2 Simple and Effective Submissions you should know from Side Control

By Fanatics Authors, January 27, 2018

Side control is one of the most dominant positions in bjj, we work so hard to achieve this position by passing the guard or getting a sweep. Passing the guard is one of the most difficult things in bjj and if we pass, we need to be able to solidify and submit. Side control is one of the best places to submit your opponent. Some people actually believe that side control offers your more options for submission then full mount or the back. Side control is often over looked and some people perceive it as a transitional position.

For instance, some people get to side control and just want to progress to a position like the back, knee on belly, or full mount. This is not necessarily a bad train of thought; progression is always a positive thing. But why progress if we can maintain side and submit? There are so many submission strings from side control that work at the highest levels of competition. Here at BJJ Fanatics we make the best Instructional DVD’s with all of the best competitors, instructors, and practitioners. We also offer so many free techniques from these DVD’s on our YouTube channel. Check it out here.

Today we are going to share with you some awesome submission options from side control. We are going to share with you the basics of a Kimura from side control and why it is a good option, a sneaky wrist lock, and another wrist lock that you can use from the Kimura grip. Without further ado let’s take a look.

Kimura From Side Control Top Position by Travis Stevens

Travis Stevens is a Olympic Silver Medalist in Judo and a world class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt. He has competed at some of the most prestigious bjj events against some of the best competitors such as Paulo Miyao, Yuri Simoes and more. Travis has a very quick progression from white to black in bjj given his extensive background in grappling. Travis is not only an excellent competitor but he is also an excellent instructor. He has the ability to break down techniques that many of us may perceive as basic in a highly advanced and technical manner. His methodical approach to bjj technique makes it simple to understand anything that he is showing. Let’s take a look at his variation on the kimura and then discuss.

So as you can see in the video above, Travis is an excellent instructor. He has a way of making the most simple techniques complex and making the complexities easy to understand. This form of teaching is a thing of beauty. Travis gave us a lot of key details in this basic submission. First he started with his grip, he went under the arm pit and isolated the arm, after isolating the arm he wanted to get his opponent off of the mat.

IF you notice when he starts attacking the Kimura his opponent has both of his shoulders on the mat. One of the most important details that Travis gave us is the fact that he rolled his opponent on his side. This same detail is something that you use on so many attacks on the back. Just being able to successfully roll your opponent on the side is an important thing to learn.

After he rolls them on their side he proceeds to look up and get the wrist and then the way that he breaks the grip is amazing, he uses his hips and keeps everything tight to use every aspect of his body. We chose this submission video for a reason. First off, Travis is an amazing instructor and makes this basic technique high level, and this technique is also the gateway to so many other submissions. For instance, once you get to this it opens the door for so many other submissions. You can start attacking various wrist locks from this Kimura position, you can transition to arm bars, you can go to back attacks, and you can attack omoplata’s.

This Kimura position is one of the most versatile positions. Not only do you have other attacks; you can also do almost all of the attacks that are available in both the gi, nogi, and even in MMA. If you go to the Kimura and can’t get the finish, then attack the wrist and ultimately fall for the arm bar all of these transitions work in gi, nogi, and MMA!

If you want to learn more from Travis Stevens check out his DVD “Fundamentals and Concepts.” Travis will literally change your perspective on the basics of Jiu Jitsu and teach you the techniques that can help your progress at a faster rate.

The Unescapable Wrist Lock by Fabiano Scherner

Fabiano Scherner is one of the best bjj coaches on the planet. He has been a big influence on many UFC fighters including Chael Sonnen and Paige Vanzant. Fabiano has won the Black Belt Masters Worlds 10x. He has a very “old school” approach to his bjj and tries to exert minimal energy and strength and use patience and technique to defeat his opponent’s. Fabiano is not only one of the best competitors but he has an incredible ability with teaching. Let’s take a look at his take on a wrist lock from side control below.

So as you can see in the video above Fabiano uses a basic approach to his wrist lock. This technique is all about the set up, he is faking the arm triangle so that his opponent will keep their arm in the perfect position to wrist lock them. Not only is the set up crucial to success, his finishing technique is imperative. If you notice how he angles his opponent’s wrist so that he have maximum leverage and torque.

Many people that try and finish this wrist lock try and push their weight into them to bend the wrist but this is useless because they can push back. Fabiano flares the elbow of his opponent to make their shoulders and chest weak and is able to force their wrist down with ease. This is an amazing detail to applying this wrist lock.

The wrist lock is often overlooked by many people and they believe that it is not a useful submission but contrary to popular belief the wrist lock is very powerful, it uses a lot of leverage, and people actually have fewer muscles around their wrist so their ability to defend is weak. The wrist lock can be a surprise attack that you keep in your back pocket for your opponent. If you have ever had the experience of rolling with someone who is an expert on the wrist lock you will quickly find out that it is a useful submission to have in your arsenal and it is annoying.

So there you have it, these are two very simple submission options that anybody can do from side control, you don’t have to be strong, athletic, flexible, young, or agile. You just need to be patient and methodical in your approach. The hard part of submitting someone from side control is just getting to side control, passing the guard is always tough. If you want to learn more of Fabiano Scherner’s tricks then get your hands on his new DVD. BJJ After 40 has quickly risen to the top of our charts as one of our bestselling DVD’s and for good reason. Fabiano is a master of teaching and shows reasonable techniques. He shows techniques that are perfect for anybody regardless of their skill level, athleticism, strength, gender, or age. Simple and effective bjj, this is the type of stuff that you will use well into your 40’s, 50’s and 60’s (assuming you keep training!)