13/08/2014 - Teaching | Butterfly Guard | Knee Forward Pass

Teaching #183
Artemis BJJ (Bristol Sports Centre), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 13/08/2014

Following another great women's class, we looked at passing the butterfly guard in the mixed class straight after. This time, unlike Monday you haven't managed to flatten them out before passing: they are still upright and ready to sweep. Reach over their back and secure a grip under their opposite shoulder blade, leaning slightly to the opposite side. Post on that side with your hand, or grab their knee. Step up your leg on the same side as your reaching arm, tight to their leg, so that the inside of your knee is pressing into the outside of theirs. If it isn't tight, they'll be able to exploit that space, perhaps hooking and initiating a sweep.

Using your upright knee, turn and push their knees in the opposite direction (if you're wondering what to do with your other arm, Saulo suggests basing on the floor with it). The idea here is to clamp their knees to the mat, pressuring through the side of their top knee. Ideally you want it right on the knee, rather than on the thigh or lower, though that would still be effective to a degree. Replace that pressure with your non-gripping hand, keeping the arm straight to use your skeletal structure rather than muscles. You can then pass to side control or possibly take their back, depending on their reaction.
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Teaching Notes: Dónal has taught this one before with a nifty drilling sequence, so I added that in at the start. It begins from a press-up type position. Kick your left leg over your right so that the sole of your left foot contacts the floor, still keeping your chest towards the floor as well. That same motion works as a pass if they've elevated you from butterfly guard. Done right, you'll slip off to one side.

Further refining that motion, you can bring your knee slightly forward and knock their knees to the side, in the midst of doing a backstep out of their butterfly guard. Knocking their knees away increases the efficacy of the pass, as they will have a harder time getting their leg in the way of your pass (without that knocking away, their knee will often remain pressed across your stomach). That then leads into the pass.

I think next time, I'll emphasise that the pressure needs to go through the knee, as a few people were slipping lower or higher on the leg. There were also some who were grabbing the bottom leg: that can work, but it's not as effective as driving your weight through the top knee into their their bottom knee, because that controls both at the same time. Also, if their top leg is free, they can start getting it in the way and trying to recover to a better position.