Black Belts Don't Use Side Control - Craig Jones B Team BJJ Analysis

[@danielmarbella1197]

Classic side control had a reason in BJJ, because originally BJJ was developed for self defense. As Roger Gracie said recently on an interview, open guard or leg locks are high risk for self defense. Side control is the step needed before the mount to finish the fight. Obviously after almost decades of sport BJJ, it had to evolve in a different way.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Great comment! Thank you for the support!

[@GreenDistantStar]

Good call. As John Danaher has stated, each transition towards mount has in mind a greater opportunity towards more effective strikes.

[@LIMIBJJ]

@@GreenDistantStar 🙌🏼

[@jasonfasser3220]

I mean Craig argues against this exact point in Power Rides. When you watch MMA guys stay in half guard. It’s a better striking position

[@zapodlearns7674]

Love it man! 👍👊 my passing will be taking leaps when I mesh this into my game and learning

[@mikesmototravels]

I think the issue is that people typically don't know how to apply side control correctly; oftentimes they're chasing shoulder pressure, rather than focusing on maintaining consistent, crushing chest pressure. Side control is a position where to cook your opponent while working toward the mount.

[@LIMIBJJ]

For sure!

[@vibovitold]

Yeah, well. There's a reason why the Brazilians call side control "Cem Kilos" (100 kilograms)

[@AchShelishi]

Mount is too risky

[@mjolnir9855]

100% agree. Mount is king, but side control is queen, and this is a game of chess. The power to get to the King is to first go through the Queen. Half guard to Mount is great in tournaments, but on the street, I would far rather take cross side or knee on bell first.

[@mjolnir9855]

@@AchShelishiit’s King if you know how to maintain the Mount, as Mount offers superior striking poisition & Submissions. Moreoever, Mount is often a necessary prerequisite to taking the back. However, if multiple attackers, or if you aren’t fully confident in Mount, be safe and take Knee on Belly. Nearly as good as Mount. Not great for taking back, but who cares. If you can’t maintain Mount with confidence go for that knee on belly and go to town.

[@jonlong1269]

As a purple belt in 2004, in Brasil, my teacher would pass half guard by under hooking both arms and putting his palms on top of my head. He would then knee slice to side control or straight to mount. It was absolutely horrible to experience.

[@LIMIBJJ]

This is the way!

[@allanh7137]

Taking notes. Trying this asap.

[@kidnamedre]

As a blue belt I’m bout to try this asap lol

[@BobaFatt182]

Brutality

[@michaelstrangis1982]

Was he a tall guy? Relatively? Thanks

[@joshuapillar]

I think Craig's comment makes more sense in NOGI. As a black belt who has used side control a lot in my earlier years of training, I can say that I use side control now as transition point to the mount or back. I use it to setup things like head and arm control before transitioning to the mount. So my take would be that side control NOGI is VERY difficult to submit better people from. This is because, in side control, you cannot effectively attack and defend at the same time. Or as you said, you have to use your hands to control, therefore attacking means letting go of control.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Great comment! Thank you for the support!

[@tekshow]

Yes yes yes, me too. In the Gi I prefer side control, coming up getting my black belt from Pedro Sauer we were also taught to never do the "shoulder of justice" because you're stuck in that position and can't transition easily to anything, even another controlling position. The looseness in NOGI creates a lot of porblems and as you said makes it hard to attack and defend at the same time. Great to use as a transition to mount or back to half guard.

[@amosmj]

You are able to articulate what I've spent the last year fumbling my way through much more succinctly than I ever could. 👊

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thank you I am glad you found it helpful! I appreciate the comment and the support!

[@genises200]

These videos are absolute gold. So much to learn and improve

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thank you! I am glad you are finding them helpful! I appreciate the comment and the support!

[@robg5161]

Even as a brown belt that started this sport in 2005, there is so much methodology in this that it makes me realise I'm closer to a new beginner than I'll ever be to the elite.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Amazing I am glad you found it helpful. Thank you for the comment and the support!

[@garrydye2394]

@@LIMIBJJ Why comment if your not even going to actually read the comment your replying too. Just doing a copy and paste reply is not an actual reply. Just so you know.

[@jamesorr4061]

Me too, and I'm a blackbelt that's been training nearly 20 years!

[@LIMIBJJ]

@@garrydye2394 I read everything

[@LIMIBJJ]

@@jamesorr4061 the grind never stops! Gotta love it!

[@LIMIBJJ]

FREE PDF download of my favorite way to beat the knee shield: limibjj.mykajabi.com/knee-shield-free-gift

[@jiujitsustudent604]

This helps me understand why my last coach, who was a highly skilled competitive black belt, literally never used side control. He taught us how to escape from there, but his top game was centered around passing and making openings through pressure using knee on belly and/or using his opponent’s attempts to escape to take advantage of openings. Good video.

[@arnonabuurs7297]

knee on belly usually comes from a side control position (it actually is a side control position), so he was using it?

[@LIMIBJJ]

Awesome! This is a great comment thank you for sharing! I am glad you are finding the videos helpful and thank you for the support!

[@danieldelanoche2015]

@@arnonabuurs7297 you can pass directly into kob without spending time in the traditional side control position.

[@AlaskaJiuJitsu]

Exactly, use those knees to pin!!

