questions for side control

[Chris Herzog]

also, especially for the "on both knees" side control, Chris Herzog +1. Says it all.

@ Chris, thanks for the part on sitting your butt back on your heels, that's definitely what has been causing me problems. If you are lanky, how do you maintain chest pressure and keep your weight from going to far over at the same time? I feel like the farther back I sit, the lighter I feel

Its my experience its easier for taller lanky guys to maintain constant pressure, as the larger the surface area the more weight distribution, creating a "blanket" effect. You may be lighter, however its harder to escape side control with pressure from multiple angles. Make sure you are "kneading the dough" using your chest as a rolling pin into the upper side of their chest/side then across (multi direction pressure), rather than just "laying" right on top of their chest( single directional pressure). Also remember Jiu Jitsu is live and shouldn't be stagnant, be prepared to make adjustments, destroying the near arm should help with some of those adjustments.

Also how you prioritize your goals with side control will help you better determine what your trying to accomplish. Do you try to finish from side control? Do you have specific submissions your trying to work? Does you opponents movements (escape attempts) help set up your submissions? Or are you just using side control as a way point on the way to the mount?etc.

When I use side control I have two means of attacking:
1) I'm actively seeking out submission or positions from my personal attacking system. (ex. I'm actively working the farside under hook, pressurizing their head, to step over to a Kimura.).
2) My opponent is active from the bottom, and I'm trying to capitalize on his movements to set up a submission or transition to another dominate position. (ex. he turns in for a single, I whizzer and attack with a D'arce or Japanese Necktie).

Knowing what your working towards will help you understand what you actually need to fix.

[Jason_C]

i usually go right for twister and im flexible enough to mount regardless if they are trying to block with their legs or not. Another thing i go for is feed my arm behind their head and in front of their bicep. Then with my other arm, ill push up that arm i just isolated. ill then extend that arm and leverage prevents them from driving it back down. its sort of a one armed full nelson. there are arm bars and neck cranks from there that i could show. i guess ill just have to make a video someday.

[Harry Evans]

Thanks for the advice. Prioritizing should help a lot, and the tall person = bigger blanket idea is really interesting. I always thought of the blanket as "not as wide", but thinking about increasing surface area should help a ton.

[Chris Herzog]

Thanks for the advice. Prioritizing should help a lot, and the tall person = bigger blanket idea is really interesting. I always thought of the blanket as "not as wide", but thinking about increasing surface area should help a ton.

Anytime brotha, I hope it helps.