BJJ Study Guide Level 1 (Orange – Green Belts) Side Control and Half Guard Curriculum Adv. Side Control Positions Smart Knee: We are in a defensive side control position on our opponent. They tuck their elbow tight enough to be able to hip out re-guard. We will post up on our north leg and slide our south knee into their hip. The knee should enter in an arc to get ahead of our opponent’s knee. From here, when they lift the elbow to reach our hips, we can sit out under it. Modified Side Control: From our sit-out side control, our opponent uses their outside arm as a blade across our neck. We will take our top arm over their head and pin our elbow to their neck. We will engage our smart knee, and then transition our other hand to that hip as we disengage the smart knee. Hips low, hug onto a bridging opponent. If the blade is removed, we can transition back: south hand, smart knee, then north hand, back to a sit out or defensive side control. High Step to Mount: From our modified sit-out side control, our opponent does not remove the blade. We will scissor our legs to a reverse sit-outside control. North knee sliding under us to our opponent’s hip. Chest low, top hand under our opponent’s leg. We will use our top hand to pull our opponent’s legs towards us and perform our high step. Immediate insertion of the hook. False Ribs: From modified sit out Side Control, our opponent raises their inside knee to block our high step. We will use our top arm to swim under their thigh and create a small gap so we use our high step. Sling-Shot Step: From modified sit out Side Control, our opponent raises their outside knee to block our high step. We will grab our back toes with same side hand. Extend our leg across their body and shoot for immediate hook insertion. High-Low Guard Basic Position: Our outside leg is biting over our opponent’s head. The other knee is slid across our opponent’s hips. The outside hand is pulling our opponent’s north elbow across our body and our inside hand is blocking their hips from coming towards our head. Hips are up and we stick to our opponent. Basic Entry: From under side control we cannot re-guard because our opponent has our hips pinned with their elbow. We will bridge up and into them the best we can. Keeping our elbow frames, we will shoot our bottom knee in as if we are re- guarding, but our outside knee will wrap over the head. Most importantly, we must extend our inside thigh to become perpendicular with our opponent. Modified Entry: Our opponent is in a modified side control. We will bridge and hip away, but when we shoot our knee in it must go around the arm at our hips. BE ready to transition directly to the triangle as described below. Transitions: When our opponent begins to peel our inside leg off the hip, we will release the bite on the head and quickly loop it to the other side. We will hip towards our still trapped leg and egg beater it around to finish in triangle guard. Safe Hands Outside Hook: We are on the bottom of side control and our opponent has head & arm control. We will use our inside arm to hook and peel on their head locking arm. Our outside arm wraps the head and holds them to us. We will lift our head and stick it to their shoulder. When they try to create space, we slide our outside hand across the neck. If they sit and control, we either go to high low guard or re-guard. If they try to reach over our head, we hide our outside arm under the armpit. If they go for the mount, we use our elbow escape. Inside Hook: When we get the blade across the neck, our opponent releases the headlock to attack the blade. Our inside hand will frame on their bicep. If they reach over, we will hide under the armpit. If they swim around, pin your head and swim back in. Swim South: If we cannot get our hand across the neck, we will use hip bumps to swim under the south armpit. Body Lock: Last resort, our opponent has the rat trap and the elbow cup ready if we move. We will gable grip behind our opponent. Head up to prevent chokes. When opponent lifts to pry us off, we will take our hand across the throat, or under the south armpit. Re-Guard Prevention Heavy Hips: We are on top in side control. Our opponent begins a re-guard attempt; their knee comes across our body. We will cup their outside shoulder and pin our head. Our other hand will block the knee and we will drop our hip onto their knee. Lastly, we will circle our extended leg into the hip ending a smart knee position. We can use our blocking hand to break the elbow knee wall. Ankle Grab: If our opponent extends their body away from us after getting their knee across our hip, we will use our outside arm to wrap under their thigh and grab their ankle/foot. The other hand will block inside our opponent’s same side arm, and we will walk around the trapped leg, sliding our back knee into the smart knee position. If our opponent’s knee is too active or long, we can use our front knee to step around it, then reverse high step to sit into a modified sit-out side control. Ankle Hug: Opponent attempts re-guard from a modified side control. Their leg comes across our south arm and hips. Wrap under the ankle and onto their hips to keep their leg trapped. Tuck your head to their belly to prevent the high-low guard. Tighten your elbow on opponent’s neck to prevent extension. Move north and slide your back knee in and back stroke your arm back to the hip. Escape to Turtle Standard: We are under an offensive side control. Using our safe hands, we achieve an under hook on their south armpit. From here, we will shoot the under hook high as we use our legs to pull us down. Our legs will switch and we will tuck our bottom elbow. We should slip out the side to end in back control Modified: If our opponent modifies when we achieve our under hook. We will use a hip bump to get up on our side facing our opponent. Our under hooking hand goes to the hip as well as our inside elbow. Moving our hips away to become parallel with our opponent, we will switch our hips and bring our knees into turtle as we attack the leg. Either pull the leg to the inside, or circle to sit on the leg and take the back. Guard Retrieval: If our opponent sprawls away from our leg attack. We will bring our outside arm across the hips. Our other arm’s elbow should be down on the mat. Our outside leg will post up and we will shoot our back knee in across the hip. If our opponent. Outside Turtle: If our opponent has only their south hand modified, but their north hand is still under our head. We will bridge them up, and, as we come down, we will turn away and get our inside hand clear. We give a push with our north elbow as we turn away, switch our hips and quickly face our opponent. We will either attack the leg or retrieve guard depending on our opponent’s distance. Adv. Americana Rat Trap: From offensive side control, we will make sure both arms are over our opponent, isolating the arm. We should cup the isolated elbow with our south hand. Our north hand will wait on our cheek. When they bring their hand around to push on our neck, we drop the trap and finish the lock. Shoulder Drive: From the rat trap position, our opponent does not circle the arm around. They may hug our head out of desperation. We will use our south hand to peel their neck hug as loose as possible, then, pushing off our south leg, we drive our shoulder to the mat. As soon as it hits, we attack the wrist and slide back to our offensive side control. Armlock Transition: When we lock up the americana our opponent extends their arm. We will follow all the way out and shoot our south arm in deep all the way to the elbow pit. Getting the attacked thumb up, we will extend our south arm to finish. Elbow Cup Armbar From offensive side control on our opponent, their outside arm is isolated. We will use our outside arm to bite under their tricep. Coming up to our smart knee position, we will pull our under hooking elbow across the body and drop it heavy to the mat. We will use our north arm to put some pressure on their neck. Next, we slide our inside knee to their armpit and step our outside foot all the way over their head to behind their hips and use our hand on their neck to grab their pants. Our leg across their body will slide heel to ribs, then to armpit and we will secure our control on the arm we are attacking.