Side Control Escape Playbook
Mat Manual companion guide to "Smashed: Getting Out From Under Side Control." Print it. This is the position your rounds keep ending in, so learn to leave it.
| Art | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
|---|---|
| Family | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Level | beginner |
| Format | playbook |
| Topics | groundwork, submissions, safety |
Mat Manual companion guide to "Smashed: Getting Out From Under Side Control." Print it. This is the position your rounds keep ending in, so learn to leave it.
SAFETY, BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE ☐ Tap early and tap often. The far arm they are hunting is yours, and the americana and kimura tighten while you think about being tough. ☐ A tap to pressure counts. If the crossface or the chest weight is crushing your breathing or your neck, tap. There is no rule that says a pin cannot be a finish for the day. ☐ When your partner taps, or says anything, release instantly. First the release, then the discussion. ☐ Top players: the crossface is shoulder pressure under the jaw, never a forearm driven across the throat, and never your full weight dropped through it. Control wins pins. Cranking wins nothing. ☐ Bridging is done with the hips and legs. If your neck or lower back complains during bridge drills, stop and tell your instructor. Do not bridge through pain to finish a set.
The Pin in One Table
| Bottom player's jobs | Top player's jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| First | Face back toward them, chin into the crossface side | Set the crossface and turn their face away |
| Second | Frames in: near forearm at their neck, far hand at their hip | Win the far underhook and pin that arm high |
| Third | Get onto one side, elbows home at your ribs | Settle chest to chest, hips low, weight through the chest |
| Fourth | Bridge and shrimp to guard, or underhook to your knees | Advance to knee on belly or mount, or hunt the far arm |
| Never | Lie flat with both shoulders down and push at their chest | Give the bottom knee free passage to your hip |
Side Control Escape Playbook
Mat Manual companion guide to "Smashed: Getting Out From Under Side Control." Print it. This is the position your rounds keep ending in, so learn to leave it.
What's Inside
- The Pin in One Table
- The First Ten Seconds: Checklist
- Frame Architecture
- Per-Variation Annex
- The Pass in Flight: Stop the Pin From Settling
- Positional Drilling Library: Ten Games
- …and 13 more sections
The full guide is a paid Mat Manual product. Checkout is not connected yet — no payment is taken on this page.
Free companion article: Smashed: Getting Out From Under Side Control — the full article, free in full.