The
mount or
mounted position is a dominant ground grappling position, where one combatant sits on the other combatants
torsoTorso is an anatomical term for the central part of the many animal bodies from which extend the neck and limbs. It is sometimes referred to as the trunk. The torso includes the thorax and abdomen.-Major organs:...
with the face pointing towards the opponent's head. This is very favourable for the top combatant in several ways. The top combatant can generate considerable momentum for
strikesA strike is an attack with an inanimate object, such as a weapon, or with a part of the human body intended to cause an effect upon an opponent or to simply cause harm to an opponent. There are many different varieties of strikes...
such as
punchesA punch is a striking blow with the fist. It is used in some martial arts and combat sports, most notably boxing where it is the only type of technique allowed. In sports hand wraps or other padding such as gloves may be employed to protect athletes and practitioners from injuring themselves. The...
or
elbowsAn elbow strike is a strike with the point of the elbow, the part of the forearm nearest to the elbow, or the part of the upper arm nearest to the elbow. Elbows can be thrown sideways similarly to a hook, upwards similarly to an uppercut, or downwards with the point of the elbow.Elbowing is a...
to the head of the opponent, while the bottom combatant is restricted by the ground and by the combatant on top.
The
mount or
mounted position is a dominant ground grappling position, where one combatant sits on the other combatants
torsoTorso is an anatomical term for the central part of the many animal bodies from which extend the neck and limbs. It is sometimes referred to as the trunk. The torso includes the thorax and abdomen.-Major organs:...
with the face pointing towards the opponent's head. This is very favourable for the top combatant in several ways. The top combatant can generate considerable momentum for
strikesA strike is an attack with an inanimate object, such as a weapon, or with a part of the human body intended to cause an effect upon an opponent or to simply cause harm to an opponent. There are many different varieties of strikes...
such as
punchesA punch is a striking blow with the fist. It is used in some martial arts and combat sports, most notably boxing where it is the only type of technique allowed. In sports hand wraps or other padding such as gloves may be employed to protect athletes and practitioners from injuring themselves. The...
or
elbowsAn elbow strike is a strike with the point of the elbow, the part of the forearm nearest to the elbow, or the part of the upper arm nearest to the elbow. Elbows can be thrown sideways similarly to a hook, upwards similarly to an uppercut, or downwards with the point of the elbow.Elbowing is a...
to the head of the opponent, while the bottom combatant is restricted by the ground and by the combatant on top. Another advantage are various
chokeholdA Chokehold is a grappling hold that strangles the opponent, and may lead to unconsciousness or even death. Chokeholds are used in martial arts, combat sports, self-defense, law enforcement and in military hand to hand combat applications...
s and
joint lockA Joint lock is a grappling technique involving manipulation of an opponent's joints in such a way that the joints reach their maximal degree of motion....
s which can be applied from the top, while such holds are not feasible from the bottom. The top priority for the bottom combatant is to sweep the opponent or
transitionA transition in grappling is a move from one grappling hold or grappling position to another. The process is called transitioning and is one of the most important aspects of ground grappling, as it allows the combatant performing the transition to advance in positioning, for instance by using a...
into a better position such as the
guardThe guard is a ground grappling position where one combatant has their back to the ground, while holding the other combatant using the legs...
.
Variations of the mount
A mount which is very high up on the opponent's
chestThe chest is a part of the anatomy of humans and various other animals sometimes referred to as the thorax.-Chest anatomy - Humans and other hominids:...
is referred to as a
high mount, and a very low one on the
abdomenIn vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
or even
thighIn humans the thigh is the area between the pelvis and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb.The single bone in the thigh is called the femur...
s as a
low mount. A high mount can be used to pin one of the opponents arms under the knee, so as to prevent him or her from defending effectively. This however might increase the risk of the opponent being able to
escape the back door, in which he or she is able to move under the opponent and escape the mount. A too low mount on the other hand will result in the opponent being able to sit up, and possibly reverse the position into an open guard with him or her on top. Another variation of the mount is the unusual
reverse mount, in which the top combatant's face is towards the legs of the opponent. Such a position can be used to
transitionA transition in grappling is a move from one grappling hold or grappling position to another. The process is called transitioning and is one of the most important aspects of ground grappling, as it allows the combatant performing the transition to advance in positioning, for instance by using a...
into various leglocks. There is also the S-Mount where one knee slides next to the opponent's head while the other leg is curled under the opponent's armpit (for the legs to form an S) which adds additional pressure to opponent's ribcage.
Strikes from the mount
For those sports that allow
strikingA strike is an attack with an inanimate object, such as a weapon, or with a part of the human body intended to cause an effect upon an opponent or to simply cause harm to an opponent. There are many different varieties of strikes...
from the mounted position, such as
mixed martial artsMixed martial arts is a full contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques, from a mixture of martial arts traditions and non-traditions, to be used in competitions. The rules allow the use of striking and grappling techniques, both while standing and on the ground...
, the most common strikes are
punchesA punch is a striking blow with the fist. It is used in some martial arts and combat sports, most notably boxing where it is the only type of technique allowed. In sports hand wraps or other padding such as gloves may be employed to protect athletes and practitioners from injuring themselves. The...
to the face and head. Elbow strikes are also commonly used, and knee strikes are sometimes seen. In addition to punching the head, strikes to the ribs and chest can also be difficult to defend and thus effective.
