BJJ Move #4: The Mount

In the last BJJ Move post I described the up-and-over sweep from guard to the mount position.

Ah, the mount position.
You are sitting pretty.
Your opponent is lying on his back.
You are lying on top of him, chest-to-chest.
You can sit up to punch him-- but he can't move his arms, shoulders, or body back to punch you (the ground is in the way).
You can move your hips-- but his are trapped under your legs on each side.
From here you can move easily to different positions, make your opponent uncomfortable with your weight, get up off him if you want to get away, sit up and pound him, or do a number of submissions.

WARNING! These techniques could result in serious injury or death if practiced incorrectly or even if performed correctly. They should only be practiced with the supervision of an experienced instructor.

The Mount:
-Position
-Basic

Some tips:
· Try to get your "hooks" (your feet) in behind his knees to “grapevine” him.
· Keep your arms free.
· When you don’t want to be pushed back, swim through limply one arm, then the other arm.
· When your opponent overhooks your arm, extract it by straightening it somewhat and then bending your elbow to bring your palm back across your body between your torsos—-the motion is sort of like you’re checking your watch.
· Squeeze him with your knees when he’s trying to turn onto his hip (if he is getting out, rise onto your foot on the side he’s escaping to), and stay loose when he’s trying to bridge you off.
· Provoke him into giving you straight arms for armlocks by messing with his face.
· Punch him in the face!

Some tips for using the mount position in a fight:

Slide up high near your opponent’s armpits if you’re going to punch or you’ll be bumped off when he bridges his hips.

With your left hand, press his chin to his left or grab behind his neck-- then punch him in the face with your right hand.

When he puts an arm (say, his left) across his face to protect against punches, secure a “giftwrap” hold: Use your left hand to grab his left wrist with your thumb facing his elbow, holding his left hand to the ground.
Put your right hand beneath his neck from under his left ear and grab his left wrist with your right hand (thumb faces his elbow, use your thumb for this grip).
His left arm is now pinned across his head (“giftwrap”).

Now move to an “s-mount:” Slide your right knee under his left upper arm to keep it in place. Now turn your hips out to the right so your weight is on your left thigh on his chest, your left leg is bent at the knee and lies across his chest, and your right knee points up and right foot is planted on the ground outside his left ear.
Punch his face again with your left hand, or hook his left arm, which is now sticking up between your legs, and apply an armlock (haven't explained this technique yet).

Next time: A submission from the mount!