heavy and stocky but keeps getting bumped off the mount...

[squidd]

hi,

i am a heavy and stocky newbie bjj student. i weigh 73 kilos and usually roll with people 5-10 kilos less. my problem is this. i usually get to the mount position only to get bumped off. by people lighter than me at that.

i have been told the following:
1) give a little slack on my mount because clipping my legs too tightly on the body of the person beneath will allow me to be rolled over easily.
2) be conscious of when one of my arms is being trapped because this is a prelude to being bumped off.

i was just wondering if anyone can add to this. many thanks in advance.

[JaredExtreme]

Mount is pretty complicated. The most important thing is to be aware of your arms which act as posts if someone is trying to bump you off. If someone takes away one of your posts, you will likely get rolled.

Also, when you achieve mount, don't rest on their lower body, slowly work your weight forward so that your butt gets close and closer to their chest. This negates the "oompa" or bridging that is necessary to buck someone off. Once you're up to their chest they are pretty helpless if you have the weight advantage, and this will leave you free to go for attacks.

Also, despite what we have all been told, mount isn't neessarily the best position. If you feel more comfortable attacking from side mount that is perfectly fine. You just have to find what works for you.

[TylerDurden]

It's more about where your weight is than how mcuh you weigh. Set your hooks, but be ready to unhook if need be. If someone bridges and rolls you can brace with a leg and then take their back. If someone traps your left arm, post your other arm out and set your weight to the right of their centerline. Stay loose and flexible. I developed a trick of hooking an arm under people's leg and then using and oompa and upper body strength to throw them off, worked great until I went up against a purple belt who was half my size. He just stayed loose and twisted with the force of my throw, and instantly retook the mount. I was using enough power to throw him across the room, but he stayed relaxed (yea yea like water) and negated it.

[CKD]

Click on the watch video and it will show you how to stop your opponents attempts of getting you not mounted on you. http://www.groundfighter.com/details/prodid/162.html

[Ahoym8e]

Hey I can actully respond to this one, but keep in mind that I am pretty much the opposite of an expert.

The purpose of mounting (at least where I learn) is to punish the opponent with strikes to the face and body. Or,another option I was shown was to pin one of the opponents wrist to the ground (their left wrist mith my left hand in my case), place your elbow on the floor by their ear and then snake the your right arm under the opponents elbow, grab you pinning hand's wrist and lift while sliding their hand down. I'm not sure what it is called, but it is a surprisingly effective submission. It verges on dislocating the opponents shoulder and should cause a tap.

Either blows to the face or the submision ought to keep the guy on the floor's attention away from any fancy move to roll you off.

I was shown a method to rolling the opponent off by squirming back to get an elbow between their leg and my torso and then thrusting hips up and forward so that their weight rests on my (guarding) forearm and then rolling them to the side, which can lead to a mount of my own or a "knee on belly control."

What made the escape hardest was if the opponent kept his knees against my torso and practically in my armpits (him mounting me). well, and focusing on blocking punches and elbows to my face kept me occupied...

[Ahoym8e]

Click on the watch video and it will show you how to stop your opponents attempts of getting you not mounted on you. http://www.groundfighter.com/details/prodid/162.html

Yeah, Mario Sperry's way to defend the mount look pretty good too. practically the oppsite of what I just described.

It looks like he keeps his hips down on the torso (towards the opponents pelvis),leans forward and hooks his legs as if the ground man were on his stomach and counters escape attempts with a sort of headlock.

good strikes too...

[squidd]

hi all... thanks a bundle jared, ahoy, ckd, tyler (and anyone and everyone else that will post after this).

ahoy, i think the move you are talking about is an americana or a kimura. i understand that it is a good lock to go for. but then again, i'm back to square one because to pull that lock off, you have to be balanced or mounted high. i think what you were talking about was the high mount when you had the opponent's knee up yuour armpits. i always find myself in that postion... every week

again, thanks guys!!!

[CKD]

Here is another clip. It shows how to get the mount then hold it. The way the person shows is good for wearing the person out.

[CKD]

Here is another clip. It shows how to get the mount then hold it. The way the person shows is good for wearing the person out. http://www.judoclub.ca/mpegs/tate2.mpg

[J Rockwell]

Squid, I haven't watched the videos that were posted here, so some of this may be repeat info - but here is the main method of maintaining mount that I use.

1. Pinch your knees tight to his sides. If he starts to roll and you want to take his back, you'll have time to open them up once you develop a little sensitivity. Right now, you want to keep him on his back.

2. Keep your weight on your knees, not on his chest or stomach. This is a bit different than other top positions. This makes elbows escapes more difficult for him, as well as making it harder to bridge you.

3. Keep the tops of your feet flat on the ground, and hook them under his butt. Cross the tops of your feet over one another if are able to, but not so far that it brings your knees away from his sides. No space!

4. Put one arm deep behind his neck, bringing your shoulder up against the side of his jaw. Drive into his jaw with your shoulder so that he is forced to look away from you.

