21/01/2015 - Teaching | Women's Class | Maintaining Low Mount

Teaching #264
Artemis BJJ (Bristol Sports Centre), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 21/01/2015

There are two basic types of mount to choose from, which I 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: Small class today, so I ended up spending more time teaching the triangle from guard, as one of the students requested it after we'd run through the low mount. Lots of details on that triangle, like making the space between the legs smaller, the usual points on angling off, the kick and clamp, etc. So, depending on who shows up to the triangle lesson I have planned in a few weeks, I may modify the content. Perhaps make it more of a triangle to armbar to omoplata class? Various things I could do.