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| Mount | |
|---|---|
 The mounted position is considered one of the most dominantgrappling positions. | |
| Classification | Position |
| Style | Judo,Jiu-Jitsu |
| AKA | full mount |
| Child hold(s) | high mount, low mount, S-mount, knee mount, reverse mount,tate shiho gatame |
Themount, ormounted position, is adominant ground grappling position, where one combatant sits on the other combatantstorso (usually lower) with the face pointing towards the opponent's head. This is a favorable position for the top combatant in several ways. The top combatant can generate considerable momentum forstrikes (such aspunches orelbows) to the head of the opponent, while the bottom combatant is restricted by the ground and by the combatant on top. Other advantages include variouschokeholds andjoint locks that can be applied from the top. The bottom combatant will usually look tosweep the opponent ortransition into a better position such as theguard.
A mount which is very high up on the opponent'schest is referred to as ahigh mount, and a very low one on theabdomen or eventhighs as alow mount. A high mount can be used to pin one of the opponents arms under the knee, so as to prevent him or her from defending effectively. This however might increase the risk of the opponent being able toescape the back door, in which he or she is able to move under the opponent and escape the mount. A too low mount on the other hand will result in the opponent being able to sit up, and possibly reverse the position into anopen guard with him or her on top. Another variation of the mount is the unusualreverse mount, in which the top combatant's face is towards the legs of the opponent. Such a position can be used totransition into variousleglocks. There is also the S-Mount where one knee slides next to the opponent's head while the other leg is curled under the opponent's armpit (for the legs to form an S) which adds additional pressure to opponent's ribcage and can be used to set up more advanced chokes and arm locks.
For those sports that allowstriking from the mounted position, such asmixed martial arts, the most common strikes arepunches to the face and head. Elbow strikes are also commonly used, and knee strikes are sometimes seen. In addition to punching the head, strikes to the ribs and chest can also be difficult to defend and thus effective.
The mounted position is ideal for applying a variety ofarmlocks. By trapping the opponent's arm against the ground, the combatant in mount can easily apply akeylock, known injudo asude-garami and inBJJ as eitherKimura (medial keylock) orAmericana (lateral keylock). If the bottom combatant attempts to push the top one off by extending one or both arms and pushing, the opponent cantransition into ajuji-gatame armbar.
Manychokes, especiallycollar chokes, are also available from the mounted position. Such chokes are generally limited to sporting contestants who wear agi or, in real-life combat, opponents wearing thick jackets, which provide a collar as an aid to choking, but attempting them at a gi-less situation can be successful if the performer manages to hold his opponent.
Other submissions such as theTriangle Choke,Arm Triangle and theGogoplata can be used from the mount but are less common.
Pinning holds inbudō from the mount includetate shiho gatame (縦四方固, "horizontal four quarters hold", also calledhon-tate-shiho-gatame,[1] 本縦四方固), which is similar tokata-gatame except that it is performed from the mount. The opponent's arm is pinned against his or her neck, and the head and arm are held tightly. This may result in a potentarm triangle choke. In its variationskuzure-tate-shiho-gatame (崩縦四方固, "modified horizontal four quarters hold"), the arm is not held against the neck, but rather, one of the arms may be held. The stability of these pinning holds or the mount in general, can be increased by entangling the opponents legs with the own legs, a technique known asgrapevining.
It is critical for the bottom practitioner to be able to defend a mount by an opponent. Typical escapes include theback door escape (escaping by moving under the opponent) orbridging (also called theupa escape; escaping by thrusting thehips upwards and to the side). For the bridging escape, also known as the Bridge and Roll Escape, to be successful, the practitioner typically must trap the arm and perhaps also block the foot of the opponent on top on the side to which the practitioner wants to roll prior to or during the bridge and roll movement. This prevents the opponent from posting to stop the roll.[2] An alternative also commonly used is theelbow escape, also referred to as theshrimp orshrimping, this involves using theelbows orhands to create space in between the opponent and the practitioner so that the practitioner can work one leg, then the other in between himself and his opponent, hence obtaining thehalf guard, orfull guard. Another option for the defending practitioner is to rotate the body so that the face points downwards. This will however place the practitioner in a very disadvantageous position, defending theback mount, but it is possible to escape while turning, if the opponent has not yet stabilized the position. By simultaneouslyescaping the back door, or by standing up in an attempt to dislodge the opponent, a practitioner may successfully escape. Still another technique is for the defending practitioner tosweep his opponent, thereby moving from a defensive position to neutral one, or in a best-case scenario a dominant position.
