Bottom of Side Control
Position · Side Control
He lies across your torso, chest on your chest, one arm controlling your head or near arm and his hips low; your near elbow should be inside, against his hip. Frame with your forearms — one at his neck or collarbone, one on his hip — and keep your near elbow tight so he cannot move to mount or knee-on-belly. If his chest is heavy but hips light, frame and shrimp into Frame and Shrimp; if he leaves a gap under his arm, dig the underhook for the Underhook Escape; head low near your body, the Buggy Choke; posts a straight arm, the Helicopter Armbar; high on your chest with the far side free, the Ghost Escape. His goals are crossface, mount and the kimura or americana on your near arm; never let him flatten that elbow away from your body.
How to do it
- Turn onto your side facing them. On your back their chest pressure flattens you; on your side your hips are free to move away.
- Frame your far forearm across their neck and put your near hand on their hip. The forearm blade at the neck and the hand on the hip keep their chest and hips from closing back onto you.
- Keep the near elbow inside, close to your ribs. An elbow outside can be trapped, and it leaves the space under it for their knee to slide to mount.
- Push on your frames and shrimp your hips away from them: plant the foot, drive the hips back and out to make space between you.
- Put your knee into the space and recover guard, or turn onto your knees and come up facing them.
Key details
- On your side, never flat: flat on your back the hips cannot move and their weight settles.
- Frames make space, the hips use it: the arms only hold the distance; the shrimp creates the room.
- The knee in is the goal: once a knee is between you, they no longer control your hips.
Common mistakes
- Hugging their back. — Your arms are far from your body and free for a kimura or americana. — Frame on the neck and hip.
- Shrimping without frames. — Nothing holds them away, so they follow you and stay heavy. — Frame first, then shrimp.
- Leaving the near arm outside. — They trap the arm and control you. — Keep the near elbow inside, against your ribs.
If they defend
- They go to mount. → Block the knee and shrimp to half guard.
- They take a crossface. → Underhook and come up to your knees.
How to drill it
Partner holds side control, 3 × 1 minute: frame, shrimp, knee in.
What comes next
Where it comes from