Butterfly Hook Sweep

What This Is

The butterfly hook sweep is the foundational sweep of butterfly guard. From a sitting position with both butterfly hooks inserted — the insteps of the bottom player’s feet pressing into the top player’s inner thighs — the bottom player establishes an underhook on one side, uses the underhook to pull the top player’s elbow outward and break their base, and then drives the butterfly hook on that side upward while leaning into the top player to tip them over.

This is typically the first sweep practitioners learn from butterfly guard, and for good reason: it teaches the two structural components that appear in virtually every butterfly guard attack. First, the underhook controls direction. Second, the hook provides elevation. Every butterfly guard technique is a variation on these two components — different grips, different timing, different exits — but the same underlying structure. The hook sweep teaches that structure in its clearest form.

The sweep exits to mount in the standard case. When the top player steps their free leg back to defend, the bottom player can adapt by chasing with a single leg or following the defending leg into a different angle — but the primary exit is mount after the top player is tipped to their side.

The Invariable in Action

The underhook is the directional control for the butterfly hook sweep. The sweep goes to the underhook side — not away from it. The underhook arm threads under the top player’s arm on the same side as the working butterfly hook, and the body connection it creates determines which way the top player will be tipped. Attempting to sweep to the opposite side from the underhook is a common and fundamental error — the underhook and the sweep direction must always match.

The butterfly hook provides the elevation that makes the sweep possible. The hook’s instep drives upward into the top player’s inner thigh — not outward, not sideways, but upward — raising the top player’s hip on that side. Without this elevation, the top player’s weight is distributed across both knees and the floor, and tipping them becomes a strength contest rather than a mechanical advantage. The hook converts the top player’s own weight into the lever that sweeps them.

The elbow pull that precedes the hook drive is what actually breaks the top player’s base. Before the hook elevates, the bottom player’s elbow-controlling hand pulls the top player’s elbow outward — away from their body — which removes that arm as a posting option. When the hook then elevates, the top player cannot post on the swept side because their arm has been displaced. They fall because their support structure has been removed, not because they have been physically forced over.

The butterfly hook targets the top player’s knee — their primary support point — from underneath. By driving the hook upward against the inner thigh just above the knee, the bottom player removes the top player’s ability to distribute weight through that knee to the floor. Once the support point is disrupted and the arm is pulled out, the top player has no base remaining on the swept side.

Setup and Entry

From Butterfly Guard

Begin seated in butterfly guard with both hooks inserted. Sit up toward the top player’s chest — not leaning back. Establish the underhook: thread the arm on the sweep side under the top player’s arm from inside, reaching across to grip behind the shoulder or around the back. The underhook hand should be above the top player’s elbow.

With the underhook established, use the opposite hand to control the top player’s wrist or elbow on the non-underhook side — this prevents the top player from reaching and posting on the sweep side during the execution. Pull the top player’s elbow on the underhook side outward to break the base arm. Then: drive the butterfly hook upward while leaning your chest into the top player and pulling them toward you with the underhook. These motions happen together. The lean and the hook drive — not just the hook alone — produce the sweep.

As the top player tips, maintain the underhook and follow them to mount. Do not let go of the underhook as they fall — use it to climb with them.

Grip Variants

Standard underhook + outside wrist control: The primary variant. Underhook on the sweep side, opposite hand controlling the top player’s far wrist. The wrist control blocks the posting hand and also allows a wrist-lock entry in some systems — though that is outside the scope of this page.

Underhook + hip belt: Instead of wrist control, the non-underhook hand reaches behind and grips the top player’s hip or shorts. This controls the hip directly rather than the arm, which can be effective against a top player who is skilled at pulling the wrist free. The hip grip also helps drive the bottom player’s weight into the sweep direction.

Underhook + collar tie: In a no-gi context, replacing the wrist control with a collar tie (hand behind the neck) creates a different angle of control. Less common but functional when the wrist is difficult to access.

All variants use the same hook and directional mechanics. The grip variation changes which control is used to block the posting arm — the underhook and hook elevation remain constant.

Common Errors — and Why They Fail

Defence

The butterfly hook sweep has two primary defences, each targeting one of the two sweep components.

Base out with the free leg: When the hook begins to elevate on one side, the top player steps the free leg back and out to widen their base. A wider base lowers the centre of gravity and makes the elevation less effective. This is the fastest and most reliable defence — it needs to happen as soon as the hook begins to drive, not after the hip has already risen.

Post the hand on the sweep side: If the hook has elevated and the body is already tipping, posting the hand on the mat on the sweep side arrests the fall. However, a bottom player who has executed the elbow pull correctly will have already displaced this arm — the hand post defence is only available when the bottom player has not broken the base arm first.

Posture up and away: A top player who stays tall with their weight back is harder to elevate than one who is low and leaning forward. Good posture with the hips back removes the weight that the hook needs to work with. This is a positional defence rather than a reactive one — it limits the sweep before it begins.

Drilling Notes

Ecological approach

Flow roll from butterfly guard with the bottom player hunting the hook sweep and the top player defending with a live base. The top player is allowed to step, widen, and post — but not to pass. This creates the timing and feeling for when the base is broken versus when it is too solid. The bottom player learns to feel the window; the top player learns the defence. Switch roles every two minutes.

Systematic approach

Drill in three steps with a cooperative partner. Step one: establish the underhook from butterfly guard — repeat 10 times, focusing only on the entry and connection quality. Step two: from the established underhook, pull the elbow outward and feel the base arm displacement without executing the hook drive — 10 times. Step three: from the displaced base arm, drive the hook and tip with the lean — 10 times slow, controlled. Then link all three steps. Build pace only after the linkage is automatic.

Ability Level Guidance

Related Pages

Concepts layer