Butterfly Guard to Heel Hook with Craig Jones

By Fanatics Authors, August 20, 2019

Jiu-jitsu at its core, is a game about problem solving.

The goal is to disrupt your opponent’s ability to problem solve well at the same time implementing your solution to the situation. At higher levels of training, more unique solutions are required to deal with experienced opposition.

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For example, one way of defending leg attacks is to pass from the knees. When leglocks took over the competition scene, the popular passing meta game was to pass from the feet. This gave the passer more mobility and kept them out range of closed guard and many submissions.

But, this left passer open to leg attacks, because their center of gravity was higher up and their feet within easy reach of the guard player. So, more pressure-based passing from the knees leaves the feet protected, taking the leg lock problem out of the equation for the passer.

Unless you’re Craig Jones of course:

Craig’s partner is passing from the knees in this video, and really setting his weight backwards. This makes him difficult to elevate for sweeps or leg attacks. If Craig wants to force movement and make openings, he needs to somehow force his opponent to elevate his base up or forward

He starts by taking one hook out and tucking the leg under himself. Craig rides up into combat base position, the hook that is still in bumping his partner backwards. He’s almost tackling his partner, shin first. The same side hand as the butterfly hook reaches and grabs their far lat muscle, like he would for a back take.

When we are pushed one direction, we tend to push back the opposite way. So when his opponent is pushed backwards, they will automatically drive themselves forwards, bringing his weight forward as well.

With this new space open, Craig rolls under him and hooks the leg around the outside with his free hand. This might look like a complicated inversion, but if you watch closely you’ll see that He’s just doing a shoulder roll over his left shoulder.

Now that he was positioned himself directly under his opponent’s center of gravity, sweeping him over is very simple. Craig kicks before his legs forwards, and rides the sweep straight up into a saddle position.

From there you can take the heel hook, or if it’s not allowed, start passing. The sweep lands in a reverse half guard position. Craig pushes the far leg with his hand and frees leg.

Regardless of pass or leg lock, just remember that if you get stuck trying to go through or around a problem, going under it is always an option.

Craig has dedicated the time and work ethic to develop an insanely strong Jiu Jitsu game. He has a multitude of video instructionals available covering everything from “How to pass guards quickly and easily” to “The triangle machine” that are certain to elevate your game and make you better positioned to dominate on the mats at your academy, and more importantly, in competition.

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