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Reverse Kesa Gatame Top | BJJ Position Guide | BJJ Graph

Oct 25, 202519 min read

Reverse Kesa Gatame Top

bjjstatedominantpinscarf_hold

State Properties

  • State ID: S245
  • Point Value: 3 (Dominant position)
  • Position Type: Offensive/Controlling
  • Risk Level: Medium
  • Energy Cost: Medium
  • Time Sustainability: Long

State Description

Reverse Kesa Gatame (Reverse Scarf Hold) is a dominant pinning position where the top practitioner faces away from the opponent’s head while maintaining chest-to-chest pressure and controlling the opponent’s far arm. This position is particularly effective for shutting down common side control escapes while providing unique submission opportunities and transitions. The reverse orientation creates different mechanical advantages compared to traditional scarf hold positions.

Visual Description

You are positioned on your opponent’s side with your back turned toward their head, sitting on your hip with your weight distributed across their chest and torso. Your near-side arm (closest to opponent’s legs) posts on the mat for base while your far-side arm traps and controls their far arm, typically securing it under your armpit or with an overhook. Your chest presses firmly against their upper torso and shoulder, creating significant downward pressure. Your hips are positioned low and tight against their near-side ribs, with your legs configured in a wide base for stability - one leg posted out for balance, the other leg bent and driving pressure into their body. Your head and shoulders angle away from their head, making it difficult for them to attack your neck or create frames. The opponent lies flat on their back with one arm trapped and their near shoulder severely compressed by your chest pressure. This orientation effectively neutralizes bridge escapes while maintaining strong control, though it sacrifices some traditional attacking options available from standard side control.

Key Principles

  • Reverse Orientation Control: Facing away from opponent’s head eliminates their ability to use frames against your face and neck
  • Arm Isolation: Trapping the far arm under your armpit or with overhook removes a primary defensive tool
  • Hip Pressure: Low hip position against their ribs prevents shrimp escapes and guard recovery
  • Chest Compression: Direct chest-to-chest pressure restricts breathing and creates discomfort
  • Base Management: Wide leg configuration provides stability against bridge and roll attempts
  • Weight Distribution: Strategic pressure points on torso and shoulder create maximum control with sustainable effort
  • Escape Prevention: Reverse position naturally blocks common side control escape pathways

Prerequisites

  • Successful guard pass or transition from side control
  • Control of opponent’s upper body and one arm
  • Understanding of weight distribution principles
  • Ability to maintain pressure while facing away from opponent

State Invariants

  • Chest-to-chest or chest-to-shoulder connection maintained
  • Opponent’s far arm is controlled or trapped
  • Top player’s back faces toward opponent’s head
  • Opponent’s guard is fully passed
  • Hip pressure established on opponent’s near side

Defensive Responses (When Opponent Has This State)

Offensive Transitions (Available From This State)

Counter Transitions

Expert Insights

John Danaher: “Reverse Kesa Gatame is an underutilized position that offers unique mechanical advantages. By facing away from the opponent’s head, you eliminate many of their framing options while maintaining devastating pressure. The key is understanding that this is primarily a control position - focus on pinning effectiveness first, then introduce attacks. The arm isolation is particularly powerful because the opponent’s natural instinct to pull the arm free actually assists many submission setups. Systematically shut down their hip movement first, then methodically attack the trapped arm.”

Gordon Ryan: “I use reverse kesa gatame specifically against opponents who have good defensive frames from bottom side control. When their frames are getting in my face, I’ll switch to reverse kesa to neutralize that defense entirely. The position is excellent for wearing down opponents - the chest pressure is brutal and sustainable for the top person. I typically hold this position to accumulate control time or fatigue my opponent, then transition to mount or back when I feel them weakening. The kimura from here is particularly high percentage because they can’t defend with their trapped arm.”

Eddie Bravo: “Reverse kesa is sick for setting up submissions, especially if you’re hunting that shoulder compression and arm attacks. What I like about this position is that it confuses people - they’re not used to defending against someone with their back turned. You can flow into some nasty arm locks and shoulder cranks that they don’t see coming. I’ll often use this as a transitional position when hunting for the truck or twister positions. If they start to defend the twister side control, reverse kesa is right there as a backup control position. The key is keeping your weight heavy and your base wide - don’t let them buck you off.”