[@K1NGBR0ADN4X]

If you take judo or have wrestled, side control is very easy to hold. There's many submissions and transitions from there if the position is established correctly. I'm a black belt btw been training since 2004.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Yeah for sure. Very stable position

[@thefightingphysio1407]

Agreed. Using your weight to pin rather than the arms. Then your arms are free for the sub.

[@BillHallProductions]

@@thefightingphysio1407 really shows what BJJ loses by not having a win by pin.

[@francisconikotian2326]

plus all the stuff you can do with the GI in side control

[@TrumpsaTerroristChangeMyMind]

@@francisconikotian2326 nobody cares about gi tho😂 it’s fun fs but it has a lottt of bull shido… No gi cleaned it up in my opinion

[@aidanlee8804]

I think he definitely has a good point, however I believe this is more the case with No-Gi. In the Gi, with the fact you can use your opponent’s lapel to control and submit, it’s incredibly powerful. I never used to rate side control either, but now I love using various lapel strangles and kimuras from Side control and North-South effectively.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Good distinction! Thanks for the comment and the support!

[@Felskroner]

Yeah, being able to completely control their hips with one pant grip, or their torso with a lapel grip; this def seems more of a no-gi philosophy

[@TFBx]

You didn’t used to rate it at all? Isn’t that irresponsible to not even rate it on a scale of 1-10? Especially if you’re rating all other positions.

[@biscobisco1882]

@@TFBx "Didn't rate it" is idiomatic slang (this guy's probably Australian) for "didn't like it".

[@thomaswilliams3426]

💯

[@fafre3395]

These are really interesting and powerful concepts for us to explore. As a brown belt that started in 09, I never liked side control and always favored the mount, and lately have been favoring leg rides and passes that lead to mount. But having seen Gordon the last 2 years kill everyone from side control it would be totally irrational to say it’s a bad position. Now that I’ve watched Danaher and Gordon’s side control instructionals I realized that I knew very little about the position, and I think that goes for most of us.

[@Glonk_Respecter]

I think a lot of people don’t explore the position much past the day one basic stuff: knees in the hip and armpit, cross face, etc. I like cross side for bigger guys, who are so big that my knees can’t touch when I’m in mount. It seems though with smaller guys who are more mobile, it’s hard to keep their hips pinned.

[@LIMIBJJ]

I appreciate the comment! Curious though where have you seen Gordon kill people from side control? Any matches you can reference?

[@Tommyknoxs]

Yea ima white belt (with wrestling experience) and I’ve noticed that when rolling with the purples and browns I can hold them down in half guard and front head but side control they always find away to get just enough side hip on the Matt to technically be back in half guard anyway

[@LIMIBJJ]

@@Tommyknoxs yeah the goal is when then do that to force them back to your half guard instead of their half guard. Hope that makes sense

[@Tommyknoxs]

@@LIMIBJJ no it does . The difference between me taking control of the legs with mine and trying to re pin vs them shrimping and getting control of me with their legs ready to manipulate my upper body

[@alvarocorral1576]

I’ve been using side control my whole BJJ career effectively. You have to know how to pin people and transition from side to side, take the back, get into mount, knee on belly, and to north to south with more active people..

[@PauloBerni699]

👍 exactly

[@LIMIBJJ]

For sure! Very dynamic position!

[@Darth_Bateman]

Side control is fake.

[@mancrann9403]

love when gi guys go to knee on belly and I bump them up and into a leg lock. amateurs

[@AlejandroGamez-bf6xd]

100 kilos Gracie jj

[@kogrady2409]

This is the video I’ve been waiting for since I started watching Craig’s Power Ride video months ago. This is where the most work needs to be done to move the sport forward.

[@Kirk690_0]

iv just finished watching the instructional and i agree, its fantastic

[@peekaboojujitsoo525]

I havent looked back since craig's power ride. Complete game changer and eye opener to what khabib, ben askren and folk style wrestlers do.

[@kogrady2409]

@@peekaboojujitsoo525 It's really insane that I don't hear more people talking about that video. Most of those positions I have never seen taught, are incredibly powerful for controlling your opponent and are pretty easy to get to from common positions like leg drag. If you watch the B team channel, you can see Craig using them over and over and smashing guys. It's the most innovative work that I've seen in years, probably since Danaher's first leg lock system vids.

[@peekaboojujitsoo525]

@@kogrady2409 people wont appreciate power ride until gordon and/or danaher put out a leg riding instructional and even then it probably wont hit mainstream cuz people want the flashy sweeps and subs. Leg riding and shelfing is pretty much what I aim to do all the time especially against bigger and or explosive guys.

[@LIMIBJJ]

This is the way! Thanks for the comment and the support!

[@slitheryshrek436]

This is an awesome video. What amazes me more than how well this analysis is put together is that I've been doing this in no-gi ever since I started without even knowing most of the time. Super stoked you put this together to help me better understand my game!

[@LIMIBJJ]

Yeah I think it makes total sense and a lot of us gravitate towards it naturally. I appreciate the comment and the support!

[@BenEddy]

10th planet teaches against traditional side control for similar reasons, instead we play side control turned towards the hips or more north south. Great video 👌👏

[@LIMIBJJ]

Awesome thank you for this insight Ben! I love watching you compete and appreciate your support! Stay on the grind my man 👊🏼

[@shazbotmcgee4055]

10th planet Beaumont here under Brian Debes (second degree black belt under Eddie) we use side control a lot. We can attack or advance from side control well.

