Yoko-shiho-gatame (side four-corner hold) is the pin where tori lies across uke, chest on chest, one arm under the neck and the other between the legs. It is the base of judo groundwork. You often land there after a throw, and from there you can move to almost every other position. In BJJ it is called side control.
Yoko-shiho-gatame grips
You are perpendicular to uke, on his right side for example. Your left arm goes under his neck and grips his collar at his left shoulder. Your right arm goes between his legs and grabs the belt or the trousers at the hip.
The knees do the real work. Your right knee presses against his hip and your left knee against his shoulder or ear. Uke can no longer slip a knee between you. Some people prefer to stretch their legs out behind with hips low. That is heavier and less mobile.
Your weight goes through your chest onto his solar plexus. Your head stays low, on the far side of his body or against his chest, so he cannot push it away.
Two beginner mistakes
First, lying on uke like a blanket. You drop your whole body and wait. All uke has to do is push your hip with both hands, shrimp in and get a knee back. Stay active on your toes instead and follow each of his movements.
Second, letting uke's near-side arm (the one by his head) slip under your armpit. If he gets that grip, the underhook as BJJ players call it, he turns into you and either goes to turtle or recovers guard. Close that gap with your elbow.
Transitions to juji-gatame and other positions
Yoko-shiho-gatame is the crossroads of groundwork. The transitions to work first:
- To juji-gatame. Bring your hip-side knee onto uke's stomach. He will push your knee or chest with his nearest arm. Grab that arm, step over his head with your other leg and sit close to his shoulder before falling back. The juji-gatame guide covers the finish.
- To tate-shiho-gatame. Slide your knee across his stomach while he is busy pushing your head. You are now astride him in tate-shiho-gatame.
- To kami-shiho-gatame. When uke pushes toward his hips to dislodge you, circle around his head and come back on top in kami-shiho-gatame.
- To ude-garami: if his head-side arm comes up, pin his wrist to the mat and finish with the lock.
These transitions matter more than a perfect pin. Against a good defender you will rarely hold twenty seconds in one position. You get there by switching control at the right moment, before the referee calls toketa.
How to escape yoko-shiho-gatame
Under side control you have two tools: your forearms and your hips.
Place one forearm against his neck or collarbone and the other hand against his hip. Do not push yet. First shrimp (move your hips out to the side) to create distance, then slide your knee into the space you made. You are back in guard or half guard.
The other option is to turn into him and come up to your knees. You give up your back, but the pin stops. Against an opponent who is strong on the ground, recovering guard is still the better choice, because the turtle exposes you to chokes from behind.
What changes in BJJ
Side control in Brazilian jiu-jitsu uses the same grips. The different rules change the mindset. In BJJ you hold the position to score by moving on to mount or knee on belly, and there is no pin clock at all. A judoka who starts BJJ is often great at holding but slow to attack. A BJJ player who starts judo tends to do the opposite. Guard passing in BJJ almost always ends in this position anyway.
For the place of this pin among the Kodokan techniques, see the gokyo judo page. Our training tip: run three-minute rounds where tori may not stay longer than five seconds in the same pin. Your transitions become smooth, and you learn to feel the moment uke gets ready to escape.