Best Way to Escape from the Bottom – BJJ Technique
Mount is one of the most dominant positions in jiu jitsu, and being on the receiving end of it is not a comfortable spot to be in. A good number of submissions can be set up from top mount, that is why it is very important to know the fundamental techniques on how to defend yourself when you find yourself in this suffocating position.
If you are a beginner, your initial reaction is to spaz out and expend as much energy as you can trying to bump off on your opponent. While this might work with less experienced opponents, there is a better way to escape without tiring yourself out.
First of all, focus and be aware of your position- notice where your arms and legs are in relation to your opponent’s. Secondly, breathe, don’t panic and remember your technique, and make sure you make the proper grips before proceeding to the next step of the technique.
When a person is on top of you make it a point that you don’t let them get their thighs under your armpits. Keep your elbows tight and close to your body, this way, you are containing them on a low mount which gives you access to their legs. You can do this with either gi and no gi. The only difference is that when you are wearing a bjj no gi gear, it is much easier to move around without the friction of the gi.
One of the basic ways to get out of mount is called the “Table escape” Imagine that the guy on top is a table and your goal is to take out the legs of the table from the same side to make it fall. You do this by getting an over hook or under hook on your opponent’s posting arm to trap it. Step over the leg that is on the same side of the trapped arm- if you trap their right arm, you must trap their right leg also. Flare your knee out over the trapped leg to minimize the space wherein they can post. While doing this, you have to simultaneously post your opposite leg on the floor near your butt and use that to bump your hips up and turn to the side of their trapped limbs. Your opponent will not be able to post. With this technique you can reverse the position to get on top. Though, you may end up in the persons’ guard after the reversal, this is a much better position for you to get out of and pass.
Something to remember if you find yourself stuck under a mount: you should always make frames, using your arms, on your opponent’s lower body (Hips, knees, etc.) while simultaneously creating space by doing hip escapes. Coordination of your whole body is the key to make this work. Drilling and a lot of repetitions will do the trick!