[@etimezz]

Power Ride had the biggest impact on my game than any other instructional.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Complete mindset shift for sure!

[@Konrad_kicks]

Bro phenomenal video

[@LIMIBJJ]

@@Konrad_kicks thank you!

[@Shaka_Garami]

Great content as always my man. On a unrelated note, did you see the Q&A with Craig that was just posted on the Legion AJJ channel? He actually talks about why he doesn't favour the straight jacket system, preferring to take back control on top (with opponents chest to the floor). I thought this was an interesting insight and probably speaks to why we don't see this strategy employed as much by B Team like we do with the New Wave boys. Keep up the great work bro, it's much appreciated!

[@LIMIBJJ]

Very interesting. I haven’t seen it but will check it out. Thank you!

[@joshuagibbs8477]

Good info. I'm also stoked and surprised to see I made a small appearance in this video! 😁

[@LIMIBJJ]

Haha right on my man I appreciate the comment and the support! Stay on the grind 👊🏼

[@maynorvallecillo1923]

This channel is absolutely goated

[@LIMIBJJ]

Haha thanks my man! I appreciate the comment and the support!

[@thezucc2478]

This channel is a gold mine ! Fantastic explanations, I will for sure be tuning in next time !

[@LIMIBJJ]

Awesome thank you for the support!

[@jiujitsuismyoutlet]

Yes this is amazing. Our team has been very focused on half guard and why it’s one of the best positions… especially in MMA…. WAY better to pin someone in half guard (using your legs to pin theirs) and beat them up vs. trying to pass and risk giving space for an escape. Against high level guys, learning how to submit or finish from top half guard is super beneficial.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Great comment! Thank you for the support!

[@Ghost_Regime]

👊🏻 nice narration dude, seriously impressive and extremely helpful. I’m a 41yr dad and my 6yr old is in his third month of Jiu Jitsu at our local gym. Long-story short, your videos are deep enough for higher belts but you explain so well that a white belt can understand it. I appreciate you and your efforts. Well done.

[@DontbeanNPC]

I've always been the same with favoring side control because of how stable it is and I've been told numerous times how great my pressure is from there. I just realized even more so why that is from this video. It's like you explained in the beginning with Khabib. He first uses his arms to control and then transfers to his legs which is essentially what I do via tripoding up on my feet along with a strong crossface for added pressure and control in side control. However, it is absolutely true that once you are ready to attack, you have to move your arms which allows your opponent to capitalize and escape. This video was very insightful as always. One question I have is when you're beginning to pass and look for control over the upper body, I run into trouble when my training partner begins to use both arms or even just one to frame and push my upper body away before I gain control of his upper body. He pushes me down his body and then he's able to create a scramble or even recover his guard. How do I prevent his framing and pushing me away down his body?

[@LIMIBJJ]

Great point and great question. I found this video to be interesting and helpful when dealing with this. A bit of a different context but hopefully it helps kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZmtpq19q9uIjNE

[@DontbeanNPC]

@@LIMIBJJ thanks man!

[@LIMIBJJ]

@@DontbeanNPC 🙌🏼

[@ronaldinhoisfat]

Can’t wait to see your video on getting past knee shields!!

[@LIMIBJJ]

Knee shields are the worst haha

[@ronaldinhoisfat]

@@LIMIBJJ agreed 👍🏽

[@Thefunnynerd85]

Major difference between Gi and No Gi. Might as well be two different sports. Side control is extremely strong with a Gi on and gives you several avenues to collar chokes, armbars, key locks etc. now without a Gi I don’t even know why they call it Jiu-Jitsu. Try doing a bow and arrow choke, or bread cutter with a Gi then do it without a Gi. Different ideas for one position that is applied totally differently depending upon Gi or No Gi

[@LIMIBJJ]

True that! Thanks for the comment and the insight. I appreciate the support!

[@eyeseewho77]

Bro. GREAT VIDEO!

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thanks man! Glad you enjoyed it. I appreciate the comment and the support!

[@mikebocon6085]

Love the discussions in the comments but I think one thing everyone should keep in mind is that the debate about whether or not something is “best” depends entirely upon the context. In the gi in a points tournament side control is great. In no gi sub only, not as good. Similarly pulling guard under one rule set can be a great strategy and under a different rule set can result in a penalty. That doesn’t make side control or pulling guard good or bad, it all depends.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Great point! Thank you for the comment and the support!

