Headscissors From Side Control

Switch to the headscissors when your opponent is defending with his arms and the Kimura doesn't feel like it's coming, but you notice his neck is exposed. Nikki Sullivan emphasizes that if you can't get the Kimura out quickly, it becomes hard to break whatever grip your opponent makes, so that's when the headscissors becomes the better option.

Slide your bottom knee underneath your opponent's head as a base, then bring your top leg over and position the tendon behind your knee under their chin. Lock your top foot under the bottom foot and extend your hips down to finish the choke.

If your opponent is hiding their chin, use the tendon in your knee to ratchet underneath their chin to dig it up. You can also scratch their face with your legs and then extend—sometimes turning their head to the side actually makes the choke work better on the carotids.

Keeping the Kimura grip tight—pushing your opponent's hand and wrist into their own body—prevents them from getting their elbow out and coming on top. If you can't finish the choke, this grip allows you to recover position and come back on top without losing anything.

The headscissors from side control is applied by the top player who isolates the opponent's head and threads the legs around the neck while transitioning from a side control pin. The attacker typically swings the far leg over the opponent's face and locks the ankles or thighs together, creating the scissoring compression around the neck.

Headscissors from side control positions have roots in catch wrestling and judo's katame-waza, where pins were used as platforms to transition into strangulation techniques. In BJJ, the side-control headscissors became an option for fighters who preferred leg-based attacks over the more common americana, kimura, or arm triangle from side mount.

IBJJF: разрешён — Legal at all belt levels, gi and no-gi — chokes are the safest submission cat…; IJF: разрешён — Legal (shime-waza) — strangulation techniques are one of three permitted subm…; ADCC: разрешён — Legal; Unified MMA: разрешён — Legal — choke submissions are among the most common finishes in MMA; FIAS Sport Sambo: запрещён — All chokes prohibited in Sport Sambo; FIAS Combat Sambo: разрешён — Legal

Оценка опасности 7/10. Headscissors use the thighs to squeeze the head laterally; risk of neck strain

Стандартная цепочка подготовки: Establish Position → Create the Threat → Secure the Hold → Finish.

Стандартные контрприёмы: Early Recognition — identify the submission attempt early and begin defence immediately / Posture and Base — maintain strong posture and base to prevent submission setups / Grip Fight — deny the attacker their preferred gripping configuration.

Распространённые варианты: Standard grip variation (primary hand configuration for maximum choking pressure); Gi variation (uses the lapel or collar as an anchor for additional fric…); No-gi variation (adapted grip and positioning for submission grappling wit…); Transition finish (applied during a positional change to catch the opponent …).

Uncommon at major competition; used occasionally in submission-only formats where position is less important

Основные ошибки, на которые стоит обратить внимание: Losing side control pressure during the leg threading — the upper body must maintain control while the legs move; lif… / Threading the legs too slowly — the transition must be decisive; slow leg movement allows the opponent to tuck the he… / Not maintaining the arm/shoulder control during the transition — the near arm should be controlled to prevent the opp… / Not locking the figure-four immediately — lock as soon as both legs are around the neck; delay allows the opponent to….

Headscissors From Side Control также известен как Heddo Shizāzu, Side Control Head Scissors, Lateral Scissor Choke.