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The Worst Position To Get Stuck In BJJ

The Worst Position To Get Stuck In BJJ

The Worst Position To Get Stuck In

Bernardo Faria is a 5x World Jiu-Jitsu Champion as a Black Belt from the Alliance Jiu Jitsu Team who holds an extensive competitive resume with titles at the world’ top tournaments such as the European Championship (Brazilian jiu jitsu), Pan American Championship (jiu jitsu) and Brazilian National Jiu Jitsu Championship. In February and March 2013 Bernardo was ranked first in the IBJJF World Ranking of all divisions and was chosen as the best jiu jitsu athlete of 2015. Bernardo received his black belt from his instructor Ricardo Marques in 2008 and moved to the Alliance Jiu Jitsu Sao Paulo team to train with mestre Fábio Gurgel in 2009.

There is a science to escaping bad positions in jiu jitsu. If you don't have the tools or the concepts to escape, you will waste all your energy and not get anywhere.


Bernardo Faria currently runs his own Jiu Jitsu academy in Bedford, Massachusetts. He is a member of Alliance Jiu Jitsu team and Marcelo Garcia Association. He also has a YouTube channel where he regularly posts techniques alongside other Jiu Jitsu practitioners and MMA fighters such as Dean Lister and Chael Sonnen.

In this video Bernardo will show us what the worst position to get stuck in is. Check out the video below and then we will break it down.

Bernardo Faria’s game is all about control and inflicting pain on a trained competitor so that they have no choice but to get stuck in worse and worse situations. His many major victories over the years highlight just how effective this game is. But what makes this position so powerful and why is it the worst position to get stuck in?

Looking at Bernardo’s worst position, the pressure is applied to the arm, taking away any ability for his opponent to explode with power. By crossing his opponent’s arm over his chest and securing a hook under his neck he ties up his limb taking away any ability to maintain a gi grip. If the person on bottom ends up having tight shoulders there is no way they will retain any explosive power. This is a very, very bad position to be in, and Bernardo does his best not to understate that. There is a lot of pressure the guy on bottom faces. There is really no escape from here, especially as Faria controls his knees, taking away the ability to bridge or get up on his side to release some of the pressure. Ironically, the opponent is not in a position to tap. He is not being choked out but he has no control over his ability to defend.

There is very little chance of a successful escape from this position against an upper belt who knows how to control and dominate from top side control. If you are against a newer guy and you go for this, do not allow them to control your hips, and do your best to bridge, bump, or get to your side so you can get that pressure from dominating your arm and therefore chest. This one comes down to timing. If you have a collar grip on your opponent hold onto it, and try to create space. Do not just give him that arm; otherwise you are giving up a big part of your ability to defend from bottom. So the next you are stuck in bottom side control be mindful of how the guy on top is trying to control you and do your best not to give him a limb, or stay flat on your back.

Bernardo is a 5 time Black Belt World Champion - think about that for a second.. He’s won five.. - America has only ever won two. So it is safe to say that his escapes are very solid. He knows how to get out of anything and pretty much always does.