Butterfly guard has to be one of the first types of open guard you start experimenting with in your jiu-jitsu journey, if for no other reason than you're going to find yourself in the position frequently once you understand that it exists. When we start rolling in BJJ, we often start from the knees, with one person opting to start on the bottom, which generally means sitting on their butt. For these reasons, a little bit of basic understanding of the position will go a very, very long way.

Note: this tutorial will approach butterfly guard with an underhook on one side. For some ideas on what to do with overhooks instead, check out How to Use Overhooks in Butterfly Guard.