Butterfly Ashi Garami
Butterfly ashi — butterfly hook becomes ashi garami when top player steps in. Entry to the leg entanglement cluster.
Adapted from InGrappling, Butterfly Ashi Garami. System Games did not invent this curriculum.
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Butterfly ashi garami is the transitional position in which a butterfly hook converts into an ashi garami leg thread. It is not a standalone guard position in the same way butterfly guard is — it is the moment of conversion, and then the resulting ashi garami entry. The term is used to distinguish this entry route (butterfly hook to inside thread) from other ashi garami entries such as the reap or the SLX (single leg X)-to-ashi transition.
The mechanics are straightforward: from butterfly guard with one hook inside the top player’s thigh, the bottom player notices (or creates) a moment in which the top player’s foot steps into or through the hook space. At this moment, the butterfly hook is no longer the primary contact — the leg can thread inside the opponent’s leg instead of hooking in front of the thigh. The bottom player’s hips turn toward the threaded leg to establish the hip-to-hip contact that defines ashi garami. The other leg comes over to complete the entanglement.
The result is standard ashi garami geometry from a butterfly guard starting position. The significance of the entry is that the butterfly guard’s hip-close mechanics — which require the bottom player’s hips to be close to the top player’s hips — make this conversion possible at moments when other entries are not available. The top player who smashes the butterfly guard by stepping forward creates the inside space that the butterfly ashi entry exploits.
Elevated RiskButterfly Ashi Garami is an elevated risk technique. Two heel hooks reach the knee from this entry, and they load opposite structures. The outside heel hook, taken from ashi garami with the opponent rotated the wrong way, loads the LCL and the popliteal structures; the inside heel hook, available the moment the entry passes through to cross ashi, loads the MCL and ACL. Both fail before pain arrives, and the entry itself gives no signal about which one is coming. Serious injury can occur Faster than the decision to tap once either heel is captured — the entry is the warning, not the rotation..
If you are new to this technique: read this section before anything else. Understanding the danger is part of understanding the technique.
The person applying the technique is responsible for releasing immediately.
Communicate before drilling. Know your partner's experience level with this position.