Student Objectives:
The student will pass the Butterfly Guard by applying the Steering Wheel pass with good technique on a compliant partner.
The student will develop simultaneous upper and lower body movements to pass the Butterfly Guard by using the Steering Wheel Butterfly Guard Pass.
Teaching Cues:
Over the Back
Over the Arm and Under the Leg
Back Step and Turn
Lesson: Steering Wheel Pass
The assisting student will start in the Butterfly Guard. The assisting student should be seated, with posture, legs gently bent and their heels pulled in close to their groin. The assisting student will then place their wrists on their knees with their palms facing upwards. The practicing student will Triangle Sit with one knee on either side of the assisting student’s ankles and squeeze their knees together to pinch the assisting student’s ankles.
Once in position the assisting student will take Double Under grips and hug around the back of the practicing student. When learning this movement the assisting student should not clasp their hands togethe,r but can cup the back of the practicing student’s shoulders for a more comfortable hand placement.
The practicing student will reach around the back and take a grip on the far latissimus Dorsi muscle with the bicep and forearm completely flat against the back. The other hand will go over the assisting student’s bicep and weave inside the armpit and make a pathway to the inside of the assisting student's knee pit. This should trap the assisting students arm in the armpit of the practicing student and the whole grip should be reinforced by cupping the inside of the knee pit.
To execute the Steering Wheel Pass, the practicing student will simultaneously rotate the assisting student by turning the arms and back stepping in the same direction as the turn. This is the hardest part of the technique and requires a good bit of practice.
To create a smooth turn with the upper body, the practicing student should attempt to keep the assisting student’s back off the floor until the very last moment of the pass. This will eliminate a lot of friction and make turning the assisting student’s bodymuch easier.
To turn the assisting student, the practicing student will lift up with the hand in the assisting student’s Knee Pit while rotating their elbow of the arm controlling the Latissimus muscle towards the floor.
The Back Step is to avoid the Butterfly Hook on the inside of the thigh. Make sure that this is an exaggerated Back Step with a lot of hip movement combined with the turning as explained above.
Once the practicing student has cleared the legs and they have spun the assisting student, the focus should be on getting into a dominant position. I suggest turning back into a modified Side Control where the Knee is placed on top of the hip rather than on the floor next to the hip. Due to the grip taken on the inside of the Knee Pit to facilitate the turn of the assisting student’s body, it leaves the hand between the legs of the assisting student. This can lead to problems if the arm is not removed, so placing the knee on the belly will stop Reverse Triangles. The knee can also be used to pin the hips to the floor and generate a lot of force to remove the arm should the assisting student try to trap it.
Possible Extensions:
After passing the Butterfly Guard allow the assisting student to Shrimp and recompose Butterfly Guard. Then pass to the other side. When doing this it can be a great drill that allows for a lot of practice in a short amount of time.
After completing the Steering Wheel Pass, and clearing the arm from between the legs, have the practicing student use the Knee Pull to Mount. Once in mount choose any of the submissions that have previously been taught (Key Lock, Armbar or Cross Collar Choke are all great options).
The Steering Wheel Pass can be altered and used from the Open Guard position. Simply have the assisting student sit in Butterfly Guard and the practicing student will stand. One grip will be made on the same side shoulder, the second grip will be made on the same side knee.
Instruct the assisting student to keep their palms on their knees and/or ankles and avoid posting their hands on the floor. While this can be an intuitive way to stop the pass, it does open the assisting student to combination passes, primarily the Skipping Pass if they commit to a base on the floor.
Once the hands are in place the practicing student will grasp the fabric of the shoulder and the knee and pull down, towards the floor with the hand on the shoulder while guiding the turn with the hand on the knee. This can be combined with various forms of footwork to facilitate combination passes, however, the concept of turning the partner will feel very similar to that of the Steering Wheel Pass.
Possible Refinements:
Coordinating the Back Step and the turning of the arms is extremely difficult. If the arms pull first then it will lock the assisting student’s foot on the inside of the thigh. If the Legs start to Back Step first sometimes it locks the practicing student’s hips in place and they won't be able to Back Step at all. This is a unique movement and extra practice is often needed to make the movement functional.
Reaching over the back to take control of the Latissimus muscle is very easy and student’s rarely have problems with this grip. However, the second hand placement gives student’s difficulty conceptually. It is common for student’s to try and thread the hand on the inside of the assisting student’s arm which would basically set their arm up for an Overhook Sweep. Make sure the practicing student is going over the arm and under the leg.
Make sure the assisting student keeps their arms in the Double Under position throughout the pass. Due to the dynamic nature of this pass, some assisting students may try to post their hand on the floor as the practicing student executes the Back Step. This will not stop the pass and it can put their hand/arm in a dangerous place. To avoid having their arm crushed, the assisting student should keep it in place until the practicing student moves to the modified Side Control position.
Reference materials:
Teaching Reflections:
How did I do teaching?
What could I do better next time?
Did the student gain proficiency in lesson material?