When it comes to ground fighting, simply gaining a superior position isn’t enough to secure victory. Whether you’re in the guard, cross-side, mount, or north-south, the key to controlling the fight lies in maximizing your leverage and minimizing your opponent’s ability to escape or counter. Here’s how you can take control of each major ground position to increase your effectiveness and dominate the fight.
1. Maximizing Superior Positions Even when you’re in a superior position, you can’t afford to get complacent. Your opponent won’t stay passive; they’ll fight back, attempting to escape or reverse the situation. That’s why it’s important to use your position intelligently, adjusting your weight, grip, and base to stay in control. By focusing on maximizing leverage, you not only keep your opponent on the defensive but also limit their chances to recover or counterattack.
2. Guard Control (On Top) When you find yourself in an opponent’s guard, staying close or being passive can leave you vulnerable to sweeps, submissions, or being controlled. The best way to maintain control is by keeping distance and ensuring your base is wide and stable. By planting your knees far apart and gripping the opponent’s waistband, you reduce the risk of getting swept. Keep your elbows inside their thighs to create tension, which prevents them from easily pulling you down or setting up attacks. From this position, you have better options for striking or escaping their guard altogether.
3. Cross-Side Control Cross-side, or side control, is a position where weight distribution becomes crucial. For smaller fighters, especially, positioning your weight correctly can neutralize a bigger opponent’s strength. By tucking one arm under their neck and the other under their far arm, you create a strong control structure. A wide base—whether your knees are spread or feet extended—gives you balance and allows you to exert maximum pressure on their chest and jaw. This control opens up opportunities for strikes, submissions, or transitions, while limiting their ability to buck you off or recover guard.
4. Mount Position Being on top in mount can give you a false sense of security if you don’t make adjustments to solidify control. Sitting too low on their hips can lead to them throwing you off. Instead, aim to get your knees up into their armpits, which pins them down more effectively and puts you in a better position to strike or attack. Maintaining a balanced posture with your hips and knees slightly bent allows you to quickly react if they try to bridge and roll. The key here is staying dynamic—ready to shift your weight as needed without giving them a chance to reverse the position.
5. North-South Position The north-south position is one that can be easily lost if your hold is too loose or your weight isn’t properly distributed. To maintain tight control, make sure your elbows are deep in the opponent’s armpits while your knees stay close to their head. This limits their mobility and allows you to exert pressure on their upper chest and face. Keeping a low, tight grip also prevents them from creating space to escape. From here, you can easily transition to strikes or submissions while keeping them trapped in a highly uncomfortable spot.
6. Practice and Train with Purpose Maximizing ground control isn’t just about knowing the positions—it’s about training with intent. Instead of rolling at full intensity, try lowering the pace to 20-30% when drilling positions. This allows you to focus on technique, finding where you can make small adjustments to solidify control without expending unnecessary energy. Work with a partner to experiment with each position, learning how to apply the principles of leverage and weight distribution. The goal is to train your body to automatically maximize control, so when you’re in the heat of a fight, it becomes second nature.
Ground fighting is about strategy as much as it is about physical skill. By learning to maximize your superior positions, you limit your opponent’s options while expanding your own, putting you in the best possible position to win.
