Half Butterfly Pass
Half butterfly pass — kill the butterfly hook, flatten the bottom player, and pass the hybrid half guard.
Adapted from the original page. Grappling.Games did not write this. Sources.
The half butterfly pass defeats the half butterfly guard — a hybrid position where one of the bottom player’s legs traps the top player’s near leg in half guard while the free leg inserts a butterfly hook inside the top player’s near thigh. The butterfly hook recovers sweep ability that standard half guard lacks — it elevates the top player’s hips, creates off-balance, and threatens sweeps that flat half guard cannot produce.
The passing challenge is that the top player faces two control mechanisms simultaneously: the half guard leg trap locks the near leg in place, and the butterfly hook lifts and redirects from below. Standard half guard passing addresses the trap but not the hook; standard butterfly passing addresses the hook but not the trap. The half butterfly pass must deal with both, and the sequencing matters — addressing them in the wrong order opens the other threat.
The butterfly hook is the higher-priority target. A live butterfly hook can sweep the top player even while the half guard trap holds the leg. The trap alone (without the hook) is standard half guard — far more manageable. Kill the hook first, then pass the remaining half guard.
Ruleset context This technique is legal in all major competitive formats.
INV-G01Invariant "The bottom player must maintain their feet between or at the line of the top player's knees. Losing this line allows the top player to advance without engaging the guard."
Why it works hereHalf butterfly runs two foot-line mechanisms at once: the half guard trap (passive — it just holds the leg) and the butterfly hook (active — it lifts and redirects). The active foot must be neutralised first; only then does the remaining position reduce to standard half guard, which existing passing handles. Passing while the butterfly hook is live attempts to advance with the foot line still elevating the passer's hips.
See full invariant page → The half butterfly operates two foot-line mechanisms: the half guard trap (passive — it holds the leg) and the butterfly hook (active — it lifts and redirects). The pass must neutralise the active foot line first. Once the butterfly hook is killed, the remaining position is standard half guard with a passive leg trap, which existing half guard passing handles.
INV-G05Invariant "The bottom player's hips must remain mobile. A flattened bottom player cannot generate the movement needed to recover guard, sweep, or attack."