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Blue belt · Control · Core

Side control: pins & pressure

The pin itself: how to stay heavy and stop them escaping once you're in side control. Holding the position is what lets you attack later.

Side control Side control

No Gi BJJ Riding and Maintaining Top Side Control Drills Tutorial · Stuart Tomlinson · YouTube

Step by step

  1. Chest to chest, hips low.
  2. Crossface with your near arm, underhook their far arm.
  3. Near knee tight to their hip; other leg back for base.
  4. Hold with pressure, not tension: let your weight rest on them.
  5. When they frame or shrimp, follow their hips; switch your hips if needed.

Details that make it work

  • Their head is the steering wheel. The crossface keeps it turned away so they can't turn in.
  • Block their near hip with your knee to stop the shrimp.

Common mistakes

  • Hugging with your arms while your hips float.
  • Sitting too high on their chest, so they escape underneath.

Drill it

Positional: hold side control 1 min while partner escapes. 3 rounds each.

If it fails, or what comes next

Set it up from

How to defend it

Side control escape: frame & re-guard: The main side control escape: build frames, bridge, shrimp away, and put your knee back in. The goal is getting your guard back, not getting on top.

Track it in JitsFlow

Rate how well you know the Side control: pins & pressure, add it to your review queue and see where it fits on the flow map with every attack and escape.

Open in JitsFlow

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