Knee on Belly

What it is

Knee on belly is the position where your shin sits across your opponent's belly with the other leg posted wide for balance. It is a mobile pressure position: miserable to hold still under, so it forces reactions, and those reactions feed your submissions and your mount entries. It scores 2 points in competition.

What you want from here

• On top: move here from side control to make them react, then take mount, the back or an armbar when they push.
• On top: when the bottom player is framing well in side control and you want to change the angle of pressure.
• On bottom: frame on the knee and the hip, shrimp away, and recover guard before they settle.
• On bottom: never push the knee with straight arms; it is the arm they want.

Key details

• Shin across the belly, foot hooked by their hip, knee close to their ribs. Your weight is on the knee, not the foot.
• Other leg posted wide, foot on the mat, so you can move with them when they turn.
• Grip the collar or the shoulder and the trousers or the hip, pulling them up into your knee.
• Stay tall and light on the posted foot. If they move, float and follow; do not sit down on them.
• On bottom, get to your side, frame the knee and the hip, and make space with the hips, not the arms.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: putting your foot on the mat on the belly side. Your weight leaves them and they recover guard.
• Mistake: leaning your head over them with your base narrow. They bridge and you are rolled.
• Mistake: on the bottom, pushing the knee off with both arms. They float over the push and take the far armbar.

How it is escaped or passed

• Frame and shrimp away, then turn in and recover guard.
• Turning in toward their knee and getting to the knees (turtle) when they are light.
• Bridging into them when they lean over and their posted leg is narrow.