We researched BJJ Fanatics titles, r/bjj discussions, YouTube breakdowns, and instructor bios to rank the best butterfly guard instructionals for different needs and budgets.
Butterfly Guard Rediscovered 3.0
The gold-standard gi butterfly system that ties grips, sweeps, and finishes into a repeatable game.
The Complete Butterfly Guard
Marcelo’s timeless butterfly concepts that still sweep anyone who pressures forward.
Forging The Guard: Mastering The Foundations of Butterfly Guard
A no-gi butterfly system with rules, heists, and sumi chains for ADCC-style success.
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🥋 #1 Butterfly Guard Rediscovered 3.0 by Adam Wardzinski
Instructor: Adam Wardzinski
Style: System Based, Drill Heavy, Conceptual
Best for: All Levels
Format: Gi
Runtime: 7 hours and 22 minutes
Volumes: 8
Biggest takeaway: Grips plus angles create elevation.
Techniques: Butterfly Sweep, Arm Drag, Lapel Underhook, X Guard, Single Leg X, Guillotine, Triangle
- The No Gi Butterfly Guard Rediscovered – Same coach; built for no-gi rulesets.
- Single Leg X Reimagined – Extends butterfly chains into SLX sweeps and finishes.
- Simplify The System: Sumi Gaeshi (The Butterfly Sweep) – Focused deep-dive on the key butterfly sweep.
You get a complete seated-to-supine butterfly framework with lapel tie-ups, arm-drags, and half-butterfly links. The content shows how to off-balance kneeling and standing passers, then convert to X/SLX or back takes. If you train mostly no-gi, consider Wardzinski’s separate no-gi series instead.
✅ Pros
- Delivers a cohesive step-by-step butterfly system instead of a loose move dump.
- Great lapel-underhook mechanics for controlling stronger passers.
- Clear paths into X/SLX, triangles, and back takes.
⚠️ Cons
- Gi-centric focus reduces direct no-gi transfer.
- Very long; finishing all eight volumes takes discipline.
- Some overlap with older Wardzinski releases.
💡 I think the lapel-underhook cycle is the standout concept to copy for consistent elevation. Recommendation: Buy it now.
🥋 #2 The Complete Butterfly Guard by Marcelo Garcia
Instructor: Marcelo Garcia
Style: System Based, Conceptual
Best for: All Levels
Format: Both
Runtime: 3 hours and 41 minutes
Volumes: 4
Biggest takeaway: Underhook control wins the exchange.
Techniques: Underhook Series, Two On One, Overhead Sweep, X Guard, Double Underhooks, Omoplata, Post Kick
- The Marcelo Guard: Mastering The Butterfly Guard – Newer packaging of Marcelo’s butterfly sequences.
- The Marcelo X Guard – Deepens the X-guard links from butterfly.
Learn the upright, underhook-driven butterfly that made Marcelo famous, with clean ties to X guard and back takes. The structure favors core ideas and grip choices over rigid scripts. If you want fixed flowcharts, you may prefer newer systemized courses.
✅ Pros
- Teaches enduring butterfly principles with direct X-guard links.
- Equips you to create reactions and pick sweeping sides.
- Balances gi and no-gi applications.
⚠️ Cons
- Less prescriptive sequencing than modern system courses.
- Some older pacing and presentation choices.
- Not focused on leg entanglement entries.
💡 I value how clearly Marcelo ties posture and underhooks to directionality in every sweep. Recommendation: Wait for daily deal.
🥋 #3 Forging The Guard: Mastering The Foundations of Butterfly Guard by Giancarlo Bodoni
Instructor: Giancarlo Bodoni
Style: System Based, Conceptual
Best for: Intermediate
Format: No-Gi
Runtime: 6 hours and 51 minutes
Volumes: 8
Biggest takeaway: Pick direction, then commit.
Techniques: Sumi Gaeshi, Hip Heist, Arm Drag, Ashi Garami Entry, Double Kouchi, Wrestle Up, X Guard
- Forging The Guard: Mastering The Foundations of X-Guard – Extends the butterfly to X-guard gameplan.
- Forging The Guard: Mastering The Foundations of Ashi Garami – Pairs with butterfly to finish leg attacks.
You learn how to create pressure from seated guard, then choose sumi or hip-heist based on reactions. The curriculum ties butterfly to ashi garami and wrestle-ups cleanly. If you want gi lapel detail, pick a different title.
✅ Pros
- Modern directionality framework that clarifies when to sweep or heist.
- Excellent wrestle-up and leg-entry integration.
- Great kneeling and standing opponent coverage.
⚠️ Cons
- Expensive compared to budget-friendly classics.
- Limited lapel and belt-grip depth.
- Some redundancy if you own his other Forging titles.
💡 I like how Bodoni codifies push-pull and shoulder-hip rules to steer every exchange. Recommendation: Wait for daily deal.
🥋 #4 Under Pressure: Half Butterfly Mastery by Brian Glick
Instructor: Brian Glick
Style: System Based, Conceptual
Best for: All Levels
Format: Both
Runtime: 4 hours and 51 minutes
Volumes: 4
Biggest takeaway: Inside position drives sweeps.
