Butterfly Guard Movement

Part of the course: The Lord of the Guards: Guard Retention by Jon Calestine

Butterfly Guard Movement
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Jon Calestine
Jon Calestine

About this video

Establishing good positioning in the butterfly guard is crucial, but equally important is the ability to move effectively within this guard. The butterfly guard is an active guard, requiring constant movement and adjustment based on the opponent's actions.
  1. When moving forward, maintain good posture and avoid placing your hands on the floor. This exposes you to body locks, underhooks, and rolling Kimuras. Instead, maintain good posture and scoot forward by leaning into your heels and lifting your hips.
  2. When moving backward, lean forward and lift your buttocks off the floor. This allows you to take big steps backward without losing balance.
  3. Another way to move forward and backward is by disconnecting and walking using your heels to dig into the mat. This can be done by taking short steps while leaning forward and pushing off your feet.
  4. In the staggered guard, you can move side to side and create circular motion. This is done by pushing off your hand while pulling on your foot. You can move in either direction by switching your hips.
  5. You can also use movement to cut off your opponent. If you want to force your opponent to pass in a certain direction, you can move out on an angle to force them to circle in the direction you want.
These movements are essential for maintaining an active guard and managing distance effectively. The next step involves making grips in your active seated guard and creating off balance using different means of playing with your opponent's legs with foot posts, hooks, and different inside hooks.

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