The drill is simple. One partner locks in kesa gatame with a solid base. The other partner cycles through the escapes — standard roll, leg hook, head hook — live, with resistance, until something pops. Then you switch.
The catch is the top guy's job, and this is where most gyms screw it up.
It's easier to hold than to escape. Always. So if you're the better grappler and you lock down on a newer guy, he gets zero reps and you get zero feedback. Scott's rule on this one is blunt. Adjust your holding level to make it challenging for him, but not impossible. Leave a crack. Give him something to hunt.
For the bottom guy, here's the fix that matters most in this drill. When you hit the leg hook, don't just lay there and try to pull him over your body with your leg. That doesn't work. Hook the leg, then scoot your butt underneath him. Your whole body becomes the fulcrum. Now he's teetering on top of you and a little nudge sends him over. Cold-turkey pulling him with leg strength alone is a dead end.
While you drill, the top partner is hunting too. If the bottom guy commits to a standard roll, watch for the post — if he can free his head, he's taking your back. So you're drilling both sides of the exchange every rep.
Cycle the escapes. Standard roll. Leg hook. Head hook. Repeat. That's the drill. Works every time if both partners play their role honestly.
For the full escape breakdown, see our complete guide to escaping side control. Get the rest of the system in Scott Sullivan's BJJ 101 System.