Ego Killer: Knee on Belly Position

By Corey Kuropas, September 01, 2016

The knee on belly position is what I refer to as the ego killer. While it may not hold the top of the positional hierarchy, it is still one of the best positions you can play. The knee on belly position puts your opponent in an uncomfortable state where they cannot stay and rest. If they try to rest, not only will they be in constant danger of being submitted, but they will feel the pain of carrying your entire weight essentially across their stomach. Continue reading to see why knee on belly works so well.

Submissions, submissions, submissions. If you are a true submission hunter, knee on belly could be the position to play. There are many high percentage, finishing submissions from knee on belly, especially if it is in the gi. Armbars, both near and far side and both ready for the hitting. Chokes, including baseball bat chokes, triangles and other collar chokes are quite standard from the position. The point being, is if you like to finish off your opponent, then knee on belly is for you.

The position is also great if you have a hard time holding side control. If you have trouble on holding standard side control against people due to their guard retention skills, then you need to start playing with the knee on belly position. People that have great shrimping and bridging can usually put their attack back into their guard if the attacker plays side control. Knee on belly is a great alternative. With the position, they can’t escape easy due to the top pressure and weight distribution. Stop the re-guard process by going here.

Another great reason to play knee on belly is because of the fact that, people rarely play there. Out of all the positions to play in Jiu Jitsu, knee on belly seems to get the least amount of love. But the position is as strong as any other side control position. It actually gives you more mobility then some other positions by being able to play the floating game. Which brings me to yet another reason to play it…

It works great on bigger, stronger opponents. Have you ever tried to play a strong position on someone that outweighs and out-strengths you? Usually what happens is that you will be benched pressed off. Even with correct pressure, bigger, stronger students can simply lift you off. Knee on belly has the edge on those people. From the position, you can almost surf on your opponent, and avoid the power game.

Don’t stress if you don’t know much of the position, because you can start to focus on it! You can master the knee on belly position and really start making your opponents pay on the mats. A resource text that I recommend to pick up is the two DVD set by Lucas Lepri simply called Knee on Belly.

Check out Lucas Lepri’s Knee on Belly DVD, and start killing those egos! (check link!)

Knee on Belly Attacks