Adam Wardzinski is a 2x IBJJF World Champion (2024, 2025), the first European male to win IBJJF Worlds, and the first European to complete the IBJJF Grand Slam. He retired in June 2025 after a 30-fight winning streak, leaving his belt on the mat at Worlds. With 20+ instructionals on BJJ Fanatics covering butterfly guard, pressure passing, and top control, here is how each one ranks and who it helps most.
Butterfly Guard Rediscovered 3.0 by Adam Wardzinski
A complete, modern butterfly system that keeps you unflattened and sweeping.
Octopus Guard Engineering by Adam Wardzinski
An underused guard turned into a reliable sweep-and-back system.
Polish Power Passing by Adam Wardzinski
Turn half guard into mount with relentless, leg-dominating pressure.
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🥋 #1 Butterfly Guard Rediscovered 3.0 by Adam Wardzinski
Instructor: Adam Wardzinski
Style: System Based, Conceptual
Best for: All Levels
Format: Gi
Runtime: 7 hours and 22 minutes
Volumes: 9
Biggest takeaway: Stay angled; never get flattened.
Techniques: Butterfly Guard, Lazy Butterfly, Underhook Sweep, Overhook Sweep, Single Leg X Entries, Back Takes
- The No Gi Butterfly Guard Rediscovered – Same core ideas tailored for no-gi players.
- Single Leg X Reimagined – Pairs naturally with butterfly off-balances.
- Polish Power Passing – Gives you top finishes after your sweeps.
You learn Adam’s four-pillar butterfly system: lazy butterfly (cross collar + sleeve grips with hooks), side butterfly (angled underhook/overhook position), half butterfly (butterfly hook + half guard), and classic butterfly (double underhooks, collar drags, arm drags). Each pillar feeds into the others with clear decision trees. The lazy butterfly section alone covers cross chokes, brabo chokes, loop chokes, armlocks, omoplatas, and triangle attacks. BJJ World (Ognen Dzabirski) rated the original butterfly system 5/5, calling it “by far the most comprehensive and easy to follow butterfly guard system available.” Jits Magazine noted: “Everything he shows has been pressure-tested against the best competitors in the world. There’s no holes in what he presents.”
✅ Pros
- Four-pillar system (lazy, side, half, classic butterfly) gives you answers from any seated position.
- Defensive concepts in Part 5 cover overunder counters, hip smash escapes, and lasso defense – most butterfly sets skip defense entirely.
- SLX connection in Parts 8-9 adds toe holds, balloon sweeps, and lapel sankaku finishes after sweeps.
⚠️ Cons
- Gi-only: lapel and collar grips throughout. No-gi players should get Wardzinski’s No-Gi Butterfly Guard Rediscovered instead.
- At 7.5 hours across 9 parts, it runs longer than Marcelo Garcia’s Complete Butterfly Guard (3-4 hours) or Giancarlo Bodoni’s Forging The Guard: Butterfly (4-5 hours).
- Adam is 6’3″ and 208 lbs. As Sherdog user DatCutman noted: “Marcelo is 5’8, Wardzinski is 6’2. That half a foot changes a lot about how you grapple, including butterfly.” Shorter players may need grip adjustments.
💡 Sherdog user KenkaBancho (blue belt) summarized it well: “Have tried both [Marcelo and Wardzinski]. Adam’s style stuck more, and so I feel it’s the better intro to butterfly.” Pair with the 4 BJJ Scout YouTube breakdowns of Adam’s game for extra context. Recommendation: Buy it now.
🥋 #2 Octopus Guard Engineering by Adam Wardzinski
Instructor: Adam Wardzinski
Style: System Based, Conceptual
Best for: Intermediate
Format: Both
Runtime: 2 hours and 16 minutes
Volumes: 5
Biggest takeaway: Octopus thrives when opponents pressure.
Techniques: Octopus Guard, Half Guard Entries, Hip Bump Sweep, Back Takes, Dogfight
- Knee Lever John Wayne Sweep Engineering - Pairs well because dogfight and octopus flow into knee lever dilemmas.
- Closed Guard Reintroduced - Another classic-guard update with tight control focus.
You learn octopus guard entries from closed guard and half guard, back attack sequences, sideways and overhead sweeps, turtle transitions, crossface management, and dogfight connections across 5 parts. Adam also covers a top octopus position that is unique to his system. BJJ World reviewer Ognen Dzabirski rated it 9/10, noting: "The position is effective, albeit it works best as a trap against experienced opponents."