Techniques: Half Butterfly, Sumi Gaeshi, Knee Lever, Pinch Headlock, Kimura, Clamp, Triangle
- Simplify The System: Sumi Gaeshi (The Butterfly Sweep) – Focused reps for the key sweep in multiple ties.
- The No Gi Butterfly Guard Rediscovered – If you want more full butterfly in no-gi.
Glick breaks half-butterfly into repeatable choices that suit everyday athletes. You learn sumi, knee-lever, pinch-headlock, and leg entries with explicit cues. If you want full seated butterfly first, pick Wardzinski or Marcelo and circle back here.
✅ Pros
- Excellent pedagogy with explicit decision nodes and an executive summary.
- Great leverage-based options for older or smaller players.
- Integrates leg entries without losing sweep-first mindset.
⚠️ Cons
- Covers half-butterfly more than full butterfly.
- High price for a niche guard slice.
- Limited standing-opponent chapters.
💡 I appreciate how the executive summary compresses the system for faster drilling. Recommendation: Wait for daily deal.
🥋 #5 The Butterfly Guard System by Rafael Formiga Barbosa
Instructor: Rafael Formiga Barbosa
Style: Technique Collection, System Based
Best for: All Levels
Format: Both
Runtime: 1 hour and 36 minutes
Volumes: 2
Biggest takeaway: Classics still sweep hard.
Techniques: Overhead Sweep, Ankle Pick, Duck Under, X Guard, Deep Half, Technical Standup, Torreando Counter
- Make My Day Butterfly Guard – Another classic butterfly perspective with crisp entries.
You get bread-and-butter entries, ankle picks, and overhead options that still score. The counters to common passes make it practical for newer players. If you want a modern rules-led framework, look to Wardzinski or Bodoni.
✅ Pros
- Great price-to-content ratio for new butterfly players.
- Covers effective counters to pressure passing.
- Solid transitions into X and deep half.
⚠️ Cons
- Older filming and less conceptual framing.
- Not tailored to modern leglock meta.
- Limited decision-tree presentation.
💡 I see this as the cheapest way to build a functional butterfly base. Recommendation: Buy it now.
🥋 #6 The Butterfly Half Guard by Tom DeBlass
Instructor: Tom DeBlass
Style: Technique Collection, System Based
Best for: All Levels
Format: Both
Runtime: 2 hours and 27 minutes
Volumes: 4
Biggest takeaway: Strong frames beat pressure.
Techniques: Half Butterfly, Knee Lever, Arm Drag, Front Headlock, X Guard, Deep Half, John Wayne Sweep
- Under Pressure: Half Butterfly Mastery – More modern decision-driven half-butterfly system.
You learn frames, underhooks, knee-lever sweeps, and leg-entry options from half-butterfly. It is practical for bigger athletes and anyone facing heavy passers. If you want a modern system with explicit decisions, consider Glick instead.
✅ Pros
- Solid basics with useful pressure counters.
- Leg-attack links add finishing options.
- Budget price compared to premium sets.
⚠️ Cons
- Not a full seated butterfly curriculum.
- Older filming and less structured pedagogy.
- Better modern alternatives exist.
💡 I view this as a budget-friendly gateway into half-butterfly before upgrading later. Recommendation: Skip.
How we ranked these butterfly instructionals
We weighted r/bjj sentiment most (diverse opinions over several years), followed by system clarity, applicability for common training goals, instructor track record, and production quality. Tie-breakers were recency and distinctiveness of approach. We de-duplicated SKUs that are the same basic set and listed the definitive product. If a claim was not verifiable from a product page, instructor bio, or trustworthy review, we left it out.
Butterfly vs half-butterfly: where to start
If you already play seated guard, start with a full butterfly system (Wardzinski or Marcelo). If you are often flattened or prefer frames, begin with half-butterfly (Glick). Half-butterfly sweeps translate well to mixed gi/no-gi rooms and older athletes. Full butterfly builds upright posture, arm-drags, and clean X-guard entries. Many players use both: half-butterfly as a safe harbor, full butterfly for initiative.
Gi or no-gi for butterfly?
Butterfly works in both. Gi players benefit from lapel and belt-grip tie-ups that anchor underhooks and change angles (Wardzinski, Marcelo). No-gi emphasizes posture, head position, and rule-based directionality with hip-heists and wrestle-ups (Bodoni). If your academy is mixed, pick a course that flags decision cues over specific grips so it transfers across uniforms.
A 30-day butterfly guard practice plan
Week 1: Entries to seated and half-butterfly, basic off-balances. Week 2: Sumi and knee-lever chains, recover to seated vs knee slice. Week 3: Arm-drag to back take, X/SLX conversions. Week 4: Standing-opponent answers and wrestle-ups. Each session: 10 minutes concept review, 20 minutes positional sparring from seated/half-butterfly, 10 minutes constrained rounds (one sweep or submission to win).
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