Single Hook Butterfly Pass with Leo Nogueira

I think for everyone there are likely different things along the way that just blow your mind for lack of a better way of saying it.  Things that just don’t seem to make sense no matter how it is explained to you. No? Just me? I suppose that could be true, but stick around just in case, you might learn something you didn’t expect to about butterfly guard passing.  

For me butterfly guard has always been one of those guards that I just never understood, until recently.  It just doesn’t make sense to me. How is it possible for me to already be outside of the opponent’s legs and still not be able to get around?  I also never understood how everyone who used the butterfly guard had such sticky insteps… those things followed my legs around like they were glued on to my Gi pants.  

Nevertheless, like anything, the more you work with it and the more you study it the easier it becomes for you to understand it.  Let’s take a look at a video clip from Leo Nogueira on a Single Hook Butterfly Pass and see how we can start using this in our game when the situation arises. 

 

 

First, we must understand what the opponent is looking for from this position.  Starting out on our knees with the opponent seated in front of us with one hook in and an under hook they have a few great options.  

The first would be to grab our Gi pants at the knee with the hand that is currently basing on the floor and stand up then driving in to the opponent forcing us to the mat on our back allowing the opponent to pass our guard and get to work.  The other option from here is to continue to back up and maintain space, making it nearly impossible for us to close the distance and get tight. The last option is so simple it seems like it would never work, but it does. For the last option the opponent simply bumps our over hook arm and scoots under it and around to the back.  It is a very simple transition but certainly is worth a try, even if it does not work, you still have not lost anything. 

Leo feels that passing the single hook butterfly is much more difficult to pass because you have better options from there as well as more mobility.  Let’s now dive in and see how Leo likes to not only mitigate the risks of the options mentioned above and but also pass the guard and start getting to work on submissions. 

First things first, Leo wants to get in line with the opponent’s hook taking the power out of it, as you can see in the picture below.   This is just a simple scoot to the side using his knees and the over hook to keep his opponent in place as he moves. 

Once Leo is able to get to the side, he has effectively removed the power from this hook.  At this point he is looking to control the foot (use a palm up grip for this, not palm down, it is very important) while also driving his head under the chin of the opponent and gripping the back of the Gi jacket keeping his elbow tight to their back.  Now that he has all 3 of these components, he is able to simply sit back to his elbow that is on the opponent’s back. As soon as he makes it to his elbow he is reaching with his opposite hand and planting it between the opponent’s legs to prevent the opponent from shrimping and replacing their guard. 

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Now that he has gained the top position, he looks to work to a full side control with his knees tight to his opponent and his cross face.  As he starts to achieve this he can then remove his hand from between the opponent’s legs as the risk of effective shrimping is greatly reduced with the cross face and tight body control. 

Take your passing to the next level and never have to go through the extensive cardio of pressure passing after you learn “The Sao Paulo Passing System by Leonardo Nogueira”.  This passing system is one of the best of all time  exposing the secrets of pressure passing from a world champion.  This video instructional is 4 volumes packed with hidden details behind being a guard passing machine at the highest levels, and against any and all opponents regardless of their size, weight, strength or even rank.  

Don’t wait any longer to take your passing game to the next level.  Start turning it up a notch on the mats today with these easy to follow instructions that are simple, yet imperative if you want to be able to blow past everyone’s guards.  Remember, the instructional only works if you do so get out there and get some mat time in. Get to work. 

The São Paulo Passing System by Leonardo Nogueira let’s you DESTROY the guard. Today’s closed guard is a tricky endeavor that is full of traps, Leo’s passing approach will help you get those points! The São Paulo Passing System gives you the tools for success when passing the guard.

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