[@benkelly7182]

As a smaller guy I like using knee on belly from the side so I don’t attach myself to larger and stronger opponents that can roll me. I can transition easily from knee in belly and it’s a great self defense position for the visibility and ability to stand back up quickly if you want. I love knee slice passes and switch back and forth between the slice and the assumed mount (1/4 guard) as your knee works back and forth from side to side you make a little forward progress and both the slice and mount become more likely. If all that ain’t workin you can try a back step into a nice leg entanglement for sport BJJ. Staying in half guard is additionally good for self defense (or sport) because the guy can’t turn away to turtle and you don’t need to pass fully to punch him in the face. GSP does that. I like to also change my mindset when I roll. Sometimes just rolling with a pure sport BJJ mentality or sometimes rolling as if punches could be thrown. Keeping my head in safe places, being in position to block strikes or deliver them, and like I said earlier knee on belly for the quick disengage. You never know when someone’s grandma is gonna come out the house and hit you with that purse of doom.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Love the mentality my man! 😂 purse of doom 😂 😂 😂

[@brendanj8344]

Craig Jones is one of the best minds in the sport, but I wonder if this quote is being taken out of context? I love being in mount on people my size or smaller (170lbs) but when people start getting in that 200 lb range that are athletic, I have a ton of trouble keeping peoples arms up beside their head to even attack and everyone talks about how "strong and methodical" I am. This gets worse as the weight goes up, we have athletic 300lb guys at our gym (think football linebackers) and when I'm in mount on them, I cant even get my knees to the floor, feels like trying to pin a teeter totter. I find it much easier to manage side control/north south with those guys and hunt for underhooks.

[@LIMIBJJ]

I think Craig is really focusing on preparing Volk for his fight in the UFC so I think the main context was MMA but I also think that Craig has realized this is a huge hole in jiu jitsu and is working to fix it

[@brendanj8344]

@@LIMIBJJ B Team might be the silver medalists in Jiu Jitsu, but they seem to be leading the way in DEFENSIVE grappling for MMA. Dagestan definitely is leading in offense though. I'm a huge Volk fan, I hope he can pull it off.

[@LIMIBJJ]

@@brendanj8344 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

[@MasterTeep]

Came home from practice sus about using side control and just like that, my favorite bjj channel appears. 🙏

[@LIMIBJJ]

Hahahaha gotta love that algorithm! Thanks for the support my man!

[@death0hand0]

I've always found trying to hold side control to kind of pointless for the most part. I'd rather give a little space to let them start extending limbs which makes transition to more dominant positions easier also allot easier to put them into a riding position to tire them out if they are being to spazzy. Great content!

[@LIMIBJJ]

Awesome hanks for the comment! I am glad you are finding the content helpful and thank you for the support!

[@dusanslepcev2665]

What are riding positions? I’d love to learn more about them!

[@death0hand0]

@@dusanslepcev2665 basically any position where youre pinning his legs to the floor. Craig jones has a great instructional on them

[@dontblink8397]

Side control is arm submission city for me man idk🤷🏻‍♂️ also, a simple decent head and arm hold in side control is a great position to tire them out with. I just make everything in side control about crushing them with my top pressure. As opposed to reach over them to the opposite arm I’m grinding my arm across their body with my weight. Think of it kind of like, everything is a cross face😂

[@bohemenper1636]

this is mma...

[@tekshow]

Yep, agree with the overall theme, CONTROL people effectively. I've trained with all the Gracies and while I do primarily train in the Gi, Cross body top (along with mount, half guard) is my favorite place to be. From cross body I expect that I'm either going to control the situation or I'm going back to half guard, or I'm advancing to mount. In the circles I grew up in getting my black belt we NEVER (rarely) put our arm UNDER the neck and go for the cross face. Because YOU are exactly right! You can't go from controlling in this position where you're effectively STUCK, you are attached to your partner, until you decide to let go of the cross face and try for a submission. All it does is give people a TON of space where you're immediately losing crucial control on the hips and shoulders. If you look at any position it's the spine, led by the hips and shoulders, that allows people to escape. Instead of cross face, what I was always taught is to control the crown of the head with a forearm (spine), and place the right hand at the top of the femur (hips), while using your head to create pressure on the far arm (shoulder.) Out of that your limbs and body are free to move around based on what the opponent does. The forearm can slip over the head and bring the neck to a sandwich at your hip (spine again), your knee can replace your hand at the femur (back to the hips). In a sense it's not a position that you're absolute STUCK in but one that you control people with by using mobility and closing off escape routes. I spent literally YEARS on guard, but over and over again I just couldn't get with it. It's not my area, I'm only 165lbs at 5'8 and feel like it puts me in a position where people have their weight and authority on me. Even old school people about my build like Luis Heredia expressed the same thing to me. His guard is great, but he told me it's all about the top game and it also helped him stave off injury form having bigger people on top of him all the time. My game is passing, half guard, cross body. My Gi game is much better, if I get cross body on you I've got about 14 submissions that are all adjacent to each other and if I get the far side underhook you're screwed. BJJ is always like this, someone successful comes along and they dominate the sport. Everyone says "this is the way," until a few more years later someone else evolves another position. Heck, martial arts in general goes though this cycle whether it's boxing, wrestling, judo, Muay Thai, etc... There are wildly successful guard players but rather than copy or imitate someone I think the highest level is knowing what you like and dislike. What's your specific game? How does it fit your body? Your natural talents? Most people have a very hard time finding that out and it's just human nature. We learn our whole lives through copying others but through deep exploration we can find the true expression of ourselves and that's when breakthroughs happen. This is what Bruce Lee was trying to get across. My $.02 and great video!

[@tagg1080]

It is so annoying that wrestlers and judo players have been telling BJJ guys this stuff for years and years. But because the BJJ guys have the biggest training and talent pools for their sport, they didn't want to believe they were doing anything suboptimal. I am glad we are moving in the right direction.

[@N00btr00per]

What is "this stuff"?

