North South
Also called: north, north south, north south position, north south scramble, north-south chest-to-chest pin, north-south choke
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The chapter
North-south is the pass-finisher's answer to a defense that's working. When the bottom player keeps knee and elbow glued together, side control never truly happens — so instead of fighting the connection face-on, you go around it and pin from above the head.
For the top player it's a pressure position, not a highlight position. You walk in, get chest to chest, and grind — the chokes and back takes below are answers to how they try to leave, not attacks you force on a stationary opponent.
The bottom player's whole game here is frames and rotation: knee against your shoulder, elbows pulled to their hips, spinning back to guard before the pin sets. Everything the top player does is a race against that.
Playing top
Most of the value here is patience: consolidate the pin first, then let their escape attempts pick the attack — the turn gives you the back, the loose elbow gives you the kimura, the trapped arm gives you the choke.
Get chest to chest with your weight over their head and shoulders, and wrap an arm over their back or head so their hips can't realign toward you.
WhenThe moment you arrive, for as long as their feet are still fighting to get back in front of you — attacking before this is done is how the position evaporates.
Slide your arm under their near shoulder and around the neck, drive your shoulder across their jawline with the bicep down, and settle before squeezing — the finish is slow ribs-and-shoulder pressure, not an arm squeeze.
WhenTheir near arm stays trapped under your chest as you settle the pin — the arm they didn't pull out is the space the choke lives in.
Scoop their arm close to the shoulder, pull it toward your chest, and lock the figure four with your weight pressing forward through their ribs so the arm can't retract.
WhenAn elbow drifts away from their ribs while they defend the neck — from above the head, the loose arm is easier for you to reach than for them to hide.
As they turn onto a side or toward turtle, grip the belt or hips and pull them up into your lap instead of chasing them back down.
WhenThey commit to the turn — which is the standard escape from this position, so plan on it happening rather than hoping it won't.
Once they're flat and the frames are dead, slide your hips back past their legs into mount — or, when they shrimp and turn back in, follow them around into side control on either side.
WhenThe grinding is done: they've flattened out, or they've spent their escape and re-faced you. North-south is a waypoint you cash in, not a place to live forever.
Also worth knowing
- Far-side armbarWhenThey push into you as you rotate — turn ninety degrees with your shin coming up over their head and take the far arm with you.
- Bread cutter chokeWhenIn the gi, when reaching the far collar from side control is hard — blocking the hip and stepping to north-south shortens the reach.
- Arm triangle when they turn inWhenThey turn in toward turtle with an arm left across their own neck — the turn feeds the head-and-arm position.
Why you keep failing here
“I get to north-south and they wriggle out before I attack anything.”
WhyYou rushed to the attack while their feet were still live, so the first submission attempt gave their hips the space to realign.
FixConsolidate first and be genuinely patient — deny the feet coming back in front of you, even if it takes a while, then attack.
“I lock the north-south choke and they just wait it out.”
WhyThe arm is shallow and the choke is landing on jaw and face instead of neck, so what feels tight to you is merely uncomfortable to them.
FixGet the arm fully around the head and turn their face before you commit to squeezing — set the position solid, then finish slowly.
“My leg gets snatched into an entanglement mid-transition.”
WhySwinging a leg over their body on the way through north-south hands them the entry — choi bar and 50/50-style catches live exactly there.
FixMonitor your legs during the walk-around and keep them back out of reach until the upper body is pinned.
Your game
Where does North South show up in your rolls?
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The map
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