Side Control Escape - These Small Details Change Everything 

Jon... I've been doing jits for 8 years and I'm an average purple belt who has always wondered how the high level players recover guard so well when I get stuck. I've seen so many side control escape vids and they never covered this stuff. You pointed out so many little mistakes and easy fixes, I'm extremely grateful -- Thank you!

The swinging the left leg up when inserting the right knee detail, is just straight up money! Literally never saw that before. So simple yet so biomechanical clever. 🙏

This is exactly what I needed to see this morning. By far my biggest weakness at the moment. This really helped thanks Jon

We just had a class where we covered side control escape. Only after watching this video I realize how little am I able to pick up during a single class. It is so great to see a break down like this so I can understand why I need to move in a certain way, this is extremely useful. Thanks Jon!

Hard to believe I just received this amount of details for free. Just transformed my elbow-knee escape, Professor Thomas.

Thank you for answering the question I've had forever... "why does it continuously feel like my right and left legs are working against each other when I try to get my inside leg in to touch my knee?" Well.. because I'm keeping my other leg planted... THANK YOU!

I like how you have two voices; one for when you're talking to us, and one for when you're talking to the uke or the cameraman. It's helpful and it also makes me laugh.

RU-vid must be watching my rolls... because yesterday I was able to close the elbow/knee space on bottom in side control, but I was unable to fully recover my guard. Thanks for the details and concepts; teaching a man to fish. 🙏

Been doing this for 6 years (with some breaks) and this is the first time I've had someone address these details.

This video covers a lot more details than John Danaher’s video on escaping side control. Can’t wait to implement them. Keep up the great work!

Thank you very much for the details, Jon. I'm a purple belt and have been training for 8 years now and is turning 50 soon and these details will help my game a lot!

as a white belt, escaping side control is my biggest hurdle right now. this video was extremely helpful!

I'm a blue belt and have been training for a little over 1.5 years 4x a week. After week 1 I pretty much wore out every side control video on YT. As good as those videos are; I wish this video was available to me in the beginner because there a few key details. #1 lifting your foot. It makes total sense but when you're underneath somebody it's hard to know why something isn't working. And second the knee on the chest to lasso. I'm a little bit older, a little bit fatter, and a lot slower but I often get my knee in "that" far. I'm absolutely trying this next chance I get. Thank you for a wonderful and informative video!

The detail of having the outside leg off the floor is something I've been struggling with an never known. Can't wait to try this next time I'm stuck under side!

Videos with details like this, are the reason why your teaching is special and so much appriciated. Thank you !!!

This is next-level instruction, thanks a lot Jon!

Excellent video! I am a 45-year-old white belt who has stayed in side control for the last two years, lol. I hope to use this tonight!

This video is one of the best I have seen so far in RU-vid covering the basics. And me being a WB is what I need, not berimbolos. Thank you.

Incredibly useful. I'm a white belt kept getting stuck in side control by the brown and black belts when rolling. I got frustrated and watched this. Haven't gotten stuck since. Huge game changer!! Making my way through your other videos too. Thank you so much for sharing so much great content with us. With much appreciation from Japan

Yet again insane quality content, great stuff! Thank you!

Good stuff man. Lately, I’ve just been putting myself in bottom side control at the beginning of every roll. It’s my worst spot, so I figured I better get good at it. This should help!

I like this. I trained for a number of years and have been away for almost a decade now. I’ve been getting back in but am not as young as I was then and noticing that perfectly executed technique is a lot more important than it was before. I was reading and watching a lot of stuff about the early days of BJJ and how Helio Gracie talked about how most people cannot lift a car but if they put a jack under the car it’s very easy to lift a car. His basic principle was to look at every position in jiu jitsu and find a way to apply a “jack” to each one. This idea has really started to make sense and I have been watching videos and thinking about what is creating the leverage. I keep thinking that assume I was a 90 lb female with a 220 lb guy holding me in mount or side control. How would I deal with that? Because what works for the strongest person won’t work for the weakest person, but what will work for the weakest person will always work for the strongest person. What you’re showing here is pure. Lifting the legs off the ground and turning your hips towards your opponent is the “jack” for successfully escaping side control and it’s really clear to see that when you showed it. Thank you.

That knee on chest as opposed to trying to bring it straight through is exactly the problem I've had. Spot on instructional, thank you.

Thanks for this. The arm movement explanation while your partner was off you was a nice touch too, to see how your arm moves underneath. Great understanding from your partner too. Thanks both.

Great material. This makes so much sense after being stuck in side control. As a white belt I’ve actually been able to implement the stuff you explain because it’s so clear and it’s really helped. Thanks!

I have super long legs and find it so hard to get my knee back in, particularly against small but heavy opponents who don't leave much space. Will definitely try this technique out.

My weakest point at the moment exposed to a solution Love that! Thank you Jon, I love your videos!

