Deep Butterfly Halfguard instructional

I was browsing through my blog the other day, and it struck me, that it has been a loooong time since I consistently posted instructional videos here. When I was a blue belt, I was a real Ari Bolden (with better technique), eager to put as much material online as possible. All of these old videos and photo series are still to be found in the archive of this blog.

Jiu Jitsu is truly "boxes within boxes". The more I train, the less I feel I know. Whenever I think I know about a technique, position or transition, I quickly find out, that there are ten new layers of details in that particular subject, that I haven't explored yet. This humbling experience have probably influenced me a lot in writing this blog, since I haven't felt like "teaching" anything here for a while.

But with that said, I think it is time to put some new videos online here, so I have filmed a handful of instructionals, which will be posted here one at a time, as I finish editing each of them.

First one I edited yesterday, was about the "Deep Butterfly Halfguard". I am sorry for the "deep halfguard" ripoff, but I haven't found a better name yet. Basically, it is a "low" variation of x-guard, that I have experimented with for at least a year and a half now. I haven't seen much instructional video on this position, so I decided to do one myself.

Hope you enjoy it, comments are always appreciated!



One thing I forgot to mention in the video, which I think is quite important, is that when I do the calfcruncher submission, I want to triangle my legs to stabilize my knee. Unfortunately, I popped my own knee doing this submission once, and triangling the legs would probably have helped me there. I just forgot it in the video :)

Next instructionals coming up are:

- The art of learning the art of slowrolling
- Wrestling sweeps from seated guard
- Fireman's carry takedown
- The loopchoke

Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back after the break ;)

Stoned Squirrel halfguard escape cycle

First I show the stoned squirrel position without an opponent. I lay on my side (due to the big tail, squirrels can't lay flat on their back) and with my hands as a squirrel. Elbows are kept thight to my ribs.


This position allows me to defend the two most important things my opponent must aquire to control the halfguard: The crossface and the underhook. I use two hands on my opponents bicep to defend the crossface and keeping my elbows prevents him from underhooking me. At all time, I wanna hip out so I'm not lying under him but more next to him. I wanna be on my side and never let him flatten me out.


So, first priority is to defend the crossface and underhook. From there I need to get an underhook myself. When I have the underhook (and still keeping my position, defending the crossface), I now have three ways to escapes.

Firstly, I can try to sit out under my opponent...


...hook my leg around him...


...and take his back.


He might defend this by overhooking my arm. If that is the case, I can do two things, depending on where his weight is.


(Gotta imagine the overhook here, we forgot it on the pic :-D)

If his weight has not changed, I can sit out and drive into him. Sometimes I like to block the far knee with my hand.


(imagine the overhook again)

This is somewhere around where I end up. You will most likely end in his halfguard. Crossface and underhook right away to work your pass :)


If he overhooks and drives his weight into me to prevent me from sitting up, this is what I do instead. I resist so he push his weight into me as much as possible, then quickly underhook his far leg with my left arm, keeping my right underhook tight over his back.


From this position, it is very for me to roll to my right.


Rolling him all the way over.


Get your leg out and pass the halfguard for cross sides position.


Here is a squirrel for inspiration.