Sneaky Side Control Choke with Travis Stevens

 

Using the gi to finish a grappling exchange is not only a great use of resources, it's also the essence of jiu-jitsu itself. Finding crafty methods to choke your opponents should be something that you delve into very early on in your BJJ journey and keep as a staple of your arsenal for the duration. There's nothing quite like the feeling of submitting an opponent with a well placed gi choke. It's one of the most dominant ways to win and it requires us to be technical, intelligent, and sneaky when we’re working with a  proficient training partner or savvy opponent. 

The side control offers us a great deal of options when it comes to using the gi to submit. There are many ways to feed the gi and its different parts through a side control exchange, oftentimes unbeknownst to the bottom player, until it's too late. Though the possibilities are seemingly endless, the fact remains that side control is an incredibly common position that most BJJ players are very well versed in, especially from a defensive standpoint. So, we may need to get a little more creative with our efforts in order to produce results.

Check out this choke from side control featuring Travis Stevens. With his level of experience, Stevens knows that what might be the norm as far as attacking from side control will simply not work on more seasoned BJJ players, so he's developed a great technique here to fly in under the radar and still secure a great submission. Check this out.

 

In traditional side control position, Stevens begins by using his hand closest to his partners legs to secure the near side lapel. With his crossface hand, he reaches deep under the head and plants his hand inside of the armpit of his partner. Using his grips, he begins to drive his partner up onto his side, pushing the lapel down and away to get it underneath the chin. Here, Stevens can pass off that top lapel grip to the bottom hand, applying a two-finger grip to the lapel. Stevens recommends this 3 finger grip to help with the issue of wrist mobility. As you can see, this particular configuration may not be your traditional grip but it  provides plenty of security to get the job done. He then rises up from the mat, placing his left knee on the belt and pinches the shoulder with the opposite knee as he drops his hip down towards his partner's waist slightly. This creates an incredibly devastating and effective choke.

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In a second variation, Stevens employs the knee on belly position as a means to entice his partner to roll away, where he can then attack the exact same choke with the same level of devastation. 

This is a very simple, yet effective method to secure a great choke from side control. It's incredibly applicable and it has all the right ingredients to work at all levels. Give it a shot!

 

Travis is a master at giving Olympic Level details that can be broken down and used at ANY level of experience. His newest instructional Ne-Waza Mastery, is FULL of those Olympic Level details that will be sure to catch your next opponent off guard! Find your Finish with Travis Stevens today!

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