Side- Control Position - Wrestling and MMA in Schaumburg, Aurora, Merrillville IN

The side-control position is a powerful pinning position that has a great number of variations. The common element in all of them is that you are on top of your opponent, lying across his body, out to one side. This range of positions goes by many names, such as the side mount or across side. It is a great position to control an opponent and submit him. In addition, it is a great position from which to transition into other positions, such as the mounted position and knee-on-belly position. The great virtue of the side-control position is its stability. No other position offers the degree of control that is possible form the side position. This advantage makes it a great place to slow the tempo of a fight down, exerting a fatiguing and frustrating positional control on your opponent that makes him tire quickly.

Fighters have many ways to hold a side-control position, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. The key elements common to all of them are as follows:

• Always pin your opponent chest-to-chest. Make sure that the center of your chest is directly on top of the center of your opponent's chest; ensure that it does not slide down to his stomach or over his side. 
• Keep your hips low and base wide. If your hips rise up, it becomes easy for your opponent to forcefully bridge and carry you to a bad position, Sink your hips down to use your weight much more efficiently, creating an unpleasant and tiring pressure on your opponent. Also be sure to keep your bas of support wide. By this, we mean that you should keep your legs wide apart as you sink your hips down, which makes it difficult or your opponent to roll you over.
• Keep mobile. Do not simply hold on grimly to your opponent. No matter how tightly you hold him, he will eventually work his way out. Instead, move in response to his movements, keeping your hips low and staying chest-to-chest as you do so. If he attempts to put you back in guard, do not be afraid to move your hops aways form his. You can even walk around his head to the other side of his body. This is a great way to set up submission holds and counter your opponent's movement. 

An interesting and important variation of the side-control position occurs when the man on top walks over and around his opponent's head, then stops. This move put him in a controlling position, often referred to as the "north and south" position. This pin has a slightly different feel to it for both the top and bottom fighters. 

For the man underneath the side-control and north-south pins, the chief concern is escape to a better position. The most common forms of escape involve getting back to the guard position or getting up to one's knees. It is also possible to completely turn the top man over for a reversal or even attempt to submit him. These alternatives are more difficult on an experienced opponent, however. 

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