Learn Marcelo Garcia’s Famous Butterfly Kick Sweep

 

The butterfly guard has evolved into one of the most exciting and useful platforms in all of BJJ. Its vast array of utilities and dynamic options has become a favorite for many practitioners of all levels  and it continues to evolve at a rapid pace. The guard serves BJJ players of all shapes and sizes and because it is a form of the open guard there are seemingly endless ways to proceed. 

One of the butterfly guard’s best attributes is its ability to provide elevation when dealing with a guard passer. Getting underneath a top player can be done easily with efficiency if the right mechanics are in place. This elevation can be used to sweep, transition, and even enter into the leg lock realm, making the butterfly guard one of the most  preferred methods of approaching the open guard game on the planet. 

When we think about the butterfly guard there are certain concepts that come to mind. One of the most popular techniques (and probably the first technique you should know) is the basic butterfly sweep. Claiming space under the guard passer and using one of our insteps to elevate and reverse them is an important skill and there might not be anyone in the world that does it better than Marcelo Garcia.

Tales of the incredible mastery of Garcia’s butterfly guard have preceded him for years. We often witnessed his amazing work with this position in his competitive endeavors and we continue to be  amazed and inspired to this day by Garcia’s high level of proficiency with the butterfly guard and his jiu-jitsu in general. Garcia is one of the most sought after instructors in the world. Over the years he's compiled his own impressive list of accomplishments, winning at the highest levels, and he continues to cultivate an environment at his own academy in NYC that produces champions and some of the most decorated competitors in the sport of BJJ. 

With the release of The Complete Butterfly Guard, Garcia is now sharing the secrets of his incredible butterfly guard game with BJJ community. This is one of the most highly anticipated instructionals of all time, from one of the most respected and dedicated contributors to BJJ in the history of the art. 

In this video, Garcia explains how to adapt the butterfly guard sweep when the top player is giving some resistance. This is a common problem and it's something you’ll undoubtedly run into if you're a fan of this position. This is just the tip of the iceberg but it's a great place to start! Check this out! 

 

Many times, we see the butterfly sweep utilizing and under hook and some form of control over the opposite arm but it's not always so easy to claim that under hook space. Here, we find Garcia using the collar tie instead.Garcia is famous for the two on one style grip but he’s got plenty of options when it comes to controlling limbs. For this sequence he’ll gain control over the elbow in addition to the collar tie. 

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With his controls in place, Garcia makes his move, scooting deep under his partner and beginning to elevate him upward. In many cases this may be the end of the exchange but here his partner has used his left leg to catch his balance and prevent the reversal. As Garcia explains, time is definitely of the essence here. As he elevates his partner and the balance is kept, there is a small window for Garcia to perform this particular technique before his partner drops back down into a heavier posture, eliminating the possibility of the reversal. 

While his partner is hovering above him, Garcia’s free leg enters the fold. Creating a post on the thigh, Garcia can remove his partner’s posted leg from underneath him, causing the sweep. Remember, your post must make contact with the guard passer’s leg above the knee line to get the most out of this one! 

At the completion of the reversal it's important to remember that we don't have an under hook to establish a perfect side control. We’ll need to remove the collar tie and immediately pommel for the under hook before our partner begins to regain their composure. The only way for the bottom player to regain good position is to open up their arms, exposing the under hook space. Be ready to capitalize as this movement occurs. If the under hook space is closed off, Garcia recommends traveling to a more north south style position to make sure we end up with ample control of our opponent’s body. 

At the close of the instruction, Garica offers some more contingency plans. Depending on how close the top players leg comes to our body after we elevate, you may feel crowded and unable to post your foot on the leg. If this occurs, you can start with placing your foot lower down toward the ankle and work your way to the top incrementally to perform the same sweep. In another option, the leg is just too close to Garcia, so he opts to reach under it with his arm instead, giving him the option to transition elsewhere. This could possibly lead to x-guard or another guard variation of your choice. 

This is a phenomenal option for continuing the butterfly guard sweep when there is more than average balance present from an opponent. Make sure that you work to get above the knee when you're attacking your partners post, as this is the only way Garcia feels the reversal can take place. 

 

There are 4 incredible volumes in The Complete Butterfly Guard waiting to be recruited into your game. Don't miss this rare and unique opportunity to learn from one of the true legends of the sport! Available now at the BJJ Fanatics Online Store!

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