Knee on belly escapes
Learn three ways out from under knee on belly. Every escape starts the same way: get off your back and onto your side.
Get onto your side
Knee on belly: the top player puts one knee across your stomach and posts the other foot wide. They are high up and heavy.
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One knee is across your stomach and the other foot is posted wide. Knee on Belly in the library ›
Flat on your back, you carry all of their weight. On your side, the knee slides off and your hips can move.
Push the knee and shrimp
- Near hand on the knee, elbow bent. Far elbow tight to your ribs.
- Turn onto your side, toward them.
- Shrimp: move your hips away from them.
- Slide your near knee in under their shin.
- Put your feet on their hips. You are back in guard.
The running escape
Use it when the knee is heavy and you cannot get your near hand to it.
- Cover your head with your top arm. Keep your bottom elbow tight.
- Turn away onto your side, knees drawn up.
- Tuck your hips so the knee slides off.
- Turn back in and recover guard.
They hold both your collars and the knee is heavy. You cannot reach the knee. You cover your head, turn away onto your side and tuck your hips. The knee slides off.
Turn in for the leg
When they are light on the knee and their posted foot is close, turn in. Duck under the knee and wrap the posted leg with both arms.
Come up to your knees with your head tight to their hip. Drive forward and finish it like a single leg takedown.
Which picture tells you to turn in for the leg?
Move when they move
Knee on belly needs weight on the knee. Every time they move, that weight lifts for a moment.
- They switch the knee to the other side.
- They slide the knee across toward mount.
- They stand up to reset.
- They drop back to side control.
Move in that moment. If you wait until the knee lands again, the chance is gone.
You push the knee and shrimp, but they follow you and drop into side control. You frame on the neck and hip, shrimp again and bring the knee in. See Side control escapes.
Common mistakes
- Pushing the knee with a straight far arm.
- Turning flat onto your belly with your arms reaching forward.
- Bridging straight up into the knee.
- Lying flat and pulling their collar with both hands.
- Pushing the knee but staying flat on your back.
- Waiting until the knee lands on the other side before you move.
Train it on the Path
Reading is the first step. The Knee on belly escapes unit has 5 short lessons: you see a position and pick the best move.
Knee on belly escapes is part of the Blue belt, included in Rolla Plus. Start free with Foundations and the white belt.