Marcelo describes his philosophy behind escaping from Side-Control: Prevention is of paramount concern when it comes to avoiding the dangers present from getting held underneath a good Side-Control (a.k.a. Cross-Sides, Side-Mount, Yoko-Shiho-Gatame, et al.); the greater the skill-level of your opponent, the more unlikely it will be that you will find a way out of an impending attack. Figure out which parts of your guard-play are leading to failure so that you can then focus on avoiding having to escape from a tight Side-Control altogether. Remember the most common mistakes you make during training that allow your opponent to pass into the Side-Control, and concentrate on implementing preventative measures that will give you the best chance of recovery when you begin losing your guard. The longer you can keep your opponent inside your guard, the better your chances at reversing the situation into your favor.