02 September 2019

02/09/2019 - Teaching | Mount | Butterfly mount

Teaching #900
Artemis BJJ (Easton Road), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 02/09/2019



Mount is usually a heavy, crushing position, where you are holding them in place and looking to gradually climb up towards their head in order to isolate arms and go for chokes. However, just as with side control, there is a mobile, floating version where you are constantly transferring your weight and shifting position.

It is most commonly called butterfly mount, as your are hooking in much the same way as you would from butterfly guard. You hook their inner thigh with your insteps, so for mount that means flicking your legs back to achieve those hooks. You may find that you go straight to butterfly mount from the orthodox variations, or another typical entry is when they have started to escape to half guard. Once they trap your leg, but they haven't yet managed to get an underhook and move to their side, you can flick your free leg back to pry open space. You trapped leg slides free, putting you in butterfly mount (you can also naturally switch to other mounts from there too).



Butterfly mount is great for transitions. As your weight is floating rather than heavy and crushing, it means you can 'ride' their movements. When they attempt to turn, due to your weight being through your knees, you can swivel to knee on belly, then back again. Similarly, you can switch right across to the other side in knee on belly.



You might want to not just switch sides, but go to positions like reverse knee on belly, backsteps, 'cowboy' mount (a sort of s mount variation that results off a back step from reverse knee on belly), etc. It is very much like breakdancing, an extremely useful skill for BJJ. In breakdancing, you need to have excellent balance and weight distribution, which transfers perfectly to things like butterfly mount.



My friend Charles Harriott is a great resource on the topic, as he is both an experienced b-boy as well as a black belt. :D
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Teaching Notes: Felt pretty good about butterfly mount. Emphasise supporting foot out and leg bent in knee on belly. Hooking around their ribs when they turn, think of a good way for people to remember which leg. Leg on same side they are turning towards? Something to think about.

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