Top Side Control (No-Gi)

upgrade your top side control

Jun 11, 2025

“I always try to attack. While I'm on the offensive, my opponent can think of nothing but defending.” - Marcelo Garcia:

This section includes core concepts and ideas to help you think about how you can control the bottom player, while looking for positional upgrades and/or submission threats.

Core Concepts

Chest-to-chest connection: Maintain close contact to limit opponent's movement.
Weight distribution: Apply pressure through your torso, not just your arms.
Control the hips: Prevent escapes by using your body and limbs strategically.
Head positioning: Stay low and tight to maintain pressure and reduce space.

Control Systems

Control isn’t just about strength — it’s systems-based. This section explores frameworks for maintaining dominant control using structure, angles, and pressure. The goal is to create predictable reactions you can exploit.

High-Percentage Submissions

Finish fights with the most reliable subs from side control. Here you'll find breakdowns of submissions like kimuras, armbars, and triangles, chosen for their repeatability and control-based setups.

Entries to Side Control

You can’t dominate side control if you can’t get there. This section covers common entries from guard passes, scrambles, and transitions that land you directly into a controlling top position.

Maintaining the Position

Once you’ve secured side control, the battle is keeping it. These techniques show how to shut down movement, re-center control, and deny space — turning side control into a prison, not a pit stop.

Drills

Repetition builds instinct. This section outlines solo and partner drills that reinforce control mechanics, transitions, and pressure application from top side control.

Specific Rounds Ideas

Sharpen your skills with focused situational sparring. These round formats help isolate key goals like retention, submission, or back transitions so you can troubleshoot and refine under live resistance.

Isolation Round: Start in side control. Top player maintains, bottom escapes.
Submission Round: Top starts in side control and only goal is to submit.
Back Take Transition Round: Drill side control to back take transitions only.

Match Footage (Top Side Control in Action)

Watch how elite athletes apply side control at the highest level. Analyze real match footage to see the principles and techniques from earlier sections in live, competitive contex

Instructionals

Explore deep dives from some of the best in the game. These instructionals cover side control systems, submission chains, and pressure strategies from names like Gordon Ryan, John Danaher, and Lucas Barbosa. Each brings a unique lens to top control mastery.