Butterfly Ashi Garami

What This Is

Butterfly ashi garami is the transitional position in which a butterfly hook converts into an ashi garami leg thread. It is not a standalone guard position in the same way butterfly guard is — it is the moment of conversion, and then the resulting ashi garami entry. The term is used to distinguish this entry route (butterfly hook to inside thread) from other ashi garami entries such as the reap or the SLX-to-ashi transition.

The mechanics are straightforward: from butterfly guard with one hook inside the top player’s thigh, the bottom player notices (or creates) a moment in which the top player’s foot steps into or through the hook space. At this moment, the butterfly hook is no longer the primary contact — the leg can thread inside the opponent’s leg instead of hooking in front of the thigh. The bottom player’s hips turn toward the threaded leg to establish the hip-to-hip contact that defines ashi garami. The other leg comes over to complete the entanglement.

The result is standard ashi garami geometry from a butterfly guard starting position. The significance of the entry is that the butterfly guard’s hip-close mechanics — which require the bottom player’s hips to be close to the top player’s hips — make this conversion possible at moments when other entries are not available. The top player who smashes the butterfly guard by stepping forward creates the inside space that the butterfly ashi entry exploits.

Safety

Butterfly ashi garami itself is a positional entry and carries no direct submission risk — the safety concern arises immediately at the ashi garami stage when heel hook attacks become available. Practitioners learning this entry should have clear agreements about whether heel hooks are active in the drilling context before the entry is completed.

The Invariable in Action

Butterfly ashi garami is the moment INV-LE01 is captured from butterfly guard. The butterfly hook holds the inside-of-thigh position. When the thread converts the hook to an ashi garami, the bottom player is establishing the inside space — hip inside the top player’s hip — that is required for ashi garami to function. A butterfly guard that does not threaten the ashi conversion is missing the primary entry-threat layer that makes butterfly guard dangerous against a standing or stepping top player.

Butterfly guard requires the bottom player’s hips to be close to the top player’s hips — this is the foundation of the hook elevation sweep. The same hip proximity is what makes the butterfly ashi conversion possible. A butterfly guard with hips too far from the top player cannot thread into ashi garami because the leg cannot reach the inside line. The hip proximity required for the butterfly sweep is also the hip proximity that opens the ashi entry.

This creates a genuine two-option threat: maintaining hip closeness means the butterfly sweep is available from underhook elevation, and the ashi garami conversion is also available if the top player steps in. The two threats reinforce each other — the top player cannot sit back to avoid the ashi entry without opening the sweep, and cannot step forward to avoid the sweep without creating the ashi entry window.

Entering This Position

From Butterfly Guard — When the Top Player Steps In

The primary entry. From butterfly guard with one hook inside the near thigh, the top player advances — their foot steps toward or past the hooked thigh to attempt a pass or to close distance. At this moment, the bottom player shifts their hip toward the stepping leg and converts the butterfly hook to an inside thread: the hooking foot straightens or swings over the top player’s thigh, landing with the bottom player’s heel outside the top player’s hip and the bottom player’s hip against the top player’s hip. The second leg comes over the top to complete the ashi garami figure-four.

The conversion happens with a hip shift, not just a leg movement. The bottom player’s hips turn to face the threaded leg — the same direction as the inside space. A bottom player who converts the leg without shifting the hips arrives in ashi garami with misaligned hip geometry and loses the inside space advantage.

From Seated Guard — Proactive Entry

From seated guard against a standing top player, the bottom player can proactively reach for the near thigh and initiate a butterfly ashi entry without first establishing a butterfly hook. The bottom player’s outside leg establishes a shin-on-shin reference while the inside leg threads directly. This is a faster entry than the full butterfly guard setup but requires that the bottom player commits to the entanglement direction before the top player has reacted.

From Butterfly Guard — Body Lock Pass Defence

When the top player attempts a body lock pass from butterfly guard — wrapping both of the bottom player’s legs to one side — one of the bottom player’s hooks may survive the initial sweep of the legs. The surviving hook is the entry leg for the butterfly ashi conversion. As the top player drives, the bottom player threads the surviving hook inside the top player’s near leg and completes the ashi garami before the pass lands. This is a counter to the body lock pass rather than a proactive entry.

From This Position

The butterfly ashi entry arrives in standard ashi garami. From ashi garami, the full range of ashi garami exits is available — the outside heel hook as the primary submission, and the transitions to outside ashi and cross ashi based on the opponent’s defensive rotation.

Common Errors

Drilling Notes

Phase 1 — Entry recognition. Top player stands passively in butterfly guard range and steps one foot forward. Bottom player identifies the entry window and converts to ashi garami. No submissions. Focus: timing the conversion to the step, not after.

Phase 2 — Hip shift emphasis. Same drill, but explicit checkpoint after the thread: bottom player stops and verifies hip contact before continuing. This isolates the hip shift as a distinct movement rather than an afterthought.

Phase 3 — Body lock defence context. Top player attempts a body lock pass. Bottom player works to preserve one hook and convert to butterfly ashi as the counter. This connects the entry to one of its primary live contexts.

Phase 4 — Positional sparring. Bottom player starts in butterfly guard; top player may attempt any butterfly guard counter. Bottom player may use butterfly ashi as one of their exit routes. Heel hooks are governed by your gym’s training agreements.

Ability Level Guidance

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