Common Errors

Error: Sitting Too Upright

  • Consequence: Reduces chest pressure on opponent, allowing them to breathe more easily and create space. Upright posture also makes you vulnerable to being rolled or swept, as your center of gravity is too high. Opponent can more easily turn into you and recover guard.
  • Correction: Keep your chest low and heavy on opponent’s torso, maintaining constant downward pressure. Your shoulders should be lower than your hips, creating a forward lean that maximizes weight distribution. Think about “melting” your chest into their upper body.
  • Recognition: If opponent can breathe normally or is attempting to bridge, you’re likely too upright. You should feel your chest compressing their ribcage throughout breathing cycles.

Error: Releasing Arm Control

  • Consequence: Opponent immediately uses freed arm to create frames, push your face, or establish defensive grips. This drastically reduces your control effectiveness and opens multiple escape pathways. The trapped arm is your primary control mechanism - losing it means losing the position advantage.
  • Correction: Maintain constant tension on the trapped arm, either by clamping it under your armpit (arm must be fully secured, not just touching) or with a firm overhook grip. Your elbow should stay tight to your body, and you should feel resistance if opponent tries to extract their arm.
  • Recognition: If opponent can frame against your face or neck, or if you feel their arm slipping, you’ve lost proper arm control. The trapped arm should feel completely immobilized from their perspective.

Error: Poor Base Configuration

  • Consequence: Narrow or improper leg positioning makes you vulnerable to bridge-and-roll escapes. You can be swept or rolled over, completely reversing the position. Unstable base also prevents you from generating proper pressure and makes transitions difficult or impossible.
  • Correction: Establish a wide, stable base with legs spread in a tripod configuration. Your near leg (toward opponent’s legs) should be posted out at roughly 90 degrees for lateral stability. Your far leg can be bent and pressing into opponent, or extended for base depending on attack plans. Adjust base width based on opponent’s movements - wider when they bridge, tighter when attacking.
  • Recognition: If you feel unstable when opponent bridges or attempts to roll you, your base is too narrow. You should feel rock-solid and immovable when properly based out.

Error: Facing Too Far Away from Opponent

  • Consequence: Over-rotating your torso away from opponent reduces chest pressure significantly and weakens arm control. This creates escape space and allows opponent to potentially take your back or slip out the bottom. You lose mechanical advantage and control becomes unsustainable.
  • Correction: While your back faces toward opponent’s head, your chest should still maintain significant contact with their torso. Aim for approximately 90-120 degrees of rotation from standard side control, not 180 degrees. Your chest should compress their chest/shoulder, with your head positioned over their far shoulder or ribs, not completely past their body.
  • Recognition: If you can’t feel opponent’s breathing or if there’s daylight between your chest and their torso, you’ve rotated too far. Your weight should press directly down into them, not slide off to the side.

Error: Neglecting Hip Pressure

  • Consequence: Without tight hip connection to opponent’s near-side ribs, they can create space to insert their knee and recover guard. Hip escapes become easy, and your dominant position deteriorates rapidly. This is the primary escape pathway from this position.
  • Correction: Keep your hips glued to opponent’s near-side ribs, actively driving your hip into their body. Your hip should be the lowest point of your body, almost sitting on their ribcage. As they attempt to shrimp, follow their movement immediately with your hips to prevent space creation.
  • Recognition: If opponent successfully shrimps away even slightly, or if you feel a gap between your hip and their ribs, you’ve lost critical hip pressure. There should be zero space for them to insert their knee between your bodies.

Error: Hunting Submissions Too Early

  • Consequence: Aggressive submission attempts before establishing dominant control lead to position loss. Opponent can escape during your transition or use your submission commitment against you. Premature attacks sacrifice the strong control position for low-percentage finishes.
  • Correction: Prioritize position control first - establish heavy pressure, eliminate opponent’s movement, and fatigue them before attacking. Once they’ve exhausted their initial escape attempts (usually 20-30 seconds), then begin submission entries. Use positional dominance to set up submissions, not the reverse.
  • Recognition: If you frequently lose this position while attempting submissions, you’re attacking too early. You should feel opponent’s resistance decreasing significantly before committing to finish attempts.

