As the attacker executing the Pass Half Butterfly, your objective is to systematically neutralize the bottom player’s butterfly hook while maintaining upper body control, then complete the pass to side control. The critical insight is that the butterfly hook only generates dangerous lifting power when your weight is positioned directly above it. By shifting your center of gravity forward onto the bottom player’s chest and driving your hips low and away from the hook’s optimal fulcrum point, you reduce the hook to a passive obstacle rather than an active threat. The pass requires patience and sequential progression through control establishment, hook neutralization, and pass completion rather than explosive forcing through the guard.
From Position: Half Butterfly (Top)
Key Attacking Principles
- Drive chest weight forward and hips low to shift the load away from the butterfly hook’s optimal leverage point near the thigh
- Establish crossface before attempting to clear the hook, as head control prevents the bottom player from creating sweep angles
- Neutralize the hook through hip positioning and weight distribution rather than trying to physically strip it with your hands
- Maintain constant forward pressure throughout the pass sequence to prevent the bottom player from reloading the hook with hip elevation
- Control the underhook battle on the butterfly hook side to prevent the bottom player from establishing the primary offensive grip
- Complete the pass by sliding the knee through only after the hook has been rendered ineffective through proper weight placement
Prerequisites
- Crossface or strong head control established preventing the bottom player from turning toward you
- Forward chest pressure applied reducing the butterfly hook’s ability to generate elevation
- Wide base with knees spread providing stability against sweep attempts during the pass
- Near-side arm controlling the bottom player’s hip or underhook to prevent guard recovery sequences
- Hips positioned low and heavy to minimize the mechanical advantage of the butterfly hook
Execution Steps
- Establish crossface control: Drive your forearm or bicep across the bottom player’s face and neck, turning their head away from you. This prevents them from creating the angle needed for butterfly sweeps and establishes the primary control point for the entire pass sequence.
- Drop weight forward onto chest: Shift your center of gravity forward so your chest drives heavily into the bottom player’s upper body. Keep your hips low and heavy. This weight transfer reduces the butterfly hook’s lifting power by moving the load away from the hook’s optimal elevation point near your thigh.
- Widen base and sprawl hips: Spread your knees wide to create a stable platform that resists the bottom player’s off-balancing attempts. Sprawl your hips slightly to flatten your weight distribution and further reduce the hook’s ability to generate the upward force needed for sweeps.
- Neutralize the butterfly hook: Using hip pressure and leg positioning, drive the butterfly hook toward the mat by angling your hip down on the hook side. You can weave your free leg over the hook, backstep around it, or use direct hip pressure to collapse the bottom player’s knee inward, eliminating the hook’s structural integrity.
- Block hip and prevent reguard: With your near-side hand, block the bottom player’s far hip to prevent them from shrimping away or inserting a knee shield. Maintain constant connection between your hip and their hip on the passing side, eliminating the space they need for any guard recovery or transition to deep half guard.
- Slide knee through to complete pass: Once the hook is neutralized and hip control is established, slide your trapped knee through the bottom player’s leg entanglement while maintaining heavy chest pressure. Drive your knee to the mat on the far side of their hip, completing the pass to side control with crossface still in place.
- Consolidate side control: Immediately establish perpendicular chest-to-chest contact with your hips heavy on the bottom player’s hips. Maintain crossface control and secure the far-side underhook or hip block to prevent any late guard recovery attempts. Settle your weight to complete the transition to stable side control.
Possible Outcomes
| Result | Position | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Success | Side Control | 55% |
| Failure | Half Butterfly | 30% |
| Counter | Half Guard | 15% |
Opponent Counters
- Bottom player elevates butterfly hook for sweep attempt during weight transfer (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Immediately widen base and drive hips toward the mat while increasing crossface pressure. If the elevation has significant momentum, post your far hand momentarily to stabilize, then immediately return to chest pressure once the sweep attempt stalls. → Leads to Half Butterfly
- Bottom player establishes underhook and begins to come up to dogfight position (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Apply heavy overhook or whizzer on the underhook arm while driving shoulder pressure down to prevent them from rising. If they continue climbing, sprawl hips back and circle toward their back to take advantage of their committed body angle. → Leads to Half Butterfly
- Bottom player dives underneath for deep half guard entry during pass attempt (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Keep hips heavy and inside knee positioned to block their head from shooting underneath. When you feel the dive, immediately flatten your weight forward and drive your hips down to prevent them from completing the deep half entry. Reestablish crossface and restart pass. → Leads to Half Butterfly
- Bottom player frames and shrimps to create distance for guard recovery (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Follow the shrimp with constant forward pressure and close the distance immediately. Use your near hand to control their hip and prevent further hip escape. If they create enough space to insert a knee shield, address it with a smash pass or backstep before restarting the half butterfly pass. → Leads to Half Butterfly
- Bottom player times a hook sweep during the moment you slide your knee through (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Ensure the hook is fully neutralized before attempting to slide through. If caught mid-transition, post your far hand and sprawl immediately to abort the pass. Return to heavy top pressure and restart the hook neutralization sequence before attempting the knee slide again. → Leads to Half Guard
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: What is the most critical weight distribution adjustment to neutralize the butterfly hook before initiating the pass? A: Drive your chest weight forward onto the bottom player’s upper body while simultaneously dropping your hips low and heavy. This shifts the load away from the hook’s optimal fulcrum point near your thigh and onto the bottom player’s chest where the hook has minimal mechanical advantage. The key insight is that the hook generates power through hip elevation against weight positioned above it, so moving your center of gravity forward and low removes the conditions the hook needs to function.
