Don't worry breakdown videos are still going to continue! Just branching out and trying to create more conceptual based content for BJJ. Plus I don't have to be worried about copyright infringement with these :P
So in top side control, the active toes is mostly to oppose the bottom ukes turning in? The live toes isn't so much about being able to drive your weight down vertically to keep the position that way right? So more so what's pinning your opponent is the structure of the wedges you create, and the alignment break from the crossface, rather than your body weight ?
Live toes allows us to generate more horizontal force to keep our opponent turned away/prevent from turning into us - You are correct there. However, because live toes helps us mobilize our hips and lift it does give us more ability to increase down ward force. By lifting our hips higher than our shoulders, and by rotating our shoulders we are able to increase the PSI of our top pressure and we have minimized our surface area, but also maximize the amount of force gravity will focus on that point. As I lift my hips they will always pull in closer to my opponent, meaning my weight is more on top of them, it also means I have to be more careful about getting reversed I lose control of my center of gravity. It's just dependent on how much force you need to get the specific task done. If I'm on top of a 300 pound monster I may feel the need to always keep by hips up to break their alignment, and keep them in broken alignment. Someone of my own weight class I may feel comfortable dropping my hips back down after I break their alignment, because they are no longer very strong. Because of their broken alignment I can relax a bit more as I know I have them locked in place with wedges that they can't escape. Depending on the type of side control you are using, or if you are focusing more on holding the position rather than creating offense then having your hips down on the mat can be a great idea. I'm not saying "always have your hips in the air and have live toes," it's always dependent on the situation and your goals.