✅ Pros
- Systematized structure with entries from closed guard, half guard, and recovery positions.
- Original top octopus position not covered in any competing instructional.
- Works for both gi and no-gi - Ognen Dzabirski at BJJ World praised the dual applicability.
⚠️ Cons
- Craig Jones' Octopus Guard 2.0 has cleaner no-gi entries and more ADCC-tested competition footage. Reddit users note Jones' version is better for pure no-gi grapplers.
- Limited high-level competition evidence for octopus specifically - Adam won Worlds primarily with butterfly, not octopus.
- Overhead sweeps may suit mainly defensive players; aggressive guard players may prefer Adam's butterfly sets instead.
💡 Reddit users comparing octopus instructionals note that Wardzinski's version is more systematic and gi-friendly, while Craig Jones' Octopus 2.0 has better no-gi application. Choose based on which format you primarily train. Recommendation: Wait for daily deal.
🥋 #3 Polish Power Passing by Adam Wardzinski
Instructor: Adam Wardzinski
Style: System Based, Technique Collection
Best for: All Levels
Format: Gi
Runtime: 2 hours and 36 minutes
Volumes: 4
Biggest takeaway: Own the bottom leg; pass gets easy.
Techniques: Smash Passing, Knee In Smash, Three Quarter Mount, Leg Dominance, Half Guard Passing
- Polish Power Inside Passing - Deeper dive on inside lines once you master the base system.
- Polish Power Smash Passing - Focused drills to finish half guard with shoulder-heavy pressure.
Across 4 volumes you learn knee slice variations (cross step, long step, backstep), reverse de la riva passing, Z-guard solutions, lasso counters, stack passes, and smash passes. Adam builds every pass around leverage and precision rather than speed. BJJ World rated it 5/5: "Adam uses leverage to gain mechanical advantage and his tactics are based on precision."
✅ Pros
- Covers DLR, RDLR, Z-guard, and lasso - the four guards that stall most passers.
- Knee slice system with cross step, long step, and backstep options gives you answers to every reaction.
- At 2 hours, it is dense and focused - no filler chapters.
⚠️ Cons
- Gi-only. For no-gi pressure passing, Gordon Ryan's Systematically Attacking the Guard is the more complete (and more expensive) option.
- At 2 hours across 4 volumes, it covers less ground than Kaynan Duarte's Power Ride or Bernardo Faria's over-under system.
- No standing passing or guard pull counters - this is purely a kneeling pressure system.
💡 I passed more consistently after focusing on isolating the bottom leg before hunting upper-body controls. Recommendation: Wait for daily deal.
🥋 #4 The No Gi Butterfly Guard Rediscovered by Adam Wardzinski
Instructor: Adam Wardzinski
Style: System Based
Best for: All Levels
Format: No-Gi
Runtime: 2 hours and 5 minutes
Volumes: 3
Biggest takeaway: Angles beat standers.
Techniques: Butterfly Guard, No-Gi Grips, Wrestle Ups, Single Leg X Entries, Off Balances
- Butterfly Guard Rediscovered 3.0 - Deeper gi-based study if you want the most detail.
- Single Leg X Reimagined - Great add-on for no-gi off-balances.
Across 3 volumes you learn the steering wheel sweep (basic and quick-switch), a whizzer/overhook system leading to guillotines, armbars, and omoplatas, an arm drag series, the John Wayne sweep, and double underhooks to X-guard and back control. All grips use collar ties, wrist control, and whizzers instead of lapels. BJJ World rated it 5/5, calling it "my favorite Adam Wardzinski BJJ DVD ever" and adding: "Adam is an even better teacher than he is a competitor, if that is at all possible."
✅ Pros
- Steering wheel sweep and whizzer/overhook system give you two distinct attack branches from seated guard.
- Efficient 3-volume format with no overlap from the gi set - entirely different grip systems.
- John Wayne sweep and double underhook to X-guard entries work at all belt levels.
⚠️ Cons
- At 3 hours, it is shorter than Marcelo Garcia's Complete Butterfly Guard and lacks Marcelo's explosive, head-clubbing approach that works for smaller athletes.
- Jon Satava's Modern Butterfly Guard (No Gi) offers a more systematic Marcelo-lineage alternative if you prefer that style.
- No leg lock entries from butterfly - if you want ashi garami transitions, look elsewhere (Danaher, Lachlan Giles, Craig Jones all cover this).
