Issue 062

May 2010

The Low and High Mount

In jiu-jitsu there is no middle mount. The low mount should be anchored by grapevines or crossed feet, with the knees slightly floating so as to apply the most weight possible. The hands should be spread wide to steady the base and to stop the bottom man from trapping them when attempting the bridge out.  

When in high mount you should be sat on the ribcage and the knees should not pass the bottom man’s shoulders. The feet should be pinched tightly against the torso, receiving feedback from the hips.  

Sitting in the middle and wailing away is for school playground fights. If you’re sat on the belly then you’re exactly where the bottom man needs you to be in order to escape. Maintaining control yet still being able to strike requires you to always maintain one hand ready for balance, or to tie off the bottom man’s defenses, leaving the other arm free to go to work.  

1 Pete is pinning Ryan in the low mount. He is stretching Ryan out with the grapevines (Pete’s legs entangled around Ryan’s), and has based out wide with his open palms in order to counter the bridge. Ryan is guarding his head but his elbows are in tight, blocking Pete from getting to the high mount.  

2 Keeping his weight on Ryan’s hips, Pete raises his torso, ready to strike with one hand – the other still based out wide.

3 Pete drops his body as he punches, adding weight to the strike. 

4 Pete peels Ryan’s spine off line by reaching around the top of his head and gripping over Ryan’s defending arms. As Pete pulls Ryan’s head to one side he inhibits Ryan’s ability to bridge and exposes a small window to deliver a punch to the jaw. 

5 If Ryan bucks his hips and tries to bridge, Pete can easily return his hand to a wide base. If Pete was to headlock Ryan, committing his hand beneath Ryan’s neck, his base would be sacrificed and he’d be too close to punch effectively. 

6 Only now that Pete has brought Ryan’s defenses up high does he slide up to high mount. Pete slides his knees parallel with Ryan’s shoulders. Any further and he runs the risk of giving away a ‘back door’ escape.

7 From here Pete is free to pick his shots, striking with one hand, ready to base out with the other, reacting to Ryan’s movement from the bottom. 

8 Pete can throw hooks around the sides, encouraging Ryan to cover sides at the expense of opening up the center line. He throws an overhand, turning the fist over to ‘post the letter’, fitting through the gap in Ryan’s guard.  

9 When Ryan reacts to the overhand by closing his shields (squeezing his elbows together) Pete can collect the arms as if he was attempting an armlock. 

10 Pete drops his weight down with an elbow strike across the forehead, looking to concuss or cut Ryan.  

Splitting the Shields 

1 Ryan has locked his shields together, trying to ride out the storm and await the right moment to escape. Pete is free to throw hooks but doesn’t want to waste energy by throwing less-effective strikes. 

2 Pete makes a knife with one hand, straightening out the fingers and placing the ridge of his hand between Ryan’s elbows. 

3 When he pushes down he can lever the arms apart with his elbow, exposing the chin, nose and forehead.