I need some tips how to get out of side control. Shrimping does little when I can't get my hands between my and opponents body. People who are stronger than me just press the hell out and I can't do ****.

What about it when getting outweighed a lot? Say 150lbs to 250lbs for example.

Though I made a dude tap to kimura yesterday! My first one!

What kind of side control?
What does your instructor say for you to do?

Let me say this, even as an experienced BJJ guy: If you are outweighed by 100lbs and on bottom of side control you are pretty screwed.

There is a moment just before side control that you have to scramble. Just as they pass your guard you gotta think - holy ****! Move now or be crushed for the next few minutes. Now is not the time to think - Oh no!

Of course "sidecontrol" means alot so we gotta keep it generic.But when you say you can't get your hands it it sounds like you're doing what most newer grapplers do.Your letting him get control by keeping your arms out as he is passing.
Right as he is passed and looking to gain control your elbows should be tight to you.You should be cirled into a ball and facing him.
Just like in takedown training get underhooks.Don't let him underrhook your far arm.If he does push into his neck/chin to get space and pummell for the underhook.Now turn in.
If he has your hip on the near side controlled thats a whole nother problem.But from your vague statement we can't be sure.
Just remember don;t hold him on you.Push him away.Keep your arms between you and him.

I'm also a newbie BJJ white belt and I have problems with this same issue, getting pinned under side control by a huge guy. I have been told to create space if possible and get them back into guard. However, often I get pinned after the guy gets an underhook on my far arm and then sort of hugs me, covering my face, and sometimes trapping my arms under him. Really sucks. Shrimping and bridging don't do anything against that. I've tried pushing on his neck/chin and it doesn't do a whole lot. I too would be interested in some more responses.

Yeah, Kengou has the point :)

I rolled with my unexperienced friend and had to tap out because my own sleeve of my thick sweater suffocated me. Say PWNED.

I'm not outweighed since I'm 225 lbs or so, but outmuscled very often since I'm weak as hell.

ditto problem here

I'm 220, fairly strong, and have diffuculty getting out of bottom side control, or bottom half mount. Been in BJJ for 2 months now. I know of 2 ways to get out of AS, one being underhook, go to knees and drive them to their back; the other being shrimping for space and rehooking the legs to get into guard. Just can't seem to shrimp effectively from that position

to tell you the truth, when i get on the bottom in across side, sometimes i actually bait them into taking the mount (leave my legs down). I can shrimp out of the mount like nobody's business...but that damn across side pin has me baffled...

Cradle Guard. Search on it.

No, go on. Start your training with a gimmick.

Here are some tips that have helped me:

- Don't get your opponent-side arm trapped. As soon as possible, try and make space (buck) and get your elbow to the ground

- Turn into your opponent, and push on his head and hip to create space for shrimping.

- Look at where your feet are in relation to your arse (I'm serious). If they're too close, you will not have enough room to shrimp your knees in quickly. You need to find a happy medium distance from where you can shrimp the knees in with ease. Unfortunately this is something best corrected in person, so you will need to experiment with this or ask your instructor.

shrimp, but not away from them, shrimp INTO them, in order to pull gaurd.

I hear you, Paladin, I learned mount escapes first class. I can get out from under mount consistantly, but I get pinned from side control.

And it's not just that opponent's are larger. They are much stronger. I'm about 175, 6'2''. but I have very little arm strength (TKD doesn't exactly foster upper-body muscles) so I have to rely on technique on the ground. All my opponents end up being huge guys that are about 20 or 30 years older than me and stronger and bigger, so I really can't muscle them off of me.

I'll ask my instructor about side escapes next chance I get. Good responses though, thanks everyone.

assuming this is what you mean by side control

http://www.bjjfighter.com/photos/day4/tnday40052.jpg

if somebody has 100 lbs on you and has a decent pin, you are going to have a lot of trouble getting out. especially if you have a gi on.

try pushing their head down toward your legs. then triangle their head. you probably wont be able to triangle them, but its a good distraction. while doing this, buck and shrimp toward them. then go into full guard.

On top, Put your forearm across his throat and grab his collarbone to create leverage on his throat as you drive your elbow up. On bottom bump your hips and pop in your elbow in across their hip. Roll towards him to get him centered on your elbow, putting your base on that shoulder so you don't have to muscle it. This will create space for you to pop your knee in and shrimp back to full guard.

I'm also a newbie BJJ white belt and I have problems with this same issue, getting pinned under side control by a huge guy. I have been told to create space if possible and get them back into guard. However, often I get pinned after the guy gets an underhook on my far arm and then sort of hugs me, covering my face, and sometimes trapping my arms under him. Really sucks. Shrimping and bridging don't do anything against that. I've tried pushing on his neck/chin and it doesn't do a whole lot. I too would be interested in some more responses.

First off, as he passes dont let him get the far underhook.Cause you can only get back in the match safter he does if he makes a mistake.
But ok, you did give it up and he is tight, so your stuck arm cant push him to create space to get the underhook.
You then have to use your other arm.
Your elbow should be under his belly, your hand is coming his head side hip.
Now you can push him away and slide your knee under him to get guard.

Other things to try.
Your stuck out arm can reach deep looking for his belt.
Now you drive into him, as he drives back you roll back onto your far shoulder and tru to spin yopur head under him.Thats a common reversal in judo, it leaves you on top.
But vs bigger guys it's not easy.
So try this.
Your left arm is stuck out,So slide your right arm under his waist and grab his pants by his right knee.
Lift his leg up and drop it over your right leg for half guard.

Use the Wing Chun: Gouge his groin and bite his eyes.

I find that escaping a solid side control is one of the most difficult things in BJJ. My guard game improved 100x when I realized the amount of stuff you can do to avoid getting held in a solid pin, and you have already gotten advice on that from posters far more skilled than I. There's a huge difference between a half-assed pin and a stable side control, and one of the things that separates the good from the bad is to what degree you are able to actually get that pin. For example, in my club we do a drill where one guy holds down another in side control for 30s and the other one tries to escape. I've managed to hold down guys that are much better than me. However, I can never pin them in sparring, because they never let me get that amount of control in the first place!

I always keep in mind what a brazilian black belt (Robert Drysdale, I think, the new BB -91kg mundials champion) said during a seminar when someone asked for the best escape from the back: "learn what you have to do to not end up there".

However, if I actually do end up in a good side control that I'm not able to escape, I just chill and wait for them to create space. They're going to have to when they go for subs or the mount. That is when I attempt my escape.