💡 Sherdog user tekkenfan explained the appeal: "I prefer Adam's style more. Adam sweeps from overhooks, underhooks etc. I love sweeping butterfly from overhooks cause you also have tons of follow up armlock triangle guillotine follow ups." Recommendation: Wait for daily deal.
🥋 #5 Pinning and Pressure Engineering by Adam Wardzinski
Instructor: Adam Wardzinski
Style: System Based, Conceptual
Best for: Intermediate
Format: Gi
Runtime: 4 hours and 44 minutes
Volumes: 6
Biggest takeaway: Pin first; pass becomes trivial.
Techniques: Folding Pass, Shin Staple, Headquarters, S Mount Entries, Arm Triangle
- Polish Power Smash Passing - More half guard specific pressure and finishing drills.
- Polish Power Inside Passing - If you want additional inside-line details and variations.
- Pins And Dominant Position Escape Engineering - Round out your defense to keep top momentum after scrambles.
Across 6 parts covering fold passing, chest-to-chest pinning, chest-to-back pinning, turtle options, back mount, and mount pressure, Adam builds a complete passing-through-mount system. Key techniques include Nelson holds in the gi, Coyote and Octopus guard pinning counters, turtle breakdowns, and mount finishes (armbars, head-and-arm chokes, gi strangles). BJJ World reviewer Ognen Dzabirski rated it 9/10. Wardzinski himself says: "Pressure and pinning are one of the trickiest topics in jiu-jitsu."
✅ Pros
- Complete passing-through-mount pipeline: fold pass to chest pin to turtle breakdown to back mount to mount finishes.
- Nelson holds and Coyote guard pinning counters are rarely covered in other passing instructionals.
- Over 4 hours of content with competition-proven sequences from a 2x World Champion.
⚠️ Cons
- Gi-only. For no-gi pressure passing, Gordon Ryan's Systematically Attacking the Guard is the gold standard.
- Concept-heavy pacing - scramblers who prefer fast, dynamic passing may prefer Kaynan Duarte's Power Ride instead.
- Bernardo Faria's Pressure Passing Masterclass covers similar over-under principles at a lower price point, though without the mount finish chapters.
💡 BJJ World's Ognen Dzabirski summed up the approach: "Just put your opponent under pressure...forget about all the angles." This set rewards patience over athleticism. Recommendation: Wait for daily deal.
How we ranked these instructionals
We cross-referenced BJJ World reviews (Ognen Dzabirski's ratings and volume-by-volume breakdowns), Sherdog forum threads (particularly the "Butterfly Guard; Marcelo vs Wardzinski?" discussion), Reddit r/bjj threads on specific instructionals, Jits Magazine reviews, and FloGrappling technical analyses. We weighted system completeness (does it cover entries, attacks, defenses, and transitions?), instructor competition credentials (282 career matches, 229 wins, 2x World Champion), and how well each title connects to Adam's broader system. BJJ World ratings ranged from 5/5 for the butterfly and passing sets down to 8/10 for the niche titles.
Gi or no-gi first for Adam's systems?
If you train mostly gi, start with Butterfly Guard 3.0 (7.5 hours, 9 parts) and Polish Power Passing (2 hours, 4 parts). They share the same positional framework: sweep from butterfly, pass with pressure, pin to mount. If you train primarily no-gi, start with No-Gi Butterfly Guard Rediscovered (3 hours, BJJ World 5/5). The steering wheel sweep, whizzer system, and arm drag series replace every lapel grip from the gi version. Sherdog user Daz2300, who trains at a Marcelo Garcia school, noted after attending a Wardzinski seminar: "It was really interesting seeing the contrast in approaches to Butterfly. I can certainly see how his game fits more easily in the framework most people are already learning."
Do you need to be big to play his butterfly?
This comes up constantly. Sherdog user DatCutman (blue belt) pointed out: "Marcelo is 5'8, Wardzinski is 6'2. That half a foot changes a lot about how you grapple, including butterfly." But KenkaBancho (blue belt) found the opposite: "Have tried both. Adam's style stuck more, and so I feel it's the better intro to butterfly." FloGrappling's technical analysis shows that Adam's core mechanics - far side sleeve grip to prevent cross-face, angled posture to avoid getting flattened, and hopping backwards to break tall posture - are body-type neutral. The belt grip and overhook may require longer arms, but the lazy butterfly (cross collar + sleeve) works for any size. Quebec Nick (purple belt) on Sherdog praised the accessibility: "The best part of the DVD is the alternatives and follow ups he gets from his lazy butterfly."
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