[@ps9501]

@@N00btr00per Well obviously taking somebody down, and holding them there. John Danaher has said that this is biggest problems in BJJ when transitioning into MMA.

[@thesamu100]

@@N00btr00per pulling guard is cringe. thats literally it xd

[@SolarJakee]

Pretty sure wrestling and 100% judo have bigger talent pools than bjj

[@N00btr00per]

@@ps9501 But is this what this video is about?

[@patrikcabelka9579]

Your videos are top notch man keep up the good work. Looking forward to the last part

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thank you! I am glad you are finding them helpful! I appreciate the comment and the support!

[@highcroccropkick4]

look up neil melanson, he’s the best grappler no one has heard of and he’s been incorporating judo and wrestling with bjj for many years. He uses cradles for passing, control, and even submissions. People literally give the cradle with knee shields and z guard. Craig in his z guard dvd talks about a pass that he can’t stop and it’s similar to the cradle. anyway the cradle is an amazing tool that no one really seems to use

[@LIMIBJJ]

Neil is the man and he is hilarious haha. Thanks for the comment and the support!

[@highcroccropkick4]

@@LIMIBJJ hell yeah i’ve bought most of his stuff on bjj fanatics. hell yeah man, i enjoy your stuff

[@LIMIBJJ]

@@highcroccropkick4 thanks man appreciate it!

[@tdrivers1102]

Gotta bring out the notepad and watch this a couple times through. Jam packed with valuable information

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thank you I am glad you found it helpful! I appreciate the comment and the support!

[@tennisjiujitsu]

I've been using side control to mounted crucifix to the classic Americana. Usually being the smaller guy mount isn't the best position for me as I get bench pressed off. I've used mount as a transition to the back once they try to explode or force them to turn by threating submissions.

[@LIMIBJJ]

For sure find the best style for you! Learn it all! Thanks for the comment and the support!

[@MrCmon113]

The main advantage of mount is that all of the eating I'm doing is paying off and I don't even have to know any submissions.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Hahaha I have been training my whole life for this

[@af4396]

You're using your arms and knees to wedge, not to hold them down. You're using your body weight, chest to chest, to hold them down. The combination of wedging and weight is the pin, not the arms. That being said, I've never had a big issue with it because you usually transition to another side control like kesa or 100 kilos or something if you can't get a sub.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Keep doing your thing! I appreciate the comment and the insight! Thank you for the support!

[@georgiosvavliaras1066]

Congrats on the sponsor brother, well deserved!

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thanks my man I appreciate all the support!

[@amrshlomr]

to anyone reading the comments: If you plan on competing, and you don't watch this channel religiously you will fall behind. LessImpressedMoreInvolvedBJJ has improved my grappling dramatically when I consume it daily and attempt to apply it in my daily grappling. Thanks so much!

[@LIMIBJJ]

Amazing thank you for this comment! I am glad you are finding the videos helpful and I appreciate the support! Lets get better at no gi jiu jitsu!

[@leonardoalzate6199]

Great video men!! Waiting for the next one

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thanks I appreciate the support! I will be back this Tuesday 1/10!

[@jameskinzer5791]

As a white belt I get a ton out of these videos. Please keep the big brain content coming !

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thank you! I am glad you are finding them helpful! I appreciate the comment and the support!

[@EnergiaMartialArts]

Very interesting topic! Great to see the evolution now

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thank you I am glad you found it helpful. I appreciate the comment and the support!

[@brandonpemberton5707]

Its interesting that Rickson solved this issue decades ago. And while im a member at one of only 3 Rickson team academies we are seen as being "old school." Yet, we are the ones who abandoned playing "sidecontrol" as it is termed and applied by the sporties, years ago. That being because what it truly is is arm squeeze control.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Awesome I appreciate the insight! thank you for the comment and the support!

[@brandonpemberton5707]

@@LIMIBJJ welcome! Insight is about all i can offer coming from a self defense oriented school. When you market yourself as a self defense academy you get less enthused athletes through the door and more of the "do i need to take my socks off too?" types🤷🏽‍♂️. We do however have ONE individual out of all three campuses that has decided to pursue competition on a world stage. He enrolled in a comp trial held by Gordan Ryan and New Wave which involved between 4 and 500 competitors. They only kept 6 athletes and he was one of them. So he will be training here in Austin for 6 weeks at New Wave beginning in February i believe. Will be interesting to see how the training goes..

[@MesGuided]

@Brandon would like to hear more details about this! 🙏🙏

[@brandonpemberton5707]

@@MesGuided ok 👍. That about all the info i have about it. He's a 1st year purple belt.

[@MesGuided]

@@brandonpemberton5707 I meant info on what you meant on what/how Rickson solved

[@tettsubushi]

The dominant pin is the right one at the right time. When in top position, the idea is to be like a wet blanket or half filled water mattress. Every time the guy on his back moves, frames or shrimps, you flow into the pin or hold appropriate at the time. You have to be able to flow and pummel into multiple positions. Now with strikes, the game changes entirely. You have to somewhat separate to strike, or connect to grapple. The opponent who is aware of this will take advantage of the transitions and win. You guys put out top notch content. Keep up the amazing work.

