NORTH-SOUTH

North-south is the perpendicular pin in which the top player faces opposite the bottom player, with the top player's chest pressing down onto the bottom player's chest and the heads pointing in opposite directions (north and south). The position scores no points by itself in IBJJF rules but serves as a transitional hub between side control, the back, and several submission positions — most notably the north-south choke that Marcelo Garcia made famous in the mid-2000s.

The defining feature of north-south is that the bottom player has no obvious frame to push against: the perpendicular alignment means the bottom player's arms are typically pinned beneath their own body or between the two bodies, and their legs are not in a position to insert hooks or frames. The top player's weight rests entirely on the bottom player's chest and the bottom player's options are limited to bridging, hip-escaping perpendicular to the position, or attempting to roll forward into turtle. None of these is fast, which is why the position rewards patience.

From north-south the top player has access to the north-south choke (Marcelo Garcia's signature), the kimura (when the bottom player\'s arm drifts above the head), the north-south armbar via spinning, and the transition back to side control or to back control depending on which way the bottom player rolls. The position is also the natural recovery point when a kimura attack from side control is defended and the trapped wrist is pulled overhead.