Surviving Side Control

Your guide for better Jiu-Jitsu

This guide will cover the best ways to stay safe when you get stuck under side control.

What we cover:

  1. How to defend against shoulder pressure

  2. How to avoid getting submitted

  3. Getting off your back

  4. Using your legs as frames

  5. Avoid getting mounted

  6. Connecting survival to escapes

  7. How to practise surviving back control

  8. Training checklist

  9. How 2800 students feel about surviving side control

  1. The main threats

Objective: To survive side control your main objective is to make your partner’s life difficult and shut down what they want and force them into giving you space to escape. Your opponent's obvious points of attack are your neck/chin and your arms. You have to protect those from submission.

Mechanics: Surviving side control comes down to being able to move your chin, shoulders and hips. This is the opposite of what your partner wants. Some key tips are:

  1. Use your connecting hand as an antenna to feel your partners movements

  2. Don’t try and bench press your partner off. That will lead to you getting tired and an increased chance of getting submitted. 

  3. You don’t want your shoulders flat on the mat. This invites pressure from the top. Aim to get on your side to reduce your opponents ability to flatten you. 

  4. If your chin can turn in a direction, your hips can turn in that direction. This means you can avoid being flattened out and build frames with your legs.  

Secret Tip: Using your arm as a frame against your partners chin to avoid pressure will usually result in submissions or opportunities to mount. Instead, focus on using frames with your legs and hips to move your partner.

Watch Video | Surviving Side Control Objectives & Mechanics

2. Common reactions

Dealing with Shoulder pressure 

You can’t move into pressure. But you can turn with it and build a frame. This means your shoulder is off the mat and they will have a hard time pinning you flat. This will give you opportunities for escapes. 

Dealing with Long Base Forwards 

If your partner is struggling with making progress they are more likely going to transition to another type of side-control. If they decide to transition to a Judo Style side you need to know how to survive. The good news is that there are limited submissions from here.

The best way to avoid submissions is to disturb their base. You can push their face sideways. Make sure you lock your frame and walk your hips towards the escape. Don’t try and use strength to roll them over. 

Dealing with Long Base Backwards

Again if your partner is struggling to make progress they will look to transition. Long base back is a form of side control that affords the mount easily. It does however have limited submission possibilities. 

By framing against their hip and pinning your elbow to the floor your partner cannot move towards your head. By making a connection against their face it becomes easy to move their base and prevent them from going to mount.

Watch Video | Dealing with common reactions

3. Connecting survival to escapes

The goal of surviving is to be comfortable in a bad position. When you start to build strong defences to your partner’s movements and understand where the threats are you will be given more opportunities to escape. 

Watch Video | Invisible Details

4. How to practise

Without practise you will not improve. Try the below drills to start progressing quickly.

  1. Start on the bottom of side control and feel the difference between laying back flat on the floor vs building a frame and being on your side. Your partner should struggle to pin your back to the floor.  

  2. Build a frame with your outside leg and practise turning into your partner with some resistance. Your goal is to get your shoulder off the mat. You can even practise the escape too. 

  3. Let your partner apply shoulder pressure. Practice rolling away from your partner and getting your shoulder off the mat. 

  4. Get your partner to start in long base forward side control. Practice pushing their face and moving towards the escape. 

  5. Get your partner to start in long base backwards side control. Practice pinning your elbow to the floor and building a frame. Your partner should feel as if it’s difficult to get to mount.

Watch Video | How to practice surviving side control

Surviving Side Control Training Checklist

So you have watched all the videos and now have a better understanding of what you need to do to survive side control. Now it’s time to tick off your practice and progress.

Actions

Practise building a frame with your outside leg and turning into your partner. Your goal should be to take your shoulder off the mat. Your partner should not be able to flatten you. 

Practise building a frame and turning away from your partner when they are applying shoulder pressure. 

Practise defending against the transition to long base forward and disrupting their base. 

Practise defending against the transition to long base backwards. Prevent them from getting the mount. 

Progress Check In

You can survive side control against someone at your level for 2 minutes

You can survive side control against someone at your level for 2 minutes. 

You feel confident surviving side control.

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The data from our BJJ Journey Score shows that on average most students are confident in their ability to surviving back control against someone they are equally matched with. But your goal should be confident against higher belts.

If you would like to map your Jiu-Jitsu try our BJJ Journey Score below:

How Other Students Feel About Surviving Side Control