Is there a way to practice base in side mount?

**Matburn** · Posted On: 5/12/2008 1:01pm

I am starting to get side-mount every once in a while now. I even get side on a blue for like 10 seconds,lol.

But now that I am starting to pass guard a bit, I am noticing I have no base in side. Is there a way to practice that? Or just keep passing and the base will come?

What is happeing, is they are easily restting my guard or sometimes worse.

I know I am not supposed to be using strength but I think I am trying to hard to use gravity and keep my ass down, and it feels like I just don't have enough pressure on them, and they are easily escaping. Should I use some strength, like "squeeze them and push down"?

Is there a way to work on holding side? Or it just comes the more frequent I get side?

**franz_grinder** · Posted On: 5/12/2008 1:44pm

Originally Posted by Matburn

I am starting to get side-mount every once in a while now. I even get side on a blue for like 10 seconds,lol.

But now that I am starting to pass guard a bit, I am noticing I have no base in side. Is there a way to practice that? Or just keep passing and the base will come?

What is happeing, is they are easily restting my guard or sometimes worse.

I know I am not supposed to be using strength but I think I am trying to hard to use gravity and keep my ass down, and it feels like I just don't have enough pressure on them, and they are easily escaping. Should I use some strength, like "squeeze them and push down"?

Is there a way to work on holding side? Or it just comes the more frequent I get side?

Be careful not to give power to intangible "base". Simply saying so and so has ridiculous base doesn't really cover what he's doing. It's technique.

Make sure to stop any posting arms on your opponent they confuse your balance - if he gets one limb in between you and him he can stop you. Side control is'nt as dominant as some would like to think. Your still grip fighting even when in side-control. Think about trying to hold down someone that's having a temper tantrum. You have to eliminate their hand that are pushing you back.

Take control of the higher parts of his torso; but not his head or shoulders. If you direct your weight , as best as possible, right into your opponents sternum and not his abdomen or shoulders you'll feel heavier. His center of gravity must stay underneath you and you have to move with it.

Play with a small medicine ball underneath your body. Circle and roll over it while trying to keep it's weight pressed underneath you. If you let it slip to a side or out from underneath you that's when someone has a chance to escape. keep the balls weight centered underneath and gradually move faster and more explosively adding in front rolls right over the ball once your able. This will all help to build neccessary muscle memory. And it will help you understand what 'base' really is.

PM me if any of this sparks your interest and i can give you some more tips. I'm a lanky 5'10' and had to really work on base.

**Goju - Joe** · Posted On: 5/12/2008 1:54pm

In my inexpert opinion you shouldn't be trying to stay in side right away, if you pass guard and get side, go to north south, then side side, then mount or knee on belly or whatever, but always keep your weight and pressure on them and flow, make them do the work.

Flow grasshopper flow!!!!

**SuperGuido** · Posted On: 5/12/2008 1:57pm

Good post, Franz.

As a newb, here are few things you should focus on while in Side Mount.

1. Cross Facing
-Your shoulder and his face need to be best friends. Keep his head and shoulders on the mat to reduce his chances of regaining guard, turning into you, or bridging out.

2. Scarf Hold Swimming
-Side Mount is hard to hold against a REALLY squirmy opponent. Instead of bulldog stepping your knees around, use Scarf Hold to maintain pressure on your opponent's upper body and to control his arm. Be careful about holding scarf hold too long, though. Until you get better, it's an easy position to reverse.

3. Transition
-Unless you have a Matt Hughes style side mount, you should be aiming to transition immediately to mount or north/south. To build solid technique, though, work on gaining knee on belly instead of just flinging yourself into mount.

---

As an aside, are you training Gi or No Gi?

**pauli** · Posted On: 5/12/2008 1:58pm

Is there a way to practice base in side mount?

yes. find a partner and drill.

the biggest thing people forget is to keep their hips low.

**SuperGuido** · Posted On: 5/12/2008 2:16pm

Originally Posted by pauli

yes. find a partner and drill.

the biggest thing people forget is to keep their hips low.

You're right, but to a newb "Keeping your hips low" is usually incompatible with keeping your weight on your opponent.

i.e. Newbs typically either keep all their weight down, and none on the opponent (allowing the opponent to squirm and escape easily), or they put ALL their weight on their opponent like a drunken polar bear...and therefore get swept easily due to the overcommitment.

Unfortunately, "Good Base" is one of those "Ah HA!" things that can't be explained adequately.

For a beginner, though, I personally have found the following to be the easiest way to train "Good Base" from side mount:

-Keep your hips low...BUT make sure you squeeze and apply pressure through the cross face. The idea is to constantly feel like a teeter-totter...squeezing puts your weight through your opponent but wants to overextend you, while keeping your hips low increases your balance but wants to pull weight away from the opponent.

It's a balancing game that you'll get better at with practice.

**UpaLumpa** · Posted On: 5/12/2008 2:34pm

What pauli said.
Ask people if you can start in side (don't be a douche, rotate top and bottom).

**MEGALEF** · Posted On: 5/12/2008 3:03pm

Don't be afraid to release grips to allow for better mobility for yourself. Counter his attempts at escaping or reversing by moving your body, not just by trying to clamp down harder.

**Yohan** · Posted On: 5/12/2008 3:06pm

Originally Posted by pauli

the biggest thing people forget is to keep their hips low.

QFT - drop your butt to your heels if you can.

**UpaLumpa** · Posted On: 5/12/2008 3:17pm

Originally Posted by Goju - Joe

In my inexpert opinion you shouldn't be trying to stay in side right away, if you pass guard and get side, go to north south, then side side, then mount or knee on belly or whatever, but always keep your weight and pressure on them and flow, make them do the work.

Flow grasshopper flow!!!!

I would disagree with this to a degree. Knowing how to get and keep position is a key skill. Obviously camping out with a guy pinned for a minute or two isn't the most important skill but if you don't know who to control someone positionally, you're going to end up diving for subs you've already lost.

When I started, one of the guys told me to not even bother trying for subs for several months. Get position down first.