What Is Mount in BJJ?

Why Mount Is the King of Positions

In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, position matters before submission. Among all positions, mount sits at the top of the hierarchy. When you achieve mount, you are sitting on top of your opponent's torso with your knees on the mat beside their hips or ribs. Gravity works entirely in your favor, your opponent carries your weight, and you have both hands free to attack while they struggle to escape.

Mount is worth 4 points in IBJJF competition, tied with back control as the highest-scoring position. This scoring reflects the reality of combat: a mounted opponent in a self-defense scenario has an overwhelming advantage. The person on bottom cannot generate effective offense and must dedicate all their energy to getting out.

Mount Variations

Mount is not a single position but a family of related positions, each with different tactical advantages:

• Low mount - You sit with your hips low on your opponent's abdomen, knees squeezed tight to their sides. This is the most stable mount variation and the hardest for your opponent to escape. It is the standard mount taught to beginners and the position you want to establish first.
• High mount - You walk your knees up toward your opponent's shoulders, placing your weight on their chest or even above their shoulders. High mount opens up more submission opportunities, particularly armbars and triangle chokes, but it requires better balance because your base is narrower.
• S-mount - A technical variation where you slide one leg under your opponent's head while the other foot is planted near their hip, creating an S shape with your legs. This is a powerful attacking position for armbars and is commonly used at higher belt levels.
• Technical mount - Sometimes called modified mount, you shift one knee beside your opponent's head and the other foot on the ground near their hip. This is often used as a transition between mount and back control, or to set up specific chokes.
• Mounted crucifix - You trap one of your opponent's arms with your legs while controlling the other arm, leaving them completely defenseless. This is a devastating position for strikes in MMA and for chokes in BJJ.

Attacks from Mount

Mount gives you access to the widest variety of submissions in BJJ. The top player can attack the neck, both arms, and use combinations that chain together multiple threats:

• Cross collar choke - In Gi Jiu-Jitsu, this is the most fundamental mount attack. You grip the collar on both sides and apply pressure to the carotid arteries. Many people tap to this submission within seconds.
• Americana (keylock) - A shoulder lock where you control your opponent's wrist and elbow, painting their arm to the mat in a figure-four grip. This is often the first submission beginners learn from mount.
• Armbar - From high mount, you can transition into an armbar by swinging your leg over your opponent's face and extending their arm against your hips.
• Triangle choke - From high mount, you can step one foot over your opponent's shoulder and drop back into a mounted triangle, a difficult-to-escape variation of this classic choke.
• Ezekiel choke - A sneaky choke that uses the sleeve of your own Gi (or your forearm in No-Gi) to wrap around your opponent's neck while they focus on escaping.

How to Escape Mount

Being stuck on bottom mount is one of the worst positions in BJJ, but there are systematic ways to escape. Learning mount escapes is essential for every beginner:

• Trap and roll (upa) - The fundamental mount escape. You trap one of your opponent's arms and the same-side foot, then bridge powerfully with your hips to roll them over. This puts you directly into their closed guard.
• Elbow-knee escape (shrimp) - You frame against your opponent's hip, shrimp your hips out to create space, and slide your knee in to recover guard. This escape works even against heavier opponents because it relies on hip movement rather than strength.
• Foot drag - You hook one of your opponent's feet with your own and drag it over your leg, allowing you to recover half guard.

The key to surviving mount is staying calm, protecting your neck and arms, and waiting for the right moment to execute an escape. Panicking and pushing wildly only exposes you to submissions.

Mount in Self-Defense and Competition

Mount is arguably the most important position for self-defense. In a real confrontation, achieving mount gives you total control of the situation. You can pin someone, control them until help arrives, or finish the encounter with a submission. On the bottom, knowing mount escapes could save your life.

At Current Jiu Jitsu in Mississauga, mount is taught from the very first class. Professor Toma Dragicevic emphasizes positional control before submissions, and students learn both how to maintain mount and how to escape it safely. Whether you are rolling in class or competing, understanding mount is non-negotiable for your BJJ development.