BJJ Mount Escapes - The Essential Techniques
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How to Escape Mount in BJJ
The ability to effectively escape from mount is a foundational skill in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. When trapped under an opponent's mount, a practitioner is in one of the most vulnerable positions. To successfully escape, one must combine technique, timing, and leverage. Common techniques include the "upa" or bridge and roll, where the practitioner bridges their hips upward to off-balance the opponent, then rolls them over. Another is the elbow escape or "shrimp", where the practitioner creates space by sliding their hips away and recovering guard. Regardless of the method, the key is to stay calm, protect your neck and arms, and wait for the right moment to initiate the escape.
BJJ Escape from Mount Tactics
Escaping from mount requires not only physical technique but also a strategic mindset. Understand that the person on top will be working to maintain their dominant position, possibly seeking submissions. It's crucial to recognize their weight distribution and capitalize on any space or leverage points. Regularly drilling mount escapes is vital, ensuring that the practitioner can instinctively and fluidly transition between different escape techniques as the situation demands. Remember, in BJJ, efficiency and technique often outweigh brute strength, especially when escaping from compromised positions like the mount.
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Shrimp Escape –
This needs to be the first escape you need to master. It works as both a standard mount escape and as a preventive escape. If you feel like your opponent is going to pass to mount, a good, strong shrimp will prevent that. You can stay away from being put in that dominant position with the shrimp escape. But if you do get mounted, the shrimp will also work and will help you get back to guard, or at the very least, half guard. A perfected shrimp escape needs to be strong and has to have speed. Get this down with a lot of solo and partner drilling, and you’ll never get mounted. The importance of the shrimping cannot be understated. Check out this video below with 5x black belt world champion, Bernardo Faria on the biggest mistakes while shrimping. Do you make any of these mistakes?
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Upa Escape –
This is probably the most popular mount escape. This is a day one white belt escape that will work from your first day on the mat to when you become a high ranking Jiu Jitsu player. This works due to the fundamental principles of Jiu Jitsu. You break an opponent’s posture, control an arm, and with a powerful bridge, can roll your advisory over and get on top. The upa escape needs to be finished with a big bridging motion. Practice the motion over and over, just as the shrimp, both solo and with a partner. This will be the escape you will use when your opponent has settled into mount.
Hydraulic Escape –
While this is also another basic escape, this is one that you should play around with, but only after perfecting the shrimp and upa escapes. This escape makes use of a solid frame with the arms, but once again, makes use of the bridge. Just as with the upa, you need to have a strong bridge to get your opponent up in the air, and then you can use your arms to make the frame. Once the opponent is up, you can hit a sweep, or can go to your choice of x guard or deep half. This escape can save you in a mount situation, so it is important to have it in your back pocket.
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There are many more mount escapes out there. But these three are essential to a solid understanding and use of Jiu Jitsu. You might barely use the three, you might only use one of these. But you have these escapes if you need them. Speaking of learning essential escapes…
If you are doing well with positional escapes but having trouble getting out of submissions, you are in luck. Tom DeBlass just released his new DVD all about submissions escapes. Positional escapes are not nearly as risky as submission escapes. When escaping a submission, all of the details have to be perfect because you can risk injury.
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