Reguard to Butterfly Guard Attacker

As the attacker executing the reguard to butterfly guard, your objective is to systematically rebuild a fully functional butterfly guard from a compromised hook control position. This means restoring three critical elements in sequence: deep hook placement, upright seated posture, and controlling upper body grips. The technique demands precise timing because every moment spent in a degraded position gives the top player opportunities to advance their pass. You must recognize the signs of position compromise immediately—shallow hooks, broken posture, or lost grips—and initiate the recovery before the top player can capitalize. The reguard is not a single explosive movement but a coordinated sequence that uses frames and hip escapes to create space, then fills that space with properly positioned hooks and posture. Success depends on maintaining at least one connection point throughout the transition while systematically rebuilding the others.

From Position: Butterfly Hook Control (Bottom)

Key Attacking Principles

• Prioritize hook depth over upper body grips during recovery—hooks are the foundation of butterfly guard and must be rebuilt first
• Use hip escape to create the space needed for hook reinsertion rather than trying to force hooks deep under opponent’s weight
• Frames on opponent’s shoulders or biceps create the separation that enables hip escape and hook repositioning
• Maintain at least one hook connection throughout the recovery to prevent complete guard collapse
• Initiate the reguard immediately upon recognizing position compromise—delay allows the top player to consolidate passing pressure
• Recover posture progressively by posting behind you and sitting up incrementally rather than attempting one explosive sit-up

Prerequisites

• At least one butterfly hook still engaged inside opponent’s inner thigh providing a connection point for rebuilding
• Sufficient hip mobility to perform a hip escape under the opponent’s pressure and weight
• Ability to establish at least one frame on opponent’s shoulder, bicep, or chest to create separation
• Recognition that current hook position is compromised and requires active recovery rather than attempting offense from degraded position
• Space between your back and the mat to initiate the shrimp movement that drives the recovery sequence

Execution Steps

1. Recognize position compromise: Identify that your butterfly hook control has degraded—hooks have become shallow at knee level, your posture has broken backward, or opponent has stripped controlling grips. This recognition triggers the reguard sequence rather than attempting sweeps from a compromised structure that will likely fail.
2. Establish defensive frames: Place both forearms against opponent’s shoulders or biceps to create a structural frame that prevents them from driving chest-to-chest pressure. These frames are not pushes—they use your skeletal structure to maintain distance while you prepare the hip escape. Keep elbows tight to your body to prevent kimura attacks on extended arms.
3. Execute lateral hip escape: Perform an explosive shrimp movement away from the direction of opponent’s primary pressure. This hip escape is the most critical movement in the sequence—it simultaneously creates space for hook reinsertion and generates the angle needed to recover seated posture. Drive your hips laterally while maintaining your frames to prevent the opponent from following your movement.
4. Reinsert primary hook deep: Drive your strong-side foot deep into the opponent’s inner thigh, scooping your instep toward their hip crease rather than placing it shallowly at the knee. The hook should travel along the inner thigh with the instep making firm contact deep in the groin area. This deep placement maximizes the lever arm for subsequent elevation and ensures the hook resists being stripped by the top player.
5. Recover seated posture: Post your hand behind you on the mat and use your core to sit up toward an upright position. The seated posture is what transforms butterfly hooks from passive barriers into active offensive tools. Do not attempt to sit up explosively against heavy pressure—use the angle created by the hip escape and the leverage from your deep hook to progressively restore your upright position.
6. Reinsert secondary hook: With posture partially recovered, drive your second foot deep inside the opponent’s opposite thigh. Both hooks should now be positioned at the hip crease level with insteps making solid contact against the inner thighs. The combination of both deep hooks creates the bilateral elevation platform that defines full butterfly guard structure.
7. Establish upper body grips: Transition your frames into offensive grips—collar grip on the side you intend to sweep, underhook on the opposite side, or sleeve control to prevent opponent from re-establishing passing grips. Only transition to grips after hooks and posture are secure, as premature grip hunting compromises the structural recovery.
8. Consolidate full butterfly guard: With deep hooks, upright posture, and controlling grips all restored, begin generating active hook pressure through rhythmic elevation to re-establish offensive threat. Test the rebuilt guard by pumping hooks lightly to verify depth and connection before committing to sweep attempts. The reguard is complete when you feel capable of executing any butterfly guard technique from the recovered position.

