Side Control

Position

Side control is the workhorse of top position: chest to chest, perpendicular to the opponent, past their legs entirely. Nearly every successful guard pass lands here, which makes it the most visited dominant position in jiu-jitsu, the place where pressure is taught, escapes are forged, and submission chains begin.

Quick Reference

Key principles

  • · Chest-to-chest pressure with hips low eliminates space and makes the bottom player bear your weight.
  • · Control the near-side hip and the head/far-side shoulder to prevent the two primary escape directions: bridging and shrimping.
  • · Maintain a wide base with sprawled legs to resist bridge-and-roll attempts.
  • · Constantly adjust your position in response to the bottom player's escape attempts rather than holding statically.
  • · Transition between sub-variations (kesa gatame, 100 kilos, reverse side control) to stay ahead of escape efforts.

Execution

  1. 1 Establish chest-to-chest contact at an angle perpendicular to your opponent, driving your weight through your sternum into their torso.
  2. 2 Secure head and hip control using an underhook under the far arm and a crossface or near-side hip block.
  3. 3 Sprawl your legs back and wide, keeping your hips heavy and low to the mat.
  4. 4 Apply constant downward pressure while monitoring their hip movement and inside arm frames.
  5. 5 React to escape attempts by switching between control variations or advancing to mount or knee-on-belly.

Common mistakes

  • × Leaving space between your chest and the opponent's torso, allowing them to insert frames and recover guard.
  • × Placing knees tight against the opponent's body instead of sprawling the legs, which reduces base and makes you easier to roll.
  • × Focusing only on holding the position statically rather than cycling through attacks and transitions, giving the bottom player time to set up escapes.

From the bottom

What the bottom grappler is working toward from Side Control.

Frame And Shrimp escape Hip Escape escape Side Control Escape escape
7 less common
Bridge And Roll escape Elbow Escape escape Ghost Escape escape Octopus Guard Bottom Shrimp Escape escape Darce Choke submission Jailbreak escape

On top

The top grappler's options against Side Control.

Americana From Side Control submission Arm Triangle Choke submission Kimura From Side Control submission Side Control To Mount transition Side Control To North-South transition
14 less common
Baseball Bat Choke submission Darce Choke submission Kimura submission Kimura To Back Take transition Lapel Choke submission Paper Cutter Choke submission Side Control Armbar submission Side Control To Back transition Triangle Choke Side submission Von Flue Choke submission Canto Choke submission Monoplata submission Neck Crank submission North South Choke submission

How you get here

Techniques that land in Side Control.

Berimbolo Entry transition Collar Drag transition De La Riva Guard Top Deep Half Guard Top Folding Pass pass Headquarters Position Lasso Guard Top North-South To Side Control transition Octopus Guard Pass pass Octopus Guard Sweep sweep Octopus Guard Top Over-under Pass pass Reverse De La Riva Guard Top Reverse Half Guard Pass To Side Control pass Smash Pass pass Spider Guard Top Stack Pass pass Toreando Pass pass
32 less common
Ankle Pick takedown Arm Weave Pass pass Butterfly Pass pass Crossface Pass pass Deep Half Guard Pass pass Double Leg Finish takedown Double Leg Takedown takedown Fireman's Carry takedown Guard Pass pass Harai Goshi takedown Headquarters Pass pass High Crotch takedown Hip Drag Pass pass Inside Trip takedown Ippon Seoi Nage takedown K-Guard Pass pass Kouchi Gari takedown Lockdown Pass pass Long Step Pass pass Morote Seoi Nage takedown Osoto Gari takedown Ouchi Gari takedown Outside Foot Sweep takedown Rdlr Pass pass SLX Pass pass Sao Paulo Pass pass Seoi Nage takedown Single Leg Finish takedown Single Leg Takedown takedown Uchi Mata takedown Worm Guard Pass pass X-Guard Pass pass

Chains & Sequences

Commonly taught paths through the graph that feature this technique.

Knee Cut to Wristlock

Knee Cut Pass Side Control Top Wristlock

Side Control Triple Attack

Side Control Top Kimura Back Control Rear Triangle

RDLR Back Roll Sweep to Kimura

Reverse De La Riva Guard Side Control Top Kimura

Turtle Roll Through to Arm Triangle

Turtle Top Side Control Top Arm Triangle Choke

Double Stack to Over-Under Pass

Stack Pass Over-under Pass Side Control Top

Over-Under to Pressurized Half Guard Pass

Over-under Pass Half Guard Side Control Top

Types of Side Control

Kesa Gatame

100 Kilos

Shoulder Of Justice

Reverse Kesa Gatame

Reverse Side Control