CONCEPTS in escaping side control
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Fundamental Side Control·JeanJacquesMachado
#escapes #jeanjacquesmachado #bjj ----- One of the pioneers of the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and one of its greatest…
Fundamental Side Control
Familyファンダメンタルサイドコントロール(Fandamentaru Saido Kontorōru)
Translation: fundamental side control
Overview
The Fundamental Side Control family covers the core side control variations and techniques for maintaining chest-to-chest control, attacking with submissions, and transitioning to more dominant positions — the most commonly reached dominant position after passing the guard. [1] This family includes standard side control (crossface and underhook), kesa gatame (scarf hold), reverse kesa gatame, and the submission attacks available from each variation (americana, kimura, arm triangle, baseball bat choke). [1],[2] Side control maintenance — keeping heavy, mobile pressure while the bottom player frames and hip escapes — is a critical skill that distinguishes advanced grapplers from beginners. [2],[3] The ability to flow between side control variations (standard → kesa → reverse kesa → north-south) in response to the bottom player's escape attempts is what creates an inescapable controlling platform. [3]
Side Control TechniqueSide Control VariationSide Mount Technique
History & Origin
Effectiveness
Lineage
Competition Record
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Biomechanical Mechanism
Primary Action — Maintaining perpendicular chest-to-chest pressure with crossface and underhook to pin the opponent while systematically attacking submissions or advancing position
Joints Involved — Shoulder (crossface arm drives into the opponent's face/neck), hips (heavy hip pressure prevents shrimping), chest (the primary pressure surface), knees (sprawled for base or tight for compression)
Force Vector — Downward and lateral — weight drops through chest while crossface drives sideways, creating a two-directional pin
Control Mechanic — Crossface turns the head away (preventing turning in), underhook blocks the near arm, chest pressure pins the near shoulder — the bottom player is immobilised between mat and top player
Position & Entry
From guard pass — After toreando, knee-cut, or over-under pass, immediately establish crossface and underhook before the opponent recovers guard [1]
From scramble — The fighter who establishes chest-to-chest with crossface first wins the position
From takedown — After a successful takedown, advance past the legs to side control
Videos
5 Fundamental Side Control Positions in BJJ You Should Know
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Fundamental Side Control·Chewjitsu
In today's video I'll show you 5 BJJ side control positions and how I hold them and use them to setup other techniques. …
2 videos
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Ratings
Risk of injury to the person this technique is applied to
6
High6/10
Moderately high for the bottom player — enables submissions and ground-and-pound; less dominant than mount but harder to achieve escapes from than many think
Skill level needed to execute this technique reliably
Beginner
Whether this technique is allowed under major competition rule sets
— IBJJF — Legal
IBJJF Rules Book v6.0, June 2024PDF— IJF — Legal
IJF Sport and Organisation Rules 2025, Article 27PDF— ADCC — Legal
ADCC Rules Update, April 2025PDF— Unified MMA — Legal
Unified Rules of MMA, August 2025PDF— UWW — Legal
UWW International Wrestling Rules, January 2026PDF— FIAS Sport Sambo — Legal
FIAS International Sambo Competition RulesPDFTraining Notes
✓Chest pressure is the foundation — drive weight through the chest into the opponent's sternum (Ribeiro, Jiu-Jitsu University, 2008) [1]
✓Crossface determines control quality — drive forearm across jawline to turn head away
✓Flow between variations — standard, kesa, reverse kesa, and north-south should flow together based on opponent's reactions
✓In competition, advance to mount or knee-on-belly rather than stalling in side control
✓Drill submission chains — americana → kimura → arm triangle flow together [2]
✓Train both top and bottom side control skills together
Common Mistakes
!Lying flat without active pressure — effective side control requires active chest pressure with hips low and legs sprawled
!Losing the crossface — without crossface, the bottom player turns in and escapes
!Chasing submissions without control — attempting attacks before consolidating loses the position
!Not switching between variations — staying in one variation allows the opponent to develop a specific escape
!Head too high — keep head low, driving into opponent's face or chest
Related Techniques
Counter Techniques
Setup Chain
1Pass the Guard — navigate past legs
2Establish Side Control — secure crossface and underhook
3Consolidate — drop weight, spread legs for base
4Advance or Attack — transition to mount/KOB or attack with americana/kimura/arm triangle
5Chain Attacks — flow between submissions as each is defended
6Maintain — return to heavy pressure if advancement/submissions are defended
Sources & References
Primary Source
Jiu-Jitsu University (Saulo Ribeiro, 2008)
1BookJiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Description sources — [1] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008) [2] Kodokan Judo (Kano, 1986) [3] BJJ competition evolution
2BookKodokan Judo (Kano, 1986)
3BookMastering Jujitsu (Gracie & Danaher, 2003)
Official Kodokan ground technique classification system
5CitationJiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Description sources — [1] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008) [2] Kodokan Judo (Kano, 1986) [3] BJJ competition evolution
6CitationKodokan Judo (Kano, 1986)
7CitationMastering Jujitsu (Gracie & Danaher, 2003)
Community
Athletics
Requires
chest pressure ability, hip dexterity, crossface strength
Favours
heavy bodyweight, wide shoulders, strong forearms
Key muscles
chest/shoulders (pressure and crossface), core (hip switching), forearms (grip and crossface), hip flexors (pressure)
Sub-techniques
Notes
Side control appears in 816 passages across 27 books. The primary control position after passing the guard, scoring 3 points (guard pass) in IBJJF. From side control, the attacker can transition to mount, knee-on-belly, north-south, or attack with chokes and arm locks. (27 books; IBJJF Rules v6.0; Ribeiro, Jiu-Jitsu University)
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the most important thing to focus on when escaping side control?