Error: Ignoring Opponent’s Legs

  • Consequence: Failing to control distance from opponent’s legs allows them to potentially use leg frames or even attempt leg locks. In no-gi especially, athletic opponents can create unexpected attacks or escapes using leg flexibility. Your focus on upper body control leaves lower body vulnerabilities.
  • Correction: While upper body control is primary, maintain awareness of opponent’s legs. Keep sufficient distance so they cannot establish effective leg frames. If they’re flexible enough to threaten with legs, adjust your position more toward their head or secure a knee shield against their near leg. In gi, use your far hand to control their belt or pants to prevent leg involvement.
  • Recognition: If opponent’s legs are reaching toward your head, back, or legs, you’re too close to their lower body. Adjust position immediately before they establish problematic connections.

Training Drills

Drill 1: Reverse Kesa Gatame Establishment and Pressure

Start from traditional side control with your partner in defensive posture. Practice the transition to reverse kesa gatame, focusing on maintaining pressure throughout the position change. Begin with 0% resistance where your partner remains still, allowing you to perfect the movement mechanics - the pivot on your hip, the arm trap, the chest pressure application. Progress to 25% resistance where partner provides mild frames and attempts slow escape movements. At 50% resistance, partner actively tries to prevent the position change and create frames. Work up to 75% and eventually 100% where partner uses full defensive effort. Key focus points: maintaining constant chest contact during transition, securing the arm trap before fully committing to reverse position, establishing wide base immediately upon arrival. Perform 5 rounds of 2-minute positional holds, resetting after each successful escape or submission. Partner should focus on breathing awareness - if they’re breathing easily, pressure is insufficient.

Drill 2: Transition Flow from Reverse Kesa Gatame

From established reverse kesa gatame, practice flowing to other dominant positions based on opponent reactions. Partner provides specific reactions: (1) Strong bridge → flow to mount or north-south, (2) Turn toward you → transition to standard kesa gatame or back control, (3) Turn away → follow to side control or mount, (4) Hip escape → follow hips and maintain or switch to knee on belly. Begin with coached reactions (partner knows what they’ll do) at 25% resistance, progressing to random reactions at increasing resistance levels. Complete 10 repetitions of each transition at each resistance level. Focus on maintaining pressure throughout transitions - never “jump” between positions but rather “flow” while keeping contact. Success metric: complete transition before partner creates two inches of escape space. This drill develops the crucial skill of using opponent’s defensive movements to guide your offensive transitions.

Drill 3: Arm Attack Sequences

With partner in bottom position and you in established reverse kesa gatame, practice the systematic attack sequence: (1) Arm crush/compression hold (30 seconds of pressure), (2) Kimura grip establishment and control (not finish), (3) Transition to straight armbar position, (4) Return to reverse kesa and repeat. Partner provides progressive resistance: first round at 25% (allowing positions but not finishes), second round at 50% (active defense), third round at 75% (full defensive effort). Complete 3 rounds of 3 minutes each. Focus points: maintaining base while transitioning between attacks, using opponent’s defensive reactions to set up the next attack in the sequence, never releasing arm control completely during transitions. Your partner should feel like every defensive action opens a new attack rather than creating escape opportunities. Between rounds, partner provides feedback on which attacks felt most threatening and why.

Drill 4: Escape Defense and Re-establishment

Partner works specific escape sequences from bottom while you maintain reverse kesa gatame. Coach calls out escape types: “hip escape,” “bridge and roll,” “arm extraction,” “turn in.” You must defend the escape and re-establish dominant control. Start with slow, technical responses (40% intensity) focusing on correct defensive mechanics for each escape type. Progress to 60%, then 80%, and finally 100% where partner uses maximum effort to escape within 30-second windows. Complete 5 rounds of 2 minutes with 30-second rest between rounds. Key learning objectives: recognize escape attempts in their initiation phase (not after they’ve created space), use minimal necessary effort to shut down each escape type, maintain offensive threat even while defending. Track success rate - goal is 80%+ position retention across all escape attempts. This drill develops the crucial defensive awareness that separates those who can hold the position temporarily from those who can maintain it indefinitely against skilled opponents.

