Getting to your opponent’s side is hard, exhausting work, but keeping them there long enough to score the points for the guard pass is even harder.
At my academy we work with five basic side control positions, but that varies from school to school.
In this article I’ll talk a bit about side control, known in Brazil as the “100kg”, and in a video lesson I show how to reverse your opponent from one of these positions, plus an armlock for the person holding the position on top.
Holding side control
First, I need you to understand that a perfectly executed attack will always be more effective than the defense. In other words, if the attacking technique is done correctly, without a single mistake, there is no escape.
So does that mean there’s nothing we can do and I should give up when my opponent stabilizes the guard pass?
That’s not what I meant. When I say there’s no escape, I mean an attack done 100% correctly, without any mistakes and fully stabilized, assuming your opponent knows every possible technical detail for holding that position. If your opponent doesn’t have full technical command of how to hold a specific position, there’s already a gap and we can exploit it.
What you need to do is anticipate your opponent’s attack, either to stop them from stabilizing in the first place or to make them commit a technical mistake that gives us some space to get out of there.
There are many ways to keep your opponent flat on their back on the mat in side control, and if it’s done correctly, the chances of escaping are slim. What many people don’t realize is that once the opponent has passed the guard, or has simply landed straight “in the 100kg”, they can only stay without moving for 20 seconds. After that, the referee will penalize them and force them to move, and that’s the moment we should look for a gap in their technique and try to escape.
Penalty for lack of combativeness
When you’re winning the match and you’re in a more comfortable position, it’s natural to slow down and let the clock run more calmly. However, you can’t go more than 20 seconds without trying to progress from the position you’re in. It’s worth pointing out that simply transitioning from one side control position to another doesn’t count as progress. To really progress, you need to go for a position that scores points or for the submission.
Penalties in Jiu-Jitsu are cumulative, and on the fourth penalty the athlete is disqualified.
Side control reversal
As I said before, there are many ways to hold side control, and in this video lesson I show how to reverse your opponent from one of them. This technique takes a bit of flexibility to bring your leg up and grab the lapel from underneath your own leg.
After the reversal, I also teach an armlock that will help you surprise that opponent who grips your lapel and straightens their arm to push you to the side.
If you have any trouble with one of these techniques, leave a comment and I’ll do my best to help you.
Holding side control on a stronger athlete
I know you might be saying that when your opponent is stronger, holding the position gets much harder, and that’s true.
If your opponent is much stronger, it’s possible that even with 100% perfect technique you won’t be able to hold them for long and might even lose the position. In that case, you should anticipate their escapes and use your speed to transition between the side control positions, and even go for the mount, take the back or maybe finish with the armlock I showed in the video above.
But the opposite physical difference also gets in the way. If you’re heavier and can’t deal with that “lightweight” spinning around anymore, the option is to lock them down. Get a grip and keep shutting down your opponent’s spins until you reach a secure position, adjust it, and from then on always move as tight as possible to stop your opponent from starting to move again.
Points in the video
Did you watch the video lesson? Have you tried surprising your training partners yet? Then here’s a question for you!
How many points did I get after reversing my opponent in the video lesson? Leave your answer in the comments!
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Jiu-Jitsu video lessons, articles and stories with Matheus Zimmermann
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