Forging The Guard: Butterfly Guard – In-Depth Review

Build a seated guard that threatens in every direction fast.

Forging The Guard: Mastering The Foundations of Butterfly Guard Cover Art

The Bottom Line

You will learn pressure concepts, key grips, and core attacks from seated guard. The course blends sweeps, upper body submissions, and legs-as-backup. It is practical for competitors who face both kneeling and standing defenders.

⚡️ Quick facts

Best for: Seated guard users

Skip if: You need gi grips

Tech focus: Butterfly Guard, Sumi Gaeshi, Hip Heist, Arm Drag, Snap Guillotine, X Guard

Biggest takeaway: Push-pull pressure

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What You'll Learn

Butterfly is the seated hub of Bodoni’s guard. This 8-part course starts with pressure concepts and push-pull mechanics, then builds sumi gaeshi, hip-heists, arm drags, and upper body submissions.
It teaches how to attack kneeling or standing opponents and how to fall back into legs when needed.

Primary Techniques You'll Drill

Butterfly Guard
Sumi Gaeshi
Hip Heist
Arm Drag
Snap Guillotine
Clamp Entries
Ashi Waza
X Guard Links
Cross Ashi Entries
Grip Strategies

Format & Level

Instructional style: System Based
Skill level: All Levels
Format: No-Gi
Runtime: 6 hours and 51 minutes
Volumes: 8

Should You Buy It?

Wait for daily deal. I like how arm-drag branches either heist or enter legs depending on reactions.

Why Giancarlo Bodoni?

Bodoni’s butterfly ties his clamp, guillotine, and leg threats together. His teaching keeps mechanics simple for faster adoption. As an ADCC champion, he favors pressure and sequences that limit counters.