Q2: Your opponent elevates their butterfly hook with strong hip extension mid-pass - how do you respond immediately? A: Immediately widen your base by spreading your knees outward to increase your support surface area, making you harder to tip. Simultaneously drive your hips toward the mat and increase crossface pressure to pin their upper body. If the elevation has significant momentum, post your far hand briefly to stabilize, then return to chest pressure once the sweep attempt stalls. Never fight the elevation with your upper body alone, as the hook’s mechanical advantage from below will overcome arm strength.
Q3: What grip and control points must be established before you commit to sliding your knee through? A: You need three control points secured before committing: crossface controlling the bottom player’s head position and preventing them from creating sweep angles, near-side hand blocking their far hip to prevent shrimping and knee insertion, and your hips low and heavy enough that the butterfly hook cannot generate meaningful elevation. Without all three, the knee slide creates a vulnerability window where the bottom player can sweep or recover guard.
Q4: Why is hand-stripping the butterfly hook a common error, and what should you do instead? A: Hand-stripping removes a control point from the upper body, giving the bottom player freedom to establish underhook, create frames, or initiate guard recovery while the passer is occupied with the leg. Instead, neutralize the hook through body mechanics by driving hips low on the hook side, collapsing the hook’s angle through hip pressure, or weaving your leg over the hook. These methods address the hook while maintaining all upper body control points intact.
Q5: How do you prevent the bottom player from transitioning to deep half guard during your pass attempt? A: Keep your hips heavy and your inside knee positioned to block their head from diving underneath you. When you feel them beginning to turn away and thread their arm under your hips, immediately flatten your weight forward and drive your hips down to eliminate the space they need to enter deep half. Maintaining constant chest pressure and crossface prevents them from creating the angle required for the deep half entry in the first place.
Q6: What is the optimal timing window for initiating the knee slide through the guard? A: The optimal window is after the butterfly hook has been fully neutralized through weight distribution and hip pressure, but before the bottom player can reload the hook with a new hip elevation cycle. Test the hook’s status by slightly shifting weight toward the pass side. If you feel no upward resistance from the hook, the window is open. If there is any remaining lift, continue the neutralization phase. Rushing this timing is the most common cause of failed pass attempts.
Q7: Your opponent gets an underhook and starts rising toward dogfight position mid-pass - what technique chain addresses this? A: Apply heavy overhook or whizzer control on their underhook arm while driving your shoulder weight downward to prevent them from completing the rise. If they continue climbing despite the whizzer, sprawl your hips back aggressively and begin circling toward their exposed back. The underhook commitment that creates dogfight position also exposes their back angle. If they abandon the underhook to defend the back take, immediately return to heavy forward pressure and restart the pass sequence.
Q8: How should you adjust the pass when the bottom player maintains a very deep butterfly hook that resists direct hip pressure? A: When the hook is deeply inserted and resists standard hip pressure neutralization, switch to the backstep variation. Instead of driving through the hook, circle your hips away from it while maintaining upper body connection through the crossface. The backstep changes the angle of engagement so the hook points away from your center of gravity, eliminating its leverage entirely. Alternatively, use the leg weave variation by threading your free leg over and around the hook to pin it mechanically to the mat.
Safety Considerations
Pass Half Butterfly is a relatively low-risk transition with no direct joint manipulation or choking mechanics. The primary safety concern is maintaining controlled weight distribution to avoid dropping excessive weight suddenly onto the bottom player’s ribs or face during crossface application. Practitioners should communicate about pressure levels during drilling. Knee injuries can occur if the passer’s trapped knee twists during the extraction phase, so the knee slide should follow a straight path without lateral torque. The bottom player should tap if they feel any sharp knee discomfort from the passing pressure. Both partners should be aware that sudden sweep attempts during live drilling can cause the top player to land awkwardly.