[@svish5790]

I'm a fan of Craig Jones, but I really do find this a bit of mute point. Side control in the gi is a good position as you can manage a fair bit of control over your opponent and attacking from there is a realistic option. Side control in no gi doesn't have near the same amount of control and with no lapel chokes, attacking from there is a bit of a shot in the dark. The problem is when people keep talking about no gi like that is all bjj through and through. I'd be interested to see someone ask Roger Gracie if he thinks side control is a redundant position.

[@LIMIBJJ]

The gi is the worst haha 😆 I appreciate the comment and the support!

[@PapaioannouOrama]

It's not a moot point though because Craig's comments are with respect to no gi/MMA, so of course you'll find flaws in his reasoning when applied outside of that.

[@svish5790]

@@LIMIBJJ No sir, it is the best. More techniques = Better Less techniques = Worse Also, let's be real. Gi is harder. It just is. Harder = rewarding Easier = less rewarding

[@EmJayEss]

Someone did ask Roger recently about positioning. Lex Friedman podcast had him on, where he put his opinion forward in no uncertain terms that Roger said Mount is King. Lex took devils advocate to discuss the back and side control so it's an interesting listen.

[@LIMIBJJ]

@@EmJayEss for sure! Thanks for the comment and the support!

[@matiaslopez3315]

While it is valuable to conceptualize the game as a search for mount or back control for better fight outcomes, this is already reflected in BJJ's standard scoring system. Mount and back control award 4 points, the maximum score, and finishing ensures an immediate win. It is evident that the moves that score the most points are more preferable, but they are also more difficult to achieve. You must be able to immobilize or neutralize the opponent in fewer steps, which implies fewer controlled phases during the transition. This technical reason explains why suggestions from super-competitors like "champions of..." have this bias in their perspective of BJJ in general.

[@weisey100]

I would love to see a text or flowchart breakdown of your videos. Where you structure the options e.g. in position x you have options a,b,c with those advantages and disadvantages. Just following the video sometimes is hard. I think you could easily collect thousands of emails and then again use those to send out newsletters about your new videos and courses. What do you think?

[@LIMIBJJ]

Yeah I like the idea! To be honest, the videos are usually me just noticing things and then I go and try them out in my training to see what works best for me. Not until later do I have a clear sense of direction. So after months and months of experimenting, that is when I made the course, which basically provides the structure that works best for me and the training methods I used to get there. I like the idea of having a downloadable PDF though to provide that value to people in exchange for their email. Thank you for this!

[@justingacina4529]

Wanted to see thoughts on top crucifix from side control. I think it solves the issue of having to use both arms to control the opponent. I like to pass and immediately trap the near side arm with my legs... ideally both... to form an X that captures the near side arm. Then I will keep most of my weight into the opponents chest to flatten them... while immediately working on the far side arm with 2 arms + my head. If I can get a kimura grip, I will remove the headside leg of my "X trap" and step over the head to get the Danaher diagonal kimura. Oftentimes when you remove one leg off the near side arm, opponent will immediately turn into you, which assists in finishing the kimura. If they turn to the far side, you get the back. If you have trouble finishing the kimura, turn it into an armbar/triangle scenario. Top crucifix is the only way I play top side control now. Sometimes I can get "stepover" triangles from side control... but these triangles are still set up with the side control top crucifix, always using the double leg trap on the nearside arm

[@LIMIBJJ]

For sure good point! Appreciate the comment!

[@PeterHeang]

The double guard pulling 😂

[@LIMIBJJ]

Haha going to keep that one in the back pocket for later as well. So classic 😂

[@ohayosumodayton1226]

Sitting on the leg, catch wrestling has done this for awhile. Glad to see others picking it up.

[@LIMIBJJ]

👊🏼

[@ChristopherCarpenter]

Train by day, less impressed more involved Jiu-Jitsu by night, all day!

[@LIMIBJJ]

Hahahaha thanks my man I appreciate the comment and the support!

[@ChristopherCarpenter]

@@LIMIBJJ thanks for making this content. Genuinely insightful and impactful in my game. There have been about 3-4 specific times during a roll where I remember a detail from one of your videos, your voice ringing in the back of my mind as I am either getting smooshed or doing a bit of the smooshing.

[@MesGuided]

ALL DAY!!

[@LIMIBJJ]

@@ChristopherCarpenter haha love to hear it! Glad you are finding them helpful. Stay on the grind my man!

[@LIMIBJJ]

@@MesGuided 😆

[@luke53285]

it doesn't have to be the secondary arm that is controlled. It can be the primary, then you can use body positioning to make the other arm weaker. I'm referencing about 4:30 in the video. you can use underhooks on either side to split the arms in a way. you only get in danger when they can put them both on the same side like you say in the video, but there is a few ways to acheive that goal. I like that you called it double trouble lol it was funny.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Great point! Thank you for the comment!

[@Ufcfreak97]

To me this is less bjj and more like body mechanics 😂

[@LIMIBJJ]

Haha true that

[@lorenachen2768]

Powerful concept. Great insights. Thank you. Subscribed.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Appreciate the support! 🙌🏼

[@tra1in1]

Craig jones just selling videos. All new guys get hyped up. Just put the gi on.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Haha gi is the worst 😆 thanks for the comment and the support!

[@KierenLefevre]

Excellent video, I really enjoyed this breakdown.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thanks Kieren! Glad you found it helpful!

[@MuayThaiDreadlock]

keep jiu jitsu gay, all im sayin

[@pedroespat8183]

with this channel ill never have to buy an instructional!