Possible Outcomes

Result	Position	Probability
Success	Butterfly Guard	55%
Failure	Butterfly Hook Control	30%
Counter	Open Guard	15%

Opponent Counters

• Opponent drives heavy crossface pressure to prevent hip escape and flatten posture (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Frame on the crossface arm with your near forearm while hip escaping in the opposite direction. If crossface is too strong, turn into it and establish an underhook on the crossface side, converting their pressure into your recovery tool. → Leads to Butterfly Hook Control
• Opponent drives knee through center to split hooks and prevent reinsertion (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Remove the threatened hook preemptively and transition to half butterfly or half guard rather than fighting the knee drive. Use the remaining hook as an anchor while recovering secondary position. → Leads to Open Guard
• Opponent stands up to disengage from hooks entirely and reset distance (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Follow the opponent’s rise by transitioning to X-guard or single leg X-guard entries. Their standing creates opportunities for under-the-leg entries rather than the standard butterfly reguard. → Leads to Open Guard
• Opponent secures underhook and drives shoulder into your chest to flatten and deny posture (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Pummel for your own underhook while hip escaping away from the pressure side. If the underhook battle is lost, transition to overhook control and use the opponent’s forward drive as momentum for an overhook sweep. → Leads to Butterfly Hook Control

Common Attacking Mistakes

1. Reaching for collar or underhook grips before securing deep hook placement

• Consequence: Hooks remain shallow while arms are extended, telegraphing the reguard and allowing opponent to strip grips and drive through shallow hooks to pass
• Correction: Always establish hook depth first through hip escape and reinsertion, then recover posture, then transition to offensive grips—build the guard from the foundation upward

2. Attempting to sit up directly into opponent’s pressure without creating space through hip escape

• Consequence: Opponent’s weight drives you back down immediately, wasting energy and potentially flattening you worse than the starting position
• Correction: Always hip escape laterally before attempting to recover posture—the angle created by the shrimp removes the direct pressure line and makes sitting up achievable

3. Reinserting hooks at knee level instead of driving deep into the hip crease

• Consequence: Shallow hooks provide minimal elevation leverage and are easily stripped by the top player, requiring another reguard cycle
• Correction: Scoop your instep deep along the inner thigh toward the opponent’s hip crease, ensuring the hook reaches maximum depth before loading weight onto it

4. Losing the remaining engaged hook while attempting to reinsert the other

• Consequence: Both hooks disengage simultaneously, resulting in complete guard collapse to open guard with no hook connection
• Correction: Anchor your remaining hook firmly throughout the recovery—maintain active upward pressure with the engaged hook while using frames and hip escape to create space for reinserting the second

5. Telegraphing the reguard by pausing and visibly preparing before executing

• Consequence: Opponent recognizes the recovery attempt and preemptively increases pressure or adjusts position to prevent the hip escape
• Correction: Initiate the reguard as a fluid, immediate response to position compromise—the frame, hip escape, and hook reinsertion should flow as one continuous sequence without hesitation

6. Using only upper body strength to push opponent away instead of hip mechanics for space creation

• Consequence: Arms fatigue quickly against larger opponents and straight-arm pushing creates vulnerability to kimura attacks and arm drags
• Correction: Use frames as static structures while your hips do the moving—the hip escape creates real distance while frames simply prevent the opponent from following

Training Progressions

Phase 1: Solo Mechanics - Hip escape and hook reinsertion movement pattern Practice the hip escape to hook reinsertion sequence without a partner. Focus on the lateral shrimp followed by scooping one hook deep, sitting up, then reinserting the second hook. Perform 20 repetitions each side, emphasizing smooth transitions between each step.

Phase 2: Cooperative Drilling - Full reguard sequence with compliant partner Partner establishes light top pressure while you execute the complete reguard sequence. Partner allows the recovery but maintains realistic positioning and weight distribution. Focus on timing the hip escape with frames and developing the feel for proper hook depth. 10 repetitions each side with role switching.

Phase 3: Progressive Resistance - Reguard against increasing passing pressure Start from a compromised butterfly hook position with partner applying 50% passing pressure. Execute the reguard while partner provides controlled resistance to each phase—resisting the frame, following the hip escape, attempting to strip hooks. Increase resistance to 75% as proficiency improves.

Phase 4: Live Situational Sparring - Reguard recovery in realistic rolling scenarios Begin positional sparring from a deliberately compromised butterfly hook position. Partner attempts to pass with full intensity while you work to recover full butterfly guard. Success is measured by restoring offensive capability, not just survival. 3-minute rounds with reset on pass completion or successful reguard.

