Mount (grappling)
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The mount or mounted position is a dominant ground grappling position position, where one combatant sits on the other combatants torso 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 strikes such as punches or elbows 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 chokeholds and joint locks which can be applied from the top, while such holds are not feasible from the bottom. It is top priority for the bottom combatant is to sweep the opponent or transition into a better position such as the guard.
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[edit] Variations of the mount
A mount which is very high up on the opponent's chest is referred to as a high mount, and a very low one on the abdomen or even thighs 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 transition into various leglocks.
[edit] Attacks from the mount
[edit] Strikes from the mount
For those sports that allow striking from the mounted position, such as MMA, the most common strikes are punches 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.
[edit] Submissions from the mount
The mounted position is ideal for applying a variety of armlocks. By trapping the opponent's arm against the ground, the combatant in mount can easily apply a keylock, known in judo as ude-garami and in BJJ 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 transition into a juji-gatame armbar.
Many chokes, especially collar chokes, are also available from the mounted position. Such chokes are generally used only by sporting contestants who wear a judogi or similar clothing, which provide a collar as an aid to choking. A front choke (sometimes loosely and inaccurately called a rape choke) is not an effective choke against a trained combatant, since it is easily defeated even by a person under mount unless the attacker is significantly larger and stronger than his (or her) opponent.
[edit] Pinning holds from the mount
Pinning holds in budo from the mount include tate-shiho-gatame (縦四方固, "horizontal four quarters hold", also called hon-tate-shiho-gatame[1], 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 choke. 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.
[edit] 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), bridging (also called the upa escape; escaping by thrusting the hips upwards and to the side), and the elbow escape, where the elbows or hands 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 guard 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 mount, 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.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Gracie; Renzo, Gracie, Royler; Peligro, Kid; Danaher, John (2001). Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and technique. Invisible Cities Press. ISBN 1-931229-08-2.
- Løvstad, Jakob. The Mixed Martial Arts Primer. www.idi.ntnu.no. URL last accessed March 6, 2006. (DOC format)
- Page, Nicky. Groundfighting 101. homepage.ntlworld.com. URL last accessed March 4, 2006.