I know I'm a year late but THANK YOU for this video. My coach showed me the "chicken wing" under the jaw to create space and I've never heard anyone else talk about it. It helped me tremendously so I started hunting for it on RU-vid. Yours is the only video I found that talks about it. Great video!

This is going to be a huge help for me. I’ve been keeping my left foot planted while trying to bring my right knee inside. All of these little details resonated with me immediately. Thank you.

Now i know one of the biggest reason why should i do that side shrimp.. thanks for the vid Jon!!

You are really good at teaching and describing the concepts. I’ve been around the block a bit, and that’s my opinion.

Thank you so much Jon!

These are details I was never taught, it always goes overlooked. I’ve had some success with it over the past couple of months, transitioning to a clamp position and locking up a triangle. With that said, getting the initial side guard and framing to make space would still fail for me commonly, and now I know why. Thanks a ton Jon! 🙏

As a blackbelt, excellent in detail and explanation. Keep up the good work

I haven't looked through your channel yet but the videos that youtube has recommended have all been like this where you're proposing concepts vs showing techniques and I really wish more people on youtube were doing this. I don't know that I always agree with you but I like that this is a "try this and see what happens to your game" sort of deal.

You are the only BJJ guy I watch on YT. Thank you Jon!

Oh my god did I need this video. Thanks Jon!

Definitely want to see more details for other side controls. This helped immensely. Cant wait to try

These details are gold! Thanks!

Love it. Such great detail!

Sooooooo good as always! Exactly what I needed.

This is delightful - you've explained so many sticking points for me. I was wondering why I kept lifting my posting leg off the ground against my instructor's wishes but I was explaining to him that it helped me get my knees to my chest. Seeing you do the movement really solidified this for me - thank you for this video!

Absolutely brilliant video! Thank you

John, you are really helpful!! Thanks

Thanks Jon, great teaching

Jon honestly that is the greatest detail I’ve ever seen of any position in BJJ , I mean this is danaher level detail 🙏

Excellent!! Thank you

Fantastic video. Thank you for this! The leg up in the air and hip jump was a game changer for me tonight.

Loving the level of detail - thanks for posting!

This is a great way to recover guard . But I have been working on using this escape to get to the “clamp” position , which is WAY better than getting back to guard. The submissions come very easily from the clamp position.

Love the details, never seen leg off the mat detail before. Look forward to practicing this.

This is great stuff. Thank you so much.

Wow! Lots of tips in that video. Thanks for posting.

This is gem. Thanks for teaching

So many incredible details. Thank you for this!!

This is GOLD! Thanks

Good solid video, great details. Thanks!

Thank you prfe Thomas!

Fantastic video with so many critical aspects. Thank you for this. Much appreciated.

This is so good. Top shelf!

Thank you brother! Very amazing details 😎 I am becoming unstoppable now 🤙🏽

Ding dang, saving this this one to rewatch at least 2-3 times, as each of these will likely improve my bottom side control escapes. Excellent stuff.

This was amazing! TY 🙏

very precise, important details that I've never thought of! It's really mind-blowing, these details could really make a great difference with my side control escape. Thank you Jon!

great detailed explanation. Thank you.

This is the best video I can find on side control defense as a new white belt!!!

This is great stuff, Professor! I have never seen these little details before, much appreciated. Be well, always. Nikolas

Great details and nuanced understanding. Thank you.

Awesome man, thanks!

I NEEDED THIS. THANKS!

Thank you Jon - I love the way you breakdown videos so concisely. This is an area I really needed some light shed on.

This was great. Very helpful details. Looking for to future escape videos!

So useful. Thank you.

i too have watched many, and this is a first about the far hip or framing the head with elbow. i like this guys stuff

beautiful details... thanks coach

so far best video i have seen for side control escape

Really well explained and easy to understand, thanks dude - subscribed!

This is great. Thank you

Great details as always. Thank you!

Some awesome tips for side control defence. Thank you 🙏

What an amazing video. Brilliant tutoring

Jon thomas has sold all of his gis and now only owns this one, change my mind

Finally, now it all makes sense :) thank you

This might be the best side control escape tutorial! More like this please...As a coach, I'd love to know the details from every position. Thanks for this video buddy!!

The video I needed, thanks for the post

Wow great details! 👍

best Bjj channel out there definitely game changer for me ..thank you

Your techniques are absolutely brilliant and so deliberate in every movement. Watching your videos have become an every day routine for me.

As they say, the devil is in the details. And this video was as detailed and concise as I have seen on truly effective methods to escape side control. Excellent video Jon. 🙏

The details Jon... wow. Thanks again.

You are such an amazing teacher. Thank you!

what a phenomenal video great info

Thanks like always great information 🤙

This information is gold for a smaller guy like myself. Thanks for sharing, definitely will be studying this

This is some awesome tips!

The leg up/kick trick will help me a lot. I needed that little adjustment in my tool kit. thx Peace.

Very informative thanks.

Hey!! Side control escape video!! Thanks for this Jon Thomas!

Excellent video!!

Love this!