17/11/2014 - Teaching | Mount | Maintaining Low Mount

Teaching #234
Artemis BJJ (Bristol Sports Centre), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 17/11/2014

This week, I wanted to progress to holding the mount, to provide a platform for attacking as well as giving the flip side to the escapes we've done over the last few weeks. There are two basic types of mount to choose from, which I'll call low and high. Once you've achieved mount, I find that low mount provides the most control. First off, you want to immobilise their hips, as their main method of making space is to bridge up forcefully.

Bring your feet right back, threading them around their legs to establish two hooks: this is known as a grapevine. Alternatively, you can also cross your feet underneath, which has the advantage of making it much harder for them to push your hooks off. Your knees are ideally off the ground, to generate maximum pressure. How far off the ground they are depends on your dimensions: the key is getting loads of hip pressure. Another option, which I learned from Rob Stevens at Gracie Barra Birmingham, is to put the soles of your feet together and then bring your knees right off the floor.

Whichever option you're going for, thrust those hips into them, using your hands for base, where again you have a couple of options. Either have both arms out, or put one under the head (remember, you can always remove it for base if you're really getting thrown hard to that side) while the other goes out wide for base. Try to grip the gi material by their opposite shoulder, or even better, by the opposite armpit. Keep your head on the basing arm side, loading up your weight there. If they're bridging hard, you can switch from side to side.

To do the trap and roll/upa escape we learned a fortnight ago, they will need to get control of your arm. So, don't let them grab it and crush your arm to their side. Instead, swim it through, like Ryron and Rener demonstrate in the third slice of the third lesson in Gracie Combatives. Be sure to do it one at a time, or you may get both arms squashed to your sides.
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Teaching Notes: I tried keeping it super-simple tonight and just teach the basic points on holding the position. That didn't take long, so I think including the arm swim in future wouldn't be to excessive. The other thing to think about, which I've mentioned before, is that many people will have trouble crossing their feet under somebody's bum for control. For me that's generally easy, because I'm short, but I need to look into the other options in more depth.

At the moment, I tend to suggest either Rob Steven's option of feet together and knees off the ground, or hooking back with the legs. Both options aren't too great against somebody experienced enough to have developed some leg dexterity under mount. With your feet crossed under their bum, it's tough for them to dig it out, but that's not true of the other options.

The other obvious point to make is that you want to be moving up into high mount anyway. But I have to admit I will quite often sit in low mount a good while, so it's a useful option to have. Moving up as soon as they start to pry off a hook could be a solution: I'll have a play and see what I can learn.