Technical Stand-Up
Escape · Side Control
Gets you from the mat back to your feet in a fighting stance; here from under knee-on-belly, when he stays high and space opens between you. Sit up and post one hand far behind you with the opposite foot flat near your buttock, a diagonal base; the other hand frames in front, elbow bent, keeping his head and hands off your legs. Lift your hips off the posted hand and foot and swing the free leg back between them, planting it far behind so your head is over the back leg, not the front one. Then stand, front hand still up. Leaning the head forward is the classic error: it lets him grab it or shoot. If he grabs your leg as you rise, sprawl.
How to do it
- Sit up, post one hand behind you on the mat and the opposite foot flat on the mat close to your buttock, so hand and foot form a diagonal base.
- Frame the other hand in front of you, elbow bent and palm toward them, to keep their head and hands away from your legs.
- Push off the posted hand and foot to lift your hips, and swing the free leg back under you, between the posted hand and foot, far behind.
- Plant that foot behind you so you are in a split base with your head over it, not over the front leg.
- Lift the posted hand and stand up in a fighting stance facing them, front hand still in front.
Key details
- Your head stays back while you rise: a head over the front leg lets them grab it or shoot under you.
- Post the hand far behind you: it makes the room for the leg to swing through.
- Keep your eyes on the opponent: you see their shot and can frame or sprawl in time.
- The front hand is a frame, not a push: it keeps the distance while your weight goes back.
Common mistakes
- Standing straight up. — Standing straight up puts your legs in front of them and they shoot a leg as you rise. — Swing the leg back under you and keep the hand in front as a frame.
- Posting the hand too close. — With the hand close there is no room to swing the leg through. — Post the hand far behind you.
- Looking down. — Looking down you lose sight of them and miss their shot. — Keep your eyes on the opponent while you rise.
- Hopping up and running backwards. — You come up off balance and can be knocked or taken down again. — Rise slowly enough to stay in base: if you can do it in slow motion, you can do it fast.
How to drill it
Technical stand-ups, 3 × 10 each side; then from the back with a partner trying to shoot.
What comes next
Where it comes from