North-South Escape
Escape · Side Control
Takes you from under north-south back to guard. The moment is when he drops his chest on your face. Turn your face to one side to breathe, then set your forearms against his hips, elbows bent and close to your head, so bone carries his weight; the hip frame comes first, because his weight is in his hips; when one of his arms is over your shoulder, a forearm pushing his head away adds space and blocks the north-south choke. Push the hips away, turn onto your side and shrimp away: flat on your back the hips cannot move. Bring your top knee into the gap as a barrier, then square up, bring the second leg in and recover guard. Keep the elbows tight: an arm reaching around his body is a ready kimura. If he turns to side control, go to frame and shrimp.
How to do it
- Under north-south, turn your face to one side to breathe. Their chest is on your face, and turning the head frees your mouth and nose.
- Put your forearms against their hips, elbows bent and close to your head. Forearm frames hold their weight on bone instead of on your arm muscles.
- Push their hips away with the frames, turn onto your side and shrimp your hips away. On your side your hips can move, flat on your back they cannot.
- Bring your top knee in between you and them, into the space the shrimp made. The knee is the barrier that stops them settling back onto your chest.
- Square your hips to face them, bring the second leg in and recover guard.
Key details
- Hip frame first: the hips carry their weight. A forearm on the head helps only as a second frame, when their arm is over your shoulder.
- Turn to the side before you move the hips: a shrimp only works from your side.
- Knee in first, then the full guard: the knee keeps the space while you bring the rest of your body round.
- Elbows tight: an arm reaching around their body is a ready kimura or armbar.
- Turn north-south into side control first: hands on their hips, shimmy down and swing your hips to the side; from side control your knees can come in. If your head sticks out on one side, swing to the other side.
- If they sink their arms around your head for the choke, shoot your body down, drive your arms up and turn your hips: you end up with a headlock on them.
Common mistakes
- Pushing on their head. — Pushing only the head leaves their hips, and their weight, on you. — Frame the hip first; add a forearm on the head only when their arm is over your shoulder.
- Staying flat on your back. — You cannot shrimp while flat on your back, and their weight settles on your chest. — Turn onto your side first, then move the hips.
- Reaching around their back. — The arm is far from your body and they catch it for a kimura or armbar. — Keep the elbows tight and close to you, forearms on their hips.
If they defend
- They go for the north-south choke. → Keep the near arm tight to your neck.
How to drill it
Partner in north-south with light pressure, 8 escapes, then 1-minute rounds.
What comes next
Where it comes from