Jean Jacques Machado emphasizes that your main goal is to make sure you can breathe—if your opponent is holding you so tight that you're trying to push them away, the strongest person will always have the advantage, so prioritize breathing and position over raw strength.
How do I avoid getting mounted when escaping side control?
Jean Jacques Machado stresses keeping your leg touching his leg at all times—if his leg gets in front of yours, he can transition to mount, which is a much worse position for you.
Why should I keep my elbow connected to my opponent's body in side control?
Jean Jacques Machado explains that keeping your elbow connected to his body makes any control he tries to apply difficult because your body weight is distributed effectively, whereas if you keep your elbow out, he can get between your elbow and your body.
What connection should I always maintain in side control to keep my opponent controlled?
Chewjitsu teaches that you want to always have something connected to your opponent's hip—whether it's your hand, knee, or hip—which gives you a better platform to control them and set up submissions.
How do I position my chest for maximum pressure in side control?
Chewjitsu advises that your chest should face wherever you want the pressure to go, allowing you to direct your weight and control effectively.
How does the Fundamental Side Control work?
The Fundamental Side Control family covers the core side control variations and techniques for maintaining chest-to-chest control, attacking with submissions, and transitioning to more dominant positions — the most commonly reached dominant position after passing the guard. This family includes standard side control (crossface and underhook), kesa gatame (scarf hold), reverse kesa gatame, and the submission attacks available from each variation (americana, kimura, arm triangle, baseball bat choke).
Where does the Fundamental Side Control come from?
Side control (yoko shiho gatame) is one of the five fundamental osaekomi positions in Kodokan judo, formalised by Jigoro Kano. BJJ evolved side control from a control position into a comprehensive attacking platform with elaborate submission chains.
Is the Fundamental Side Control legal in competition?
IBJJF: legal — Legal; IJF: legal — Legal; ADCC: legal — Legal; Unified MMA: legal — Legal; UWW: legal — Legal; FIAS Sport Sambo: legal — Legal
How dangerous is the Fundamental Side Control?
Danger rating 6/10. Moderately high for the bottom player — enables submissions and ground-and-pound; less dominant than mount but harder to achieve escapes from than many think
How do I set up the Fundamental Side Control?
The standard setup chain: Pass the Guard → Establish Side Control → Consolidate → Advance or Attack → Chain Attacks → Maintain.
How do I defend against the Fundamental Side Control?
Standard counters include: Hip Escape (Shrimp) — create space and recover guard / Frame and Turn — forearm frames create escape space / Bridge and Roll — reverse the position / Underhook Escape — fight for underhook to come up.
What are the variants of the Fundamental Side Control?
Common variants: Standard side control (crossface and underhook with chest pressure; most fundame…); Kesa gatame (scarf hold) (head-and-arm control facing the opponent's head; judo's s…); Reverse kesa gatame (facing opponent's legs; strong control, fewer submissions); Modified side control (knee in) (inserting near-side knee against the hip; transitional to…); North-south (kami shiho gatame) (head-to-head position; enables north-south choke and kimura).
How effective is the Fundamental Side Control in competition?
Side control is the most commonly reached dominant position in BJJ (3 points IBJJF). In judo, osaekomi from side control wins by ippon after 20 seconds.
What are common mistakes when doing the Fundamental Side Control?
Top errors to watch for: Lying flat without active pressure — effective side control requires active chest pressure with hips low and legs spr… / Losing the crossface — without crossface, the bottom player turns in and escapes / Chasing submissions without control — attempting attacks before consolidating loses the position / Not switching between variations — staying in one variation allows the opponent to develop a specific escape.
What are other names for the Fundamental Side Control?
The Fundamental Side Control is also known as Fandamentaru Saido Kontorōru, Side Control Technique, Side Control Variation, Side Mount Technique.