Knee Cut Pass from Butterfly Guard

Knee Cut Pass from Butterfly Guard is a passing sequence that clears the legs built around a handful of repeatable controls. A compromised bottom position where the top player is threatening to pass or has begun consolidating control such as side control, knee cut, or stack. Another common starting shape: top player on butterfly has body-locked, climbed to a tight waist, but the partner's hooks are tight enough to deny sprawl and step-over. The ideas that hold it together are prioritize structure and timing over forcing the technique, high hips create room to fold the partner's knee across, and inside elbow pin is the bridge between body lock and tripod work.

The knee cut pass chain is a sequence of small controls, not one athletic burst. Establish the underhook on the appropriate side to dictate angle. Build a rigid frame against the opponent's pressure to create space. Use a foot post or hand post to stop the opponent's forward shift. Bring the lead elbow inside the partner's thigh to pin the leg flat to the mat. Drop the head to the mat and lift the hips into a tripod stance to make the partner's leg fall away from the hip. Insert the free foot as an inside hook in front of the partner's shin. Hop forward on one leg to bring the partner's knee across the hip into a leg weave, or drop weight back to the right knee and switch the head to land a knee slide on the far side. If the deep arm gets stuck under the partner's back, finish the pass first, then use shoulder pressure to roll the partner sideways and slide the arm out. A recovered guard or a strong defensive frame structure that prevents the pass from being completed.

Later in the knee cut pass, inside-knee entry is the gateway to half guard top from butterfly, windshield wiper trains the hip turn that makes the entry possible, and pin the hook before you cut tend to decide whether the position stays on track. Watch for these mistakes: Losing the structural connection that holds the position together. Trying to leg weave from a low hip position, leaving no room for the partner's knee to move across. Not having the head as the primary base in the tripod, losing the ability to manipulate the legs. Standing fully up instead of staying compact for the slide. The high-percentage version of knee cut pass from butterfly guard is the one you can still chain when the bottom player recovers a hook.