Submissions from the mount
The mounted position is ideal for applying a variety of
armlockAn Armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint and/or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyperflexes or hyperrotates the shoulder joint is referred to as a shoulder lock, and an armlock that hyperextends the elbow joint is called...
s. By trapping the opponent's arm against the ground, the combatant in mount can easily apply a keylock, known in
judo, meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century...
as
ude-garami and in
BJJBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on grappling but especially ground fighting. It was derived from the Japanese martial art of Kodokan Judo in the early 20th century, which was itself then a recently-developed system , based on multiple schools of Japanese...
as either
Kimura (medial keylock) or
Americana (lateral keylock). If the bottom combatant attempts to push the top one off by extending one or both arms and pushing, the opponent can
transitionA transition in grappling is a move from one grappling hold or grappling position to another. The process is called transitioning and is one of the most important aspects of ground grappling, as it allows the combatant performing the transition to advance in positioning, for instance by using a...
into a juji-gatame armbar.
Many
chokesA Chokehold is a grappling hold that strangles the opponent, and may lead to unconsciousness or even death. Chokeholds are used in martial arts, combat sports, self-defense, law enforcement and in military hand to hand combat applications...
, especially
collar chokesis one of the twelve constriction techniques of Kodokan Judo in the Shime-waza list.Also known as Gyakujujijime,Danzan Ryu includes this technique in theShimete list under the name Namijujijime.- Technique description : from third party Website....
, are also available from the mounted position. Such chokes are generally limited to sporting contestants who wear a
judogiJudogi is the formal Japanese name for the traditional uniform used for Judo practice and competition. It is actually derived from traditional articles of Japanese clothing. Most likely Jigoro Kano derived the original judogi from the kimono and other Japanese garments around the turn of the 20th...
or opponents wearing thick jackets, which provide a collar as an aid to choking.
Other submissions such as the
Triangle ChokeA Triangle choke is a type of figure-four chokehold which strangles the opponent by encircling the opponent's neck and one arm with the legs in a configuration similar to the shape of a triangle...
, Arm Triangle and the
GogoplataA gogoplata is a type of chokehold also called Kagato-Jime in Judo, that is used in grappling and was popularised by practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.-Execution:...
can be used from the mount but as less common
Pinning holds from the mount
Pinning holds in
budois a Japanese term describing martial arts. In English, it is used almost exclusively in reference to Japanese martial arts.-Etymology:Budō is a compound of the root bu , meaning war or martial; and dō , meaning path or way. Specifically, dō is derived from the Buddhist Sanskrit mārga...
from the mount include
tate shiho gatame (縦四方固, "horizontal four quarters hold", also called
hon-tate-shiho-gatame, 本縦四方固), which is similar to kata-gatame except that it is performed from the mount. The opponent's arm is pinned against his or her neck, and the head and arm are held tightly. This may result in a potent
arm triangle chokeArm triangle choke is a generic term describing blood chokeholds in which the opponent is strangled in between his or her own shoulder and the performer's arm. This is as opposed to the regular triangle choke, which denotes a chokehold using the legs, albeit with a similar mechanism of...
. In its variations
kuzure-tate-shiho-gatame (崩縦四方固, "modified horizontal four quarters hold"), the arm is not held against the neck, but rather, one of the arms may be held. The stability of these pinning holds or the mount in general, can be increased by entangling the opponents legs with the own legs, a technique known as
grapevining.
Defending from the bottom
It is critical for the bottom combatant to be able to defend a mount by an opponent. Typical escapes include the
back door escape (escaping by moving under the opponent),
bridgingThe bridge is a grappling move done from a supine position .It involves lifting the pelvis off the ground so that the body weight is supported on the shoulders at one end and on the feet at the other...
(also called the
upa escape; escaping by thrusting the hips upwards and to the side), and the
elbow escape, where the elbows or
handThe hands are the two intricate, prehensile, multi-fingered body parts normally located at the end of each arm of a primate. They are the chief organs for physically manipulating the environment, used for both gross motor skills and fine motor skills...
s are used create space in between the combatants so that the bottom combatant can pull a leg or two out, and hence obtain the
half guardHalf guard or alternatively half mount is a ground grappling position where one combatant is lying on the other, with the bottom combatant having one leg entangled. Sometimes the bottom combatant is said to be in half guard, while the top combatant is in a half mount respectively. The half guard is...
or full guard. Another option for the bottom combatant is to rotate the body so that the face points downwards. This will put them in a very disadvantageous
back mountBack mount or rear mount is a dominant ground grappling position where one combatant is behind the other in such a way that he or she is controlling the combatant in front. Typically, the combatant in the inferior position is lying face-down, while the other combatant is sitting or lying on top...
, but it is possible to escape while turning when the opponent has not yet stabilized the position. This can be done by simultaneously
escaping the back door, or by standing up in an attempt to wiggle the opponent off.
See also
- Back mount
Back mount or rear mount is a dominant ground grappling position where one combatant is behind the other in such a way that he or she is controlling the combatant in front. Typically, the combatant in the inferior position is lying face-down, while the other combatant is sitting or lying on top...
- Guard
The guard is a ground grappling position where one combatant has their back to the ground, while holding the other combatant using the legs...
- Half guard
Half guard or alternatively half mount is a ground grappling position where one combatant is lying on the other, with the bottom combatant having one leg entangled. Sometimes the bottom combatant is said to be in half guard, while the top combatant is in a half mount respectively. The half guard is...
- Knee-on-stomach
Knee-on-stomach is a dominant ground grappling position where the top combatant places a knee on the bottom combatants torso, and usually extends the other leg to the side for balance...
- North-south position
The north-south position is a ground grappling position where one combatant is supine, with the other combatant invertedly lying prone on top, normally with his or her head over the bottom combatant's chest...
- Side control
Side control is a dominant ground grappling position where the top combatant is lying perpendicularly over the face-up bottom combatant in such a way that the legs are free and he or she exerts considerable control over the combatant on the bottom...
External links