Side control is a dominant top position in BJJ and in MMA will sometimes be referred to as side mount. Here, the bottom person is pinned to the ground at a 90 degree angle by the top person. The top player usually controls the upper body of their opponent and holds them down. Ideally, whilst in the top position, you should pin the bottom players back flat to the mat as this stops them from escaping.
If they are able to turn into you, then escapes become much easier. Due to the weight advantage, Side control is considered as one of the most important positions in Jiu Jitsu and is dominant to attack submissions. The top player can focus their energy on attacks whilst the bottom player is stuck and must try to escape. In MMA side control is equally, if not more important because it can lead to strikes with little retaliation.
Table of Contents
General
Side control can be achieved by passing the guard. For instance, if the opponent’s legs and hips are isolated then side control can be gained. Usually, it is done by passing the legs and then grabbing around the head and shoulders whilst having tight knees glued to the hips. A key feature of side control is blocking the hips with a fist to stop the opponent from turning into you.
Also, it is best to have the opponent facing away from your own body. The top player can focus on dominating the upper body from a side angle by using their shoulder to pressure jaw/head. This stops the opponent from turning towards you and possibly escaping, if their head is facing the wrong way, they cannot turn their body back into you.
The pressure is often generated by forcing the shoulder into the jaw or neck making it uncomfortable. If the pressure is that bad then it can also lead to the bottom player exposing their back. Not only this but it can lead to submissions if the opponent leaves their arms out and cannot frame correctly, due to inexperience or panic.
In some severe cases, you can even tap the opponent with shoulder pressure. This is done by angling your shoulder into their near side carotid artery. If they fail to block or defend this, then it may result in restricted blood flow and lead to unconsciousness.
Scarf Hold
One variation of side control is scarf hold. This is a position originally from Judo which is called Kesa Gatame in Japanese and sometimes referred to as this in English. This is seen as a transitional position in modern BJJ to maintain the pin, whereas in Judo it is used to control, crush and submit. Scarf hold is when the top player switches hips to face their opponent and scoops up the nearside arm or head. Switching the hips away from the opponent is often referred to as reverse scarf hold.
As mentioned, the BJJ scarf hold is often different to the one used in Judo. Typically a Judoka will trap the opponent’s head and arm and grip their inner thigh which creates a tight grip. This is very different to the BJJ scarf hold which doesn’t grab the opponent’s head. Instead, usually the arm underhooks the armpit of the opponent’s far arm.
Generally this is done to avoid your back being taken from the bottom player. Of course, the Judo position doesn’t allow escapes or back takes but this position is considered more risky for BJJ newcomers who often lack the control to make it work. In brief, both forms of scarf hold have pros and cons.
When in regular scarf hold submission opportunities can present themselves. These are commonly americanas with the legs or arm triangle chokes. However, if you do not pin the arm or head tightly enough then sometimes the bottom player can escape via the back. This is typically a beginner’s mistake and can lead to getting your back taken, so be wary when using scarfhold as a pin and always control a farside underhook.
Submissions
An example of this would be if the bottom player uses their hands to relieve the pressure from their chest. This opens up their arm which can then be straightened out for americana’s or kimuras. With this in mind side control often leads to armlocks and in some cases even wrist locks if applicable from both standard and scarf positions.
Not only are their joint locks available, but there are also a number of chokes on offer. In the gi, you can set up baseball and paper cutter chokes by putting both hands into the collar of the opponent and turning to tighten the grips. If the opponent does turn into you with an underhook to escape, you can sometimes counter this with a darce choke or even set up guillotine’s from the position. In short, there are numerous chokes from the top which can be attacked depending on the situation.
Other attacks will open up if the opponent is too passive. The top player can attack triangles by pushing the opponent’s hand to the body and kicking the leg over their head. Side control creates a variety of attacks for the bottom player to be wary of. Not only this but if the bottom player is inactive, the top player can also jump to mount. In sport BJJ this gives 4 points, whilst in MMA it can lead to unchallenged strikes which is ideal.
Transitions
One benefit of having the top side control position is the number of transitions that are available. Most noticeably these are switching to scarf hold, mount and the knee on belly. If the opponent really messes up and exposes their back, you can even take their back and and start looking for chokes.
Especially popular whilst in the gi, you can switch to knee on belly by getting a collar grip with your near side hand and placing your far hand by their far hip. You can then shoot up to knee on belly as if jumping onto a surfboard.
This is a great control position which is also used to transition or submissions. If used for nothing else, knee on belly is good to rest and is very physically uncomfortable for the person on the bottom. By having a knee in your sternum it can also waste your energy due to making breathing harder.
To get to the mount you can sometimes slip your leg across the hips. This is done by usually dominating the upper body so the bottom player forgets about their legs. Be careful not to lazily jump your leg over though, which may result in giving away a half guard position. This is a typical mistake done by newbies. However, with enough experience, you will learn to carefully place your feet correctly to avoid this.
Understanding side control in the gi vs no gi
Unlike some positions, there is a big difference between side control in the gi, vs side control in no gi. Generally speaking, it is far easier to pin down the opponent in the gi and also go for submissions. This is due to the grips and friction that are created with the gi jacket, whereas in no gi this control method is missing. For instance, various collar chokes completely disappear in no gi. Not only this but you can’t use lapel wraps to pin arms or grip on the hips.
This means that the value of side control is lesser in no gi, although obviously, it is still a dominant position with various attacks that are available. This also means that it is easier to escape from the bottom whilst in no gi.
Especially when the position is wet and slippery, this creates less friction which means you can find gaps to sneak out of and exploit. As the top player no longer has grips to pin with, you can move about easier. By the same token, you can be less paranoid about chokes due to a number of lapel submissions being unavailable.
Escapes
There are various ways to escape side control. One method is by shrimping which is a key part of escaping from almost all bottom positions. Firstly, you must bridge up your hips to create distance and alleviate neck pressure. Then with space generated, the idea is to shrimp away from the opponent by facing into them. If the shrimp is successful you can then regain a guard which is usually half or open guard.
Another method is by bringing their legs closer to yours by walking near them, and then recovering to half guard. This method involves hooking their feet and then progressing to the legs. A combination of this and the previous shrimping escape create a tricky dilemma for the top player to be aware of.
There are also reversals which aren’t as common but still exist. One example is by trapping the opponent’s arm and then doing a powerful bridge. Because the arm is trapped, it is impossible for the opponent to base and defend. If strong enough, you can reverse the position and end up in top side control which is a massive positional improvement.
However, trying explosive bridges can also burn energy quickly which may lead to tiredness and then further mistakes down the line. It should be added in sport BJJ a reversal does not score points unlike a sweep, so even if the position improves, points are not given.
Lastly, although not an escape – there are submissions from bottom side control. Generally, these aren’t considered fundamentally sound, however they can sometimes work. The most typical submission from the bottom is the reverse triangle. If the top player’s head is too low then sometimes you can sneakily push their head and arm into a triangle. This is something to be wary of from the top as it is rare but does happen, meaning the top position is not always invincible.
Summary
Overall side control is a key part of any BJJ student’s game. By achieving the position it enables dominance over the opponent and can burn their energy quickly. Not only this but it also allows for various attacks to take place with little risk if they go wrong. With this in mind, side control should be taught to all in BJJ and is of massive importance in both learning to hold and escape from the position.
In MMA side control submissions will still happen but are less common since it is less risky to simply punch or elbow your opponent in the head and not have them get the clock to 0. Side control is often used as a transitional position to either quickly get mount or force your opponent to turn away and expose their back.