Drill 5: Competition Simulation Positional Sparring

Start in reverse kesa gatame position, you on top. Partner has 2 minutes to escape to guard or better position. You score points for: maintaining position (1 point per 15 seconds), transitioning to better position (2 points), achieving submission control position (3 points), forcing tap (5 points). Partner scores: partial escape to less dominant position (2 points), full escape to guard (4 points), reversal to top (6 points). Rotate partners every 2 rounds to experience different body types and defensive styles. Maintain running score across training session. This drill simulates the pressure and decision-making of competition while isolating this specific position. Emphasis on making high-percentage decisions rather than spectacular but risky attempts. Review video (if available) after session to analyze position losses and successful techniques. Target metrics: 70%+ position maintenance rate, averaging 2+ transition attempts per round, submission threat creation (grips established) at least 3 times per round regardless of finish success.

Decision Tree

If opponent bridges explosively:

Else if opponent turns toward you:

Else if opponent focuses on extracting trapped arm:

Else if opponent attempts hip escape:

Else (stable control, opponent defensive):

  • Maintain pressure and accumulate control time → Reverse Kesa Gatame Top (Probability: 85%)
    • Reasoning: Holding position fatigues opponent and opens future opportunities
  • Or Execute Arm Crush Submission → Won by Submission (Probability: 40%)
    • Reasoning: Sustained pressure on trapped shoulder creates submission opening

Position Metrics

  • Success Rate: 80% retention (against skilled opponents)
  • Average Time in Position: 1-3 minutes
  • Submission Probability: 40% (primarily arm attacks)
  • Positional Advancement Probability: 70% (high transition success)
  • Position Loss Probability: 20%

Optimal Submission Paths

Shortest path to submission (direct attack): Reverse Kesa Gatame Top → Arm Crush Submission → Won by Submission Reasoning: Direct shoulder pressure on trapped arm can force tap from compression alone, especially against less experienced opponents or those with shoulder issues. Fastest option when significant fatigue or flexibility limitations exist.

High-percentage path (systematic): Reverse Kesa Gatame Top → Kimura Grip Establishment → Kimura Control → Won by Submission Reasoning: Trapped arm position makes kimura grip relatively easy to establish. Systematic approach allows control before finish, increasing success rate significantly. Most reliable path against skilled opponents.

Alternative submission path (transition attack): Reverse Kesa Gatame Top → Transition to Mount → Americana → Won by Submission Reasoning: When direct attacks on trapped arm are well-defended, transitioning to mount opens different submission angles. Mount provides more options and opponent must defend multiple threats. Good option when reverse kesa control is solid but submissions aren’t materializing.

Positional dominance path: Reverse Kesa Gatame Top → Transition to Back Control → Rear Naked Choke → Won by Submission Reasoning: Using opponent’s turning defense to establish back control provides highest-percentage submission position in BJJ. Sacrifices immediate submission opportunity for more dominant position with better finish rates. Preferred when opponent is defensive but mobile.

Competition Considerations

Point Scoring: Reverse Kesa Gatame scores 3 points under IBJJF rules as a guard pass/side control position. Points are awarded once the position is held for 3 seconds with chest-to-chest pressure and opponent’s guard fully passed. In ADCC, establishes dominant position for points if held beyond initial scoring window.

Time Management: Excellent position for controlling match pace and forcing opponent to expend energy on escape attempts. Often used in final minutes of matches to protect leads, as escapes are difficult and time-consuming. Can be maintained comfortably for extended periods (3+ minutes) with proper technique.

Rule Set Adaptations: In gi, use opponent’s gi grips (lapel, belt) to enhance control and prevent explosive movements. In no-gi, focus more on head control and body pressure as fabric grips are unavailable. In submission-only formats, position is valued more for submission setup than control time - be more aggressive with attack attempts.

Competition Strategy: Use early in match to establish dominance and test opponent’s defensive knowledge. Many competitors are unfamiliar with defending this position, leading to quicker position deterioration or submission opportunities. When ahead on points, transition here from side control to confuse opponent’s escape timing and patterns. Against aggressive opponents, the arm isolation neutralizes many offensive threats from bottom.

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