Probably the single most common requests I’ve received over the years are about escaping from side control bottom.
But more specifically, it’s escaping from side when your opponent has a brutal cross face.
And there’s no doubt that being stuck on bottom when your opponent has a cross face of some sort IS absolutely brutal, whether it’s a deep cross face with their shoulder in your neck and jaw, or a variation like the “prybar”, where they are using their forearm like a lever arm to turn your head away.
In fact, it’s safe to say that my neck would be a whole lot healthier if I knew what I know now –– all those years coming up through the ranks and fighting through cross face pressure definitely took their toll.
The very good news for you is that you can dramatically mitigate both the control and the physical wear & tear associated with this position, all with just a few simple adjustments. Just a couple days ago I showed you how to defeat a crossface and “diaper check” pin, but in today’s lesson I’ll show you how to completely negate the cross face in the first place from the moment you get onto your side:
This is part one, which you’ll want to get before attempting the full escape from here (hint: it involves going with the energy of the cross face rather that fighting it).
Note the recurring theme of creating pyramids and applying torque, which are first principles of how Jiu-Jitsu works at the most fundamental level.
For much, much more on how to get beyond learning more “moves” and instead understand the first principles of escaping from the bottom of side control, headlocks, head & arm, and north/south, be sure to check out my in depth course here.
