Tony Casarez: Side Control Escape to Closed Guard

Tony Casarez (@tonycasarez), Lucas Lepri 2nd degree black belt and professor at Lepri BJJ Raleigh, maps a side control escape using frames, a hard bump, and a shrimp back to closed guard. From the video: https://youtu.be/SrPkuQj8OCo

Flow outline

  1. Side Control Bottom

    • Start on your back with the opponent holding side control, trapping your hip with his elbow and his other hip.
    • From Tony Casarez (@tonycasarez), Lucas Lepri 2nd degree black belt and professor at Lepri BJJ Raleigh, in the video "Side Control Escape to Closed Guard".
    • Frame: keep good frames with elbows low
    • Mistake: don't let frames ride too high or he moves up and works your back
    • Focus: focus on his shoulder
    • Reaction: he traps your hip with his elbow and his other hip

  2. Grab Material And Bump

    • Grab material, bring your feet close to your hips, and bump as hard as you can into him to get a reaction.
    • Grip: grab a handful of his gi
    • Leg Path: bring your feet close to your hips
    • Timing: bump as hard as you can just to get a reaction

  3. Shrimp And Hip Out

    • As soon as you bump, shrimp and hip out to create space.
    • Hip Line: shrimp and hip out right after the bump

  4. Bring Bottom Leg Through

    • Bring your bottom leg through and turn your hip all the way to the other side to bring them into closed guard.
    • Leg Path: bring your bottom leg through
    • Hip Line: turn your hip all the way to the other side

  5. Recover Any Guard

    • You can recover closed guard or any other guard you feel more comfortable with, like open, butterfly, or hook.
    • Option: it doesn't have to be closed guard
    • Option: open, closed, butterfly hook, or whatever you feel comfortable with

  6. He Follows: Escape Again

    • If he follows your hip escape, escape again, get the bottom knee through, keep the frame in case he comes up, then hip escape the other way and reclose the guard.
    • Frame: keep the frame in case he tries to come up
    • Hip Line: hip escape the other way and reclose the guard
    • Reaction: he follows the first hip escape, so hip escape again
    • Leg Path: bottom knee goes all the way through to the bottom to get an angle

  7. Break Posture

    • Immediately break your opponent's posture once the guard is closed.
    • Timing: break posture immediately

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