Mount escapes
Learn the two main ways out from under mount: the elbow escape and the upa. You will also learn how to choose between them by reading the top player's weight.
Survive before you escape
Mount: the top player sits on your chest or hips. It is one of the worst places to be on the bottom.
Before any escape, get your survival posture: elbows in, hands protecting your collar, chin down.
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You are on the bottom with your elbows in and your hands up by your collar. Survival Posture in the library ›
The elbow escape
The elbow escape is also called the shrimp escape. You make space with your hips and put a knee back between you.
- Get your survival posture.
- Put your elbow and forearm on their hip as a frame.
- Shrimp: move your hips away from the frame.
- Slide your knee in across their thigh and catch one leg.
- You are in half guard: one of their legs is between yours.
- Frame and shrimp to the other side to get full guard.
If they climb to high mount, with their knees in your armpits, your elbows cannot reach their hips. Bridge first to bring them back down.
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In high mount their knees climb up near your armpits. High Mount in the library ›
The upa
The upa is also called the bridge and roll. You roll them over your shoulder and land on top, in their guard.
- Trap one of their arms against your chest.
- Trap the foot on the same side with your foot.
- Bridge up and over that shoulder.
- Land in their closed guard and posture up right away.
Their right hand is posted on the mat by your head. Their left hand holds your collar. You trap their left arm and their left foot, then bridge over their left shoulder.
Choose by their weight
| What you see | Best choice |
|---|---|
| Weight forward, a hand posted above your head | Upa |
| Weight low on your hips, hands posted wide | Elbow escape |
| Sitting tall with no grips | Bridge so they post a hand, then choose |
| Knees climbing toward your armpits | Bridge now to bring them back down |
The two escapes work together. When one is stopped, the other is often open.
You start an elbow escape. To stop it, they drop their chest and wrap an arm under your head. Their weight is now forward. You hug that arm, trap the foot on that side, and upa.
Which of these tells you the upa is a good choice?
Keep going after you escape
The elbow escape usually lands in half guard first. Flat half guard gets passed, so do not rest there.
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On your side, facing them, with your arm under their arm. Underhook in the library ›
- Turn onto your side, facing them.
- Frame on their shoulder or hip.
- Win the underhook: your arm goes under their arm.
- Recover full guard, or sweep.
After the upa you are in their closed guard. Posture first: head up, back straight, hands on their hips.
Common mistakes
- Bridging with no arm trapped. They post the free hand.
- Trapping the arm but not the foot. They post the free foot wide.
- Bridging straight up. The bridge must go over the trapped shoulder.
- Shrimping with no frame. Their hips follow you.
- Turning onto your belly. This gives them your back.
Train it on the Path
Reading is the first step. The Mount escapes unit has 5 short lessons: you see a position and pick the best move.
Mount escapes is part of the Blue belt, included in Rolla Plus. Start free with Foundations and the white belt.