions on his highly effective butterfly sweep, used extensively during his competition career. This includes how to set up sweeps from open, closed, and half guard positions. Additional strategies discussed include the knee lever, the dogfight, crucifix entries, and methods to counter and avoid common passes such as the cross grip pass.
Butterfly Guard Re-discovered: No Gi Butterfly Guard Encyclopedia by Adam Wardzinski
$127.00 • BJJ Fanatics
The video features Adam Wardzinski explaining the techniques involved in the No-Gi Butterfly Guard system. He provides strategies for maintaining control, conserving energy, and perfecting sweeps and submissions from this position. Wardzinski also offers insights regarding its versatility, making it effective for various grappling situations. The video claims to be a comprehensive encyclopedia of Butterfly Guard for practitioners looking to master this technique.
Seated Solutions by Jon Satava
$97.00 • BJJ Fanatics
The video features black belt Jon Satava teaching a comprehensive retention and recovery system for the butterfly guard, which includes managing standing opponents and preventing pressure passes. Satava, a student of Marcelo Garcia, details how to use butterfly hooks effectively to maintain and regain the butterfly guard position. The tutorial also includes Satava's granby series that will help students escape harmful situations and avert near passes, boosting their confidence in using the butterfly guard.
Butterfly Guard Re-Discovered by Adam Wardzinski
$79.00 • BJJ Fanatics
Adam Wardzinski, a top-flight European Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, shares his effective and simple Butterfly Guard system. Known as the best modern-day Butterfly Guard player, Wardzinski has defeated several Black Belt World Champions with this technique. This video offers the opportunity to not just improve your guard game, but potentially transform it, especially geared towards defeating larger, stronger opponents with the use of the Butterfly Guard.
Butterfly Guard Sweeps (Top 20 Videos)
Simplify The System: Sumi Gaeshi (The Butterfly Sweep) by Brian Glick
$197.00 • BJJ Fanatics
This instructional video features black belt Brian Glick, who has trained under John Danaher and is known to be one of Gordon Ryan's best training partners, teaching the Sumi Gaeshi from the butterfly guard position. It explores various aspects of this sweeping technique including grip variations, setups, and complimentary techniques aimed at maintaining inside position, applying constant off balancing techniques and powerful sweeping options. The video also discusses how to transform your sumi gaeshi from a singular attack into a complete system that improves your offensive potential from the bottom. It highlights strategies to counteract multi-directional attacks and enter leg entanglement entries.
Foot Sweeps, Ankle Picks and Tripods Engineering by Adam Wardzinski
$127.00 • BJJ Fanatics
This video teaches Adam Wardzinski's butterfly guard-based system that is specifically designed to prevent standing opponents from passing the guard quickly and efficiently. The techniques covered are foot sweeps, ankle picks, and tripods. Adam presents a high-level strategy to slow the game down and take advantage of the opponent's mistakes. He demonstrates how to implement positions like shin to shin, single-leg x, x, butterfly, and more to effectively handle mobile and fast opponents.
Timeless Sweeps and Submissions: The Side Butterfly Guard by Rafael Lovato
$127.00 • BJJ Fanatics
In this video, decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion and undefeated MMA champion, Rafael Lovato Jr., introduces the Side Butterfly Guard position and demonstrates how to effectively use it for sweeps and submissions. He explains why this angle is powerful providing diverse opportunities for attacks. Lovato Jr. guides learners on how to hinder opponent's counters, transition to x-guards, take the opponent's back, and sweep both directions. Overall, this video presents a comprehensive system including entries, attacks, counters and success strategies.
Master The Move: The Butterfly Guard Sweep Sumi Gaeshi by John Danaher
$98.50 • BJJ Fanatics
John Danaher, revered instructor, goes into depth explaining the Sumi Gaeshi Sweep from the Butterfly Guard. He emphasizes on how this specific sweep has bolstered his students' careers, facilitating them to win top honors in sport grappling. He unravels the entire system behind this essential sweep, and how the position effortlessly connects to leg locks, back takes and top control sequences.
The No Gi Butterfly Guard Rediscovered by Adam Wardzinski
$79.00 • BJJ Fanatics
Adam Wardzinski explains his signature No-Gi Butterfly Guard system in this instructional video. The 3-volume series covers all the techniques and adjustments necessary to control the Butterfly Guard game. Wardzinski demonstrates how to efficiently execute submissions and sweeps from the no-gi Butterfly Guard, the very technique that won him the ADCC Trials against 50+ top competitors. The content is suitable for learners aiming to enhance their skills at the Black Belt level.
Butterfly Guard Guard Passing (9 Videos)
Killing The Butterfly Guard by Andre Galvao
$127.00 • BJJ Fanatics
This video is an instructional on guard passing from the butterfly guard position. Andre Galvao, one of the leading competitors of his generation and current head of Atos team, covers effective techniques such as side smashes, leg staples, and long steps. The training encompasses modern and classic strategies that are effective in top control. He aims to give viewers a deep understanding of staying safe against a guard player while maintaining control in a fight.
The Ultimate Butterfly Pressure Passing by Rodolfo Vieira
$97.00 • BJJ Fanatics
The video features Rodolfo Vieira, an accomplished Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and undefeated UFC fighter, teaching his techniques for Butterfly Pressure Passing. He emphasizes the use of pressure, hip control, and precise grips to immobilize the opponent's guard effectively. The technique provides many options such as transitioning to mount, back stepping, and defending against sweeps. Vieira's instruction aims to transform the viewer's top game with these pressure concepts.
Passing The Butterfly Guard by Jason Hunt
$79.00 • BJJ Fanatics
In the video, Jason Hunt, an experienced BJJ black belt and top instructor at the Meraki academy in Los Angeles, demonstrates his method for passing the Butterfly Guard. Hunt shares proven concepts, drills, and techniques that simplify the process of passing this guard. Using a systematic approach, he imparts knowledge crucial for overpowering an opponent in the Butterfly Guard position. His teaching methodology has been used by world champions like Gabriel Arges and Edwin Najmi.
Butterfly Guard Submissions (6 Videos)
Telephone Armbar System by Casey Lamb
$79.00 • BJJ Fanatics
The video instructs viewers on applying the Telephone Armbar system in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). Instructor Casey Lamb guides on how to effectively attack the arm in the Omoplata position, presenting an array of alternatives leaving the opponent with no good choice. He emphasizes on systemizing armbar attacks to ensure the opponent never has a moment of safety. Also, the video provides key strategies to successfully tap out opponents straight from the butterfly guard position.
Butterfly Guard Transitions (4 Videos)
Arm Drags Beyond The Basics by Thomas Lisboa
$79.00 • BJJ Fanatics
This video features BJJ black belt, Thomas Lisboa, teaching an in-depth tutorial on an advanced arm drag system that can be effective from various positions. Lisboa demonstrates how to accomplish the arm drag from multiple situations, including standing positions, during guard passing, during counter attacks, and from the butterfly guard. The aim is to effectively use the arm drag to secure the back, execute sweeps, takedowns and more.
Butterfly Guard Leg Locks (2 Videos)
Butterfly Guard Other (1 Videos)
Introduction to Butterfly Guard by Jon Satava
$97.00 • BJJ Fanatics
In this video, Jon Satava, a known expert in Butterfly Guard, gives an extensive lesson on the position. He explains its importance in high-level competitive Jiu-Jitsu and how to incorporate it into one's repertoire. The video is structured around step-by-step instructions on establishing key grips, generating movement, and executing a sweep from a variety of Butterfly Guard positions. Moreover, it also contains a section dedicated to a punishing inverted armbar system, framed as an essential part of a complete Butterfly Guard.