5. Take your other hand and post it out WIDE to the side, and ***LEAN ALL YOUR WEIGHT OVER IN THAT DIRECTION***. If you don't lean over toward that direction, he will be able to bridge you because one arm is trapped behind his neck. As long as you are leaning heavily to the other side, you are safe. If you can't get your arm behind his neck or you feel vulnerable, you can post both arms out wide and use your chest to push down into his face.

This position counters the elbow escape to one side, and makes the elbow escape toward the side he is facing very difficult, as your knees are pinched tight and should feel very "heavy" with your weight on them, not him. It counters bridging to both sides - he can't go to the side he's facing, as your arm is posted out wide; he can't go to the other side, because all of your weight is going the opposite direction. It counters the "hydraulic" escape - where they place their hands on their hips and buck you off - because your feet are hooked underneath his butt.

The only decent option they have from this position is the elbow escape to the side they are facing, and you can counter that pretty easily with a cross-face. Actually, this escape attempt is what is going to set up your submissions from here, as you can attack that arm. Just make sure that while you begin to work your subs, go slow, and KEEP YOUR WEIGHT ALL THE WAY OVER TO THE SIDE. When you start seeing tears in the eyes of your partners every time you get mount, you know you're doing it right.

Try it out and see what you think!

Best,

Jeff

[pstevens]

I like to work off the side mount, because as any BJJ'er will tell you, mount is hard to maintain against a seasoned grappler. It's NOT unusual for beginners to get umpaed... That you even get to the mount is a feat in itself.

But here's what I've learned over the years what works for me.

1) Squeeze your knees into his pits and drop your dead weight on him.

2) Coil his legs "grapevine" if it gives you more leverage.

3) My favorite move: switch to a triple position as he tries to buck you off. You can get an unexpected armbar from here.

[squidd]

thank you mr. steven and mr. rockwell,

rockwell's solution somewhat broadens my horizons in that i always thought that one must always keep one's weight evenly distributed when on the top mount. i did not even think that there was the option of tripoding onto one side. i have not tried it yet and i will do and report what happens. but if you permit, i have a follow up question:

if i take rockwell's mounted position one hand on the floor, one hand behind opponent's neck, all my weight on the side of the hand on the floor... will that not make it easier for the opponent to escape to the other side?

my simple little mind tells me that if i have all the weight favoring one side, then there will be no resistance when the guy goes the other way. thus, my simple-minded belief that i must try to keep my weight balanced at all times.

many thanks guys. i have a feelin g that it will be a while though before all this information translates into results.

[pstevens]

rockwell's solution somewhat broadens my horizons in that i always thought that one must always keep one's weight evenly distributed when on the top mount. i did not even think that there was the option of tripoding onto one side. i have not tried it yet and i will do and report what happens. but if you permit, i have a follow up question:

if i take rockwell's mounted position one hand on the floor, one hand behind opponent's neck, all my weight on the side of the hand on the floor... will that not make it easier for the opponent to escape to the other side?

my simple little mind tells me that if i have all the weight favoring one side, then there will be no resistance when the guy goes the other way. thus, my simple-minded belief that i must try to keep my weight balanced at all times.

Actually, this idea is pretty common... I've used it myself on several occassions. Of course it will seem like you can get bucked in the opposite direction of your extended arm, but it's easier said than done — try it out.

You don't actually have all your weight shifted to one side. Your weight falls between your knees and the extended arm. Your weight becomes concentrated similarly like a camera "tripod."

But the most important thing to learn is not mount techniques, but the sensitivity to adjust to the other person. If you can do this, then holding ANY position becomes easier and more natural. Learn to adjust your position, weight and leverage according to your opponent's movements. Simply sitting in a mounted position has no value. If you pay close attention, you will notice seasoned veterans adjusting their position ever so slightly or feeling what the other person is doing. That is the key: Know what he intends to do, so that you can counter.

[J Rockwell]

"Your weight falls between your knees and the extended arm. Your weight becomes concentrated similarly like a camera "tripod.""

Exactly. Your weight is placed off-center of his body so that it becomes very difficult to bridge you the opposite direction. There is simply too much pressure. Even a small guy can keep a big guy down this way if his does it right.

"Simply sitting in a mounted position has no value. "

I agree with that as well, holding any position just to hold it is stalling at best - if the guy is good, you're setting yourself up for a sneaky reversal and once he gets on top - oh boy, he's NEVER gonna let you up.

On the other hand, the pressuring mount that I use is not stalling. When the guy on the bottom is clamping up tight and not giving me any openings to attack his neck or arms, this will force him to move. Not in the first 10 seconds...maybe not in the first 30 seconds. But after about a minute, this guy is gonna start doing whatever he can to get my shoulder out of his jaw cuz he feels like his head will explode. It's "cooking" my opponent...making him more and more uncomfortable until he finally opens up and gives me an opportunity to submit him by reaching with his arms, bridging, etc. Very effective, but not the nicest technique - I wouldn't recommend doing it to people that you're not sure will come back and train with you again. Enjoy!

Jeff