Mount Bottom

Mount Bottom is a defensive position in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu where a practitioner is underneath an opponent who is controlling them from the Mount position. The practitioner on bottom must focus on survival, maintaining posture, and executing escapes, as this is a dominant position for the opponent.

Key Characteristics

  • The opponent's hips are positioned over your torso, often with their knees pinched against your sides for control.
  • Your arms and neck are vulnerable to attacks like chokes and joint locks.
  • Your mobility is restricted, making Frames, Hip Movement, and Leverage crucial for escaping.

Goals from Mount Bottom

Survival

  • Protect your neck, arms, and chest to avoid submissions like the Armbar, Americana, or Cross Collar Choke.
  • Avoid exposing your back by turning improperly or panicking.

Create Space

  • Use Frames and Hip Movement to push your opponent’s weight off-center.
  • Generate space between your torso and their hips to prepare for escapes.

Escape the Position

  • Transition to a neutral or offensive position, such as recovering Guard or sweeping your opponent.

Escapes from Mount Bottom

Bridge and Roll Escape

  • Trap one of the opponent’s arms and the leg on the same side using your grips.
  • Explosively bridge your hips to off-balance them and roll them over into Mount or Side Control.

Shrimp Escape

  • Frame against their hips or chest to create space.
  • Use Hip Movement to slide your hips out and recover Guard.

Underhook Escape

  • Frame against their chest to lift them slightly.
  • Underhook one of their legs and slide out to a side control escape or Half Guard.

Knee Elbow Escape

Common Mistakes in Mount Bottom

Flailing Arms

  • Extending your arms too far to push your opponent leaves you vulnerable to submissions like the Armbar or Americana.

Panicking

  • Rolling randomly or turning your back will expose you to Back Control or transitions to S-Mount.

Flat Back

Important Defensive Concepts

Frames

  • Use your forearms and hands to keep the opponent's weight off your chest and create angles for escape.

Leverage

  • Focus on using your hips to shift the opponent's center of gravity off-center.

Breathing

  • Stay calm and control your breathing to avoid exhaustion and panic.
Tip

Mount Bottom is one of the most challenging positions in BJJ, but it offers opportunities to practice fundamental concepts like Frames, Hip Movement, and Problem Solving under pressure. Focusing on efficient escapes is key to improving your defense.

Advancing Mount Bottom

Transitions from Mount Bottom

Guard Recovery

Roll to Turtle Guard

  • Frame against the opponent’s hips, bridge explosively, and transition to Turtle Guard as they lose balance.

Submissions from Mount Bottom

Ude Gatame (Armlock Counter)

  • If your opponent reaches too far with their arms, you can trap one arm and use a straight armlock to counter their control.

Guillotine (During Escape)

  • As you recover Guard or come up during an escape, trap the opponent’s neck and finish a Guillotine choke.

Wrist Lock

  • If your opponent posts their hands carelessly on your chest, you can secure a Wrist Lock by trapping their hand and applying pressure.

Sweeps from Mount Bottom

Bridge and Roll

  • Trap an arm and a leg on one side of the opponent’s body, bridge explosively, and roll them over to Mount or Side Control.

Elbow Push Sweep

  • Use an elbow to push their knee as they transition to S-Mount, reversing the position and landing in their Guard or on top.

Knee Bump Sweep

  • During an escape attempt, bump the opponent's knee to destabilize their base, creating an opportunity to roll them.

Passes into Mount Bottom Escapes

Knee Elbow Escape Shrimp your hips while pushing their knee with your elbow, sliding your leg through to recover Half Guard or Open Guard.

Underhook and Spin

Bridge and Frame

  • Use explosive Hip Movement to lift their weight off you, recover space, and escape to Guard.

Escapes from Mount Bottom

Bridge and Roll Escape

  • Trap the arm and leg on one side and bridge hard, rolling them into Mount or Side Control.

Shrimp Escape

Knee Elbow Escape

  • Push their knee down with your elbow while creating space with your hips, sliding out to recover Half Guard.

Butterfly Guard Escape

Takedowns from Mount Bottom Recovery

Single Leg Takedown

  • If you escape to Turtle Guard, grab a single leg and drive into the opponent to take them down.

Double Leg Takedown

  • From a scramble during an escape, shoot for a double leg to reverse the position and establish control.

Trip and Roll Takedown

  • During a transitional scramble, grab a leg and drive the opponent over for a trip takedown.

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