[@LIMIBJJ]

Haha just skimming the surface my man but thank you. The instructional content and websites out there are amazing resources

[@ChongAli]

props bro i genuinely enjoyed how thoughtful this breakdown is 💯

[@ajaxSAF]

Very nice... looking forward to your video dealing with the knee shield

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thank you glad you found it helpful! Should be coming out the 10th!

[@skelly_snipez1291]

Ive never been a fan of side control. I like the pressure, but its more of an annoyance than anything.

[@jamesspina7761]

I literally have notifications on for this Channel and he has finally convinced me to buy instructional’s to up my game to the next level

[@LIMIBJJ]

Amazing thanks for the comment! I am glad you saw the light! Instructionals are such a great resource!

[@sense8371]

Great vid, been thinking about this issue for the past couple weeks.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Awesome I am glad you found it helpful. Thank you for the comment and the support!

[@taipeibjj]

After listening to Roger Gracie on Lex Friedman's podcast, I've been Trying to utilize mount more. This has added to it. Half guard to mount is still a work in progress though. Great video!

[@LIMIBJJ]

Me too! Thank you for the comment and the support!

[@scottlopez9822]

As a 14 year BJJ practioner and Black Belt, I rarely use traditional side control ... unless it's a set up for submission ... good video

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thank you! Appreciate the comment and the support!

[@bensmells]

Thanks!

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thank you Ben! I appreciate the support! Glad you are finding the videos helpful!

[@Smashdalipz]

As much as I appreciate MMA, UFC in particular, I do realize the sports aspect of it and some fighters and fans are delusional when it comes to what is effective in a self-defense situation. You can say the same about all the big 5 martial arts as well, as they are almost entirely taught and practiced as a sport or for fitness, especially in the west. I don't usually get into these arguments because it's filled with armchair pilots who have never been in or witnessed a "street fight"/self-defense situation. Situations aren’t almost always going to be ideal as in timing, location, how many people there are, how many people join in, obstacles/layout, weapons, etc. If you've been in a profession where these situations occur often, you know 9/10 it isn't a fair fight and it's usually very violent. So if you train at a gym and/or compete and that is the totality of your experience, then you should probably not speak about the effectiveness of your sport "in the streets", because you're training is 9/10 structured around a sport with rules and it is geared toward fighting one opponent under structured circumstances. Your training can help, but really you've only trained for being prepared to be attacked by one person with zero weapons involved. Not to mention the entirety of your training has been done on only mats/canvas, I'd love to see some of these guys shoot for takedowns like they do with sliding their knees across anything other than mats/canvas lol Tl:dr If you're training is based around competition or fitness, which 99% of gyms are, and you're arguing the effectiveness of a move is based solely on self-defense situations then just know your argument is irrelevant.

[@LIMIBJJ]

💯

[@manquail2361]

Great video. I love the new developments in pinning and control that guys like craig are researching.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Me too. I think it is really good for jiu jitsu

[@georgiosvavliaras1066]

Looking forward to smesh the kneeshield, keep up the great work mate 💪

[@LIMIBJJ]

Haha knee shields are the worst! Thanks for the comment and the support!

[@lambman1999]

I love side control, mostly for GI. My guard game was always sus at best lol, but something about controlling from side was always fun for me and led to many armbar openings.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Yeah for sure in the gi it is much better!

[@OneNvrKnoz]

When showing video to demonstrate what you're talking about, can you slow the video down a bit? I always have to replay it a few times to see what you're talking about.

[@MesGuided]

Definitely would not mind more slowdowns, replays, and highlights of checkpoints in sequences 🙌🙌

[@ricardovelez3923]

People who dont watch this channel are missing out. Thank you for the content

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thanks man I am glad you are finding the videos helpful! I appreciate the comment and the support!

[@IndiaFightingSpirit]

awesome content every time !!!! thank you soo much !!please keep these coming up!!!

[@LIMIBJJ]

Will do! I broke my computer so I am going to be offline for a few weeks but back at it once the new year comes around

[@Ryanin2D]

Roger Gracie was just talking about this on the Lex podcast

[@LIMIBJJ]

This is the way! Thanks for the comment and the support!

[@jer1234ish]

My brother puts on the Emerald City Invitational events; very cool to see it being featured in the BJJ media landscape

[@LIMIBJJ]

It was a great event! Very fun to watch with a lot of matches and experience levels

[@MJRLHobbyStuff]

Great stuff guys. A bit of info overload but excellent

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thank you glad you found it helpful!

[@jamesspina7761]

I used the Craig Jones escape from side control and chest to chest that was shown in the video in training and it was pretty crazy to see it work on guys who are way bigger then me

[@LIMIBJJ]

Amazing thanks for this comment! I am glad you are finding the videos helpful and thank you for the support!

[@chasingmypinnacle]

Another beaut of a video. Keep doing what you are doing!

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thank you! I appreciate the comment and the support 🙌🏼

[@kwnonas]

your videos are gold!!! awesome work!

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thank you! I am glad you are finding them helpful! I appreciate the comment and the support!

[@TheRoot2944]

When I started working on my side control and realized how effective it is when you learn to properly control guys from there is a game changer

[@LIMIBJJ]

💪🏼

[@jarodkirby5793]

Awesome congrats on the BJJ fanatics as a sponsor 👊🎉

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thank you! Big day! Thanks for all the support!