Test Your Knowledge

Q1: What is the optimal timing window for attempting the reguard to butterfly guard? A: The best timing is immediately upon recognizing your hooks becoming shallow or your posture breaking—before the opponent can capitalize on the degraded position. Waiting allows the top player to establish passing grips and consolidate control. The moment you feel your hooks losing depth or your back approaching the mat is the trigger to initiate the reguard sequence rather than trying to sweep from a compromised structure that will likely fail.

Q2: What conditions must exist before you can successfully attempt the reguard? A: At minimum, you need at least one hook still engaged inside the opponent’s thigh and enough space between your hips and the opponent to perform a hip escape. If both hooks are completely cleared and the opponent has established chest-to-chest pressure, the reguard to butterfly is no longer viable—you should transition to half guard or closed guard recovery instead. The presence of even a shallow hook provides the connection point needed to rebuild the full guard structure.

Q3: What is the most critical hip movement during the reguard sequence? A: The lateral hip escape is the most critical movement because it simultaneously creates space for hook reinsertion and generates the angle needed to recover seated posture. Without the hip escape, you are trying to rebuild butterfly guard directly underneath your opponent’s weight, which is extremely difficult against any competent passer. The shrimp should be explosive and angled away from the opponent’s pressure direction, creating a brief window where hooks can be driven deep into the inner thighs.

Q4: Why do most reguard attempts fail at the intermediate level? A: The most common failure point is attempting to recover upper body grips before securing deep hooks. Practitioners reach for collar or underhook control while their hooks remain shallow, which telegraphs the reguard and gives the opponent time to drive pressure and flatten them. The correct sequence prioritizes hook depth first, posture second, then grips—building the guard from the foundation up rather than the top down. This sequencing error accounts for the majority of failed butterfly guard recoveries.

Q5: What grips best support the reguard to butterfly guard transition? A: During the reguard itself, defensive frames on the opponent’s shoulders or biceps are more important than offensive grips. Use forearm frames to create the space needed for hip escape and hook reinsertion. Only after hooks are deep and posture is recovered should you transition to offensive grips—collar grip, underhook, or sleeve control. Trying to establish butterfly sweep grips during the recovery phase compromises the structural rebuild and leaves you vulnerable.

Q6: In which direction should you drive your hooks during reinsertion? A: Drive hooks upward and inward toward the opponent’s hip crease, not just forward toward their knees. The hook should travel along the inner thigh with the instep making firm contact deep in the groin area. Shallow hooks at knee level provide minimal elevation leverage and are easily stripped. Think of scooping your foot deep under the opponent’s thigh so the instep reaches the hip crease—this maximizes the lever arm for subsequent sweeps and ensures the hook resists being cleared.

Q7: Your opponent drives heavy crossface pressure as you attempt to recover your guard—how do you adjust? A: Frame on the crossface arm with your near forearm, pushing it away from your face while simultaneously hip escaping in the opposite direction. The hip escape is more important than fighting the crossface directly—creating angle negates the pressure entirely. If the crossface is too strong to frame against, use the momentum of their drive to turn into them and establish an underhook on the crossface side, which converts their pressure into your recovery tool and opens an underhook-based reguard path.

Q8: What options do you have if the reguard to butterfly guard is completely shut down? A: If you cannot reinsert hooks, transition to alternative guard recovery options based on what control you retain. With one hook remaining, transition to half butterfly or half guard. With no hooks but an underhook, enter deep half guard by getting your shoulder under their base. If flattened with no hooks, work closed guard recovery or frame and shrimp to establish any form of guard retention. The key is recognizing early when the butterfly reguard is failing and executing a plan B rather than continuing to fight for a position that is no longer available.

Q9: How do you maintain your remaining hook connection while reinserting the second hook? A: Apply active upward pressure with the engaged hook throughout the recovery sequence—this maintains your connection to the opponent and prevents them from advancing past your guard. The engaged hook serves as an anchor point while your frames and hip escape create space on the other side for reinsertion. Never relax the engaged hook to focus on the other side, as this creates a window where the opponent can clear both hooks simultaneously and collapse your guard entirely.

Safety Considerations

Reguard drilling involves dynamic hip movement and hook reinsertion that can stress the hip flexors and adductors if performed repeatedly without adequate warm-up. When training with progressive resistance, communicate with your partner about the intensity of knee pressure during hook clearing attempts. Avoid explosive hook reinsertion against a fully locked-out partner, as forcing the instep past a resisting knee can strain the MCL or LCL. Progress resistance gradually and use controlled repetitions to develop timing rather than relying on speed and power that increases injury risk for both training partners.