Octopus Butterfly Sweep
Butterfly sweep mechanics applied from octopus guard: combining the underhook and body-lock control with a butterfly hook lift to sweep the passer forward.
Adapted from InGrappling, Octopus Butterfly Sweep. System Games did not invent this curriculum.
Manage injuries →Position map Connects to 4 positions across 2 relationshipsOpen in the map →1234←Enters from
The octopus butterfly sweep combines the structural controls of octopus guard — an arm-around-the-back body lock and an underhook on the same side — with a butterfly hook inserted under the passer’s near thigh. The butterfly hook provides the lift; the body lock provides the directional control and removes the passer’s ability to post with the near arm.
In a standard butterfly hook sweep, the passer can often post out with the free arm to arrest the fall. The octopus body lock removes that option: the arm-around-the-back pulls the near shoulder across and upward, which displaces the posting hand before the hook lift even begins. Without a posting hand available, the sweep becomes a three-point attack — body lock arm, underhook, hook lift — that the passer has very little structural capacity to resist.
The sweep exits forward: as the passer tips, the bottom player sits up and follows into top position. The body lock arm can stay connected through the finish, often landing in a front headlock or near-side armlock threat depending on the angle of the fall.
Ruleset context This technique is legal in all major competitive formats.
INV-G03Invariant "Connections to the inside of the top player's elbows — or to the outside of the elbows — control the top player's weight distribution and passing options. Losing both connections simultaneously is the guard being passed."
Why it works hereThe underhook in octopus guard is a deep elbow connection on the near side — the underhook arm threads under and reaches past the elbow to the back of the shoulder. Driving that underhook upward elevates the near shoulder and shifts weight off the near thigh, which is the thigh the butterfly hook is preparing to lift. The elbow connection therefore determines the sweep direction: the side with the underhook is the side that goes.
See full invariant page → The underhook in octopus guard is a direct connection to the inside of the passer’s near elbow — the underhook arm threads under the near arm and reaches to the elbow or beyond. This connection controls the passer’s near shoulder: when the underhook drives upward, the near shoulder rises and the passer’s near-side weight distribution is disrupted. For the butterfly sweep, this elbow connection is critical because it determines which way the passer’s body will tip — the underhook side is always the sweep side.