[@jenpachi2408]

Yeah i agree with some of the other comments. The focus on bjj as sport rather then self defense or MMA has made side control less effective in that context leg locks are extremely risky when your opponent can rain punches on you, although i love the modern techniques .

[@LIMIBJJ]

💯

[@blitzthekraken9832]

Understanding the rules will eventually guide the sport to lackluster tactics that are for sport. The rule is submit. Whenever a sport takes only one rule an hyper focuses all it attention that rule, the less real the sport becomes. Pining folks show you can control them, submitting folks show you can submit them. Wrestlers hyper focus on control, Judo does a bit of both, and BJJ does submit. In my opinion BJJ is the less rounded grappling of them all, because ther is a lot more to grappling then just submit. And Greg Jones is starting to figure this out because honestly, submitting folks is actually the easy one to learn, controlling and throwing are the hard ones. Craig Jones is to late in the game to make real contributions to control and throwing because his hyper focus has led him to practice with sub par grapplers in those areas, and when he is rolling with good grapplers in that area he plays only the submit game and doesn’t challenge. When Greg Jones flies over to Dagestan, Russia, France and Japan and rolls by their rules in those areas and competes and dominates, then maybe he has something to say, until then he is a phenomenal submission artist, that’s it no more no less.

[@LIMIBJJ]

I think he is a great person to bridge the gap. He is someone we all respect and is opening our eyes to this new world. I hope we continue to go down this path

[@blitzthekraken9832]

@@LIMIBJJ I love the guy too, but the best grapplers that can teach you really how to control someone just by pure wrestling don’t go to his school nor train with him…so how can you teach it. Your better off training at American kickboxing with Daniel team. Or even pay a visit to Travis stevens. Controlling and throwing is hard to learn and hard to teach, and if you aren’t doing it daily with high level folks, you are not really a great grappler, your a submissions artist. You only know how to paint one way. In other words, step outside your comfort zone, and learn about grappling, not bjj.

[@LIMIBJJ]

@@blitzthekraken9832 for sure. Immerse yourself in it

[@bolsbolbol368]

Putting the head to the other side on the half guard pass is some 1995 Barra, renzo, Ralph stuff. Super old and super effective.

[@LIMIBJJ]

🙌🏼

[@hasnaatkhan2805]

This is a really great vid - nice job

[@tyhatfield7156]

I think really really good stuff and I appreciate you buddy the big thing that I’m working on right now and I think it helps is a little thing that Professor Pedro Sauer was talking about was not letting their stinky feet get on your gi! And then also not letting them put their hand or arm behind your head

[@LIMIBJJ]

Nice yeah little tricks like that are great and he is one of the best teachers so I imagine he has a lot of amazing ways of articulating things. Thanks for the comment and the support!

[@davidvergel1533]

🤜🤛 Great video, thanks for sharing the knowledge.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thank you! I appreciate the comment and the support 👊🏼

[@Lijah2good4u]

We been training this way for awhile thanks to jones and Ryan, started making contact in the early stage to get mount and submit, it’s getting rid of the neural and goin from a defensive position to a submission- Danaher

[@jleano609]

Depends. Perhaps for submission only No-Gi I agree that side control/tradiotinoal pinning ties up your arms and makes submitting more difficult. But in the gi and using a points system? That's more nuanced. Plenty of points to be scored from SC, of course it's going to be "used". Plus let's just point out that BJJ isn't the entirety of grappling. Ask a judo player or a wrestler about side control and whether it's useful. It's a fight winner under the judo ruleset for instance.

[@LIMIBJJ]

For sure the rule set has a lot to do with it!

[@WopBeats]

That power ride instructional was worth every cent lol

[@LIMIBJJ]

💯💯💯

[@michaelg457]

love yo shi, super in depth yet concise

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thank you! Glad you are finding it helpful!

[@mynameisurl1073]

I get where LIMI is coming from, but once i understood the concept of bodyweight distribution and pressure, my side control became one of my better positions. The key is to stay off your knees and use the arm closest to your opponent's hip to block them from regaining their guard and having the other arm wrapped over the opponents far arm. It's a really great way to control your opponent and gives you more opportunities to attack.

[@LIMIBJJ]

For sure! 💯

[@jamesneddermeyer3984]

High level breakdown and awesome content as usual! Thanks very much and keep on it! 🙏👊🤙

[@LIMIBJJ]

Much appreciated thank you my man!

[@nicocontreras5366]

I loved the video, also believe is THE WAY to deal with younger and faster guys, I mean I came back to BJJ after some years and while I keep an open mind, some modern things are just not for everyone. Thanks for sharing.

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thank you! I appreciate the comment and the support! I am glad you found it helpful! Welcome back to BJJ

[@nicocontreras5366]

@@LIMIBJJ Thank you, I came back in 2019 and hope never stop again.

[@LIMIBJJ]

@@nicocontreras5366 🙌🏼

[@brettrenova]

Your videos are so good mate

[@LIMIBJJ]

Thank you I am glad you are finding them helpful! Thanks for the comment and the support!

[@MMABreakdownsandAnalysis]

I'm glad somebody is finally saying it!

[@LIMIBJJ]

🙃