Side control is a fundamental top position achieved after a successful guard pass. You lie chest-to-chest with your opponent, perpendicular to their body, with no legs inside their guard. Your weight distributes across their torso to prevent movement.
The top player threatens submissions — kimura, americana, guillotine — and looks to advance to mount, north-south, or knee-on-belly. The bottom player tries to escape by recovering guard or rolling to turtle.
Side control is one of the first dominant positions beginners learn to hold and escape. Understanding how to use hip pressure and shoulder control is as important as knowing submissions from there.
For detailed technique coverage, see Side Control.