02/12/2015 - Teaching | Women's Class | Take the Back from Mount

Teaching #431
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 02/12/2015

Technical mount is useful for maintaining your mount, as per the drill we regularly do where you pull the elbow back up. It also enables you to take the back, with Galvao's method. Simply drop back from technical mount, rolling them over the knee you have near their head. The foot you had by their hip becomes your first hook, so you just need to bring the second hook over. Cut your knee underneath them to help facilitate that back position.

The same kind of motion works as a method of retaking the back if you lose one hook, so it has some versatility. In the context of retaking the back, the time to use this is before they get their shoulders to the mat. They've managed to clear one of your hooks and started bringing their hips over. Before they can get their shoulders to the mat, press your chest into their shoulder and roll them onto their side, in the direction they were escaping. You'll probably need to balance on your shoulder and head to get into the right position.

As they have cleared one of your legs, you should be able to then slide that knee behind their head (you might need to post on an arm, but see if you can do it without releasing your seatbelt grip). Sit back and roll them over your knee, then re-establish your second hook. You can keep doing that from side to side as a drill.

You can also take their back after moving to a really high mount. The first option from here tends to be an armbar, as getting their arms worked up high normally forces the arms to cross over the head/neck. If they have managed to position their arm in such a way that you can't get a good grip, swing your torso around so that your ribs are pressing against their forearm. That wedge means you can now walk sideways on your toes to roll them and take the back.

You could go all the way until they end up flat on their belly, for what is arguably the most dominant position in BJJ, full back mount. However, if you do that, I'd recommend getting an arm under their neck before you fully roll them over, as it can be irritating to dig your hand in once they are completely flat (after all, there is a reason judoka treat that paradoxically as a defensive position, used to stall for a few seconds in competition so they get stood back up).

My preference is to instead walk them just far enough to get them up on their side. From there, I can then move into technical mount. At that point you can then go for the back take from earlier, or you have the numerous attacking options, like chokes, armbars etc.
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Teaching Notes: Catching up on write-ups and I can't remember anything in particular about this one. Most of the women's classes run in a fairly regular pattern, except that I will often add in techniques depending on what people ask for. The relaxed atmosphere is always nice. The mixed classes are relaxed too, of course, but it's especially relaxed upstairs on Wednesday, extending to the structure. :)