Andrew Smith is a 3rd-degree BJJ black belt based out of Richmond, VA (Revolution BJJ). He runs BJJ Path, a video tutorial website.

The Mount

The mount position is a smothering, constricting pin that can be, when done properly, incredibly difficult to escape. A good top mount player doesn't seem to give you any opportunities to escape, and they are constantly working for the submission. Here, we'll take a look at a very high percentage double attack that starts with a very low mount position, and we'll take a look at some very specific positional tweaks for the arm triangle choke and the reverse armbar.

Head and Arm Mount Control

Starting with a very low mount, cross your feet behind your partner's hips, and then drop your hips down so that they are right on top of your partner's hips, completely taking away their ability to perform a meaningful hip escape. Once you've established your position here, the general idea is to establish a head and arm position from mount. One good way to control the head is to wait for your partner to try a basic escape back to guard from mount. Because you're controlling your partner's hips so well, their head will be easy pickings for your crossface. Once you've flattened them back out with your right arm, hug underneath their head, with the crook of your elbow close to your partner's ear (all the way through). Next, shoot for an underhook and then start to walk your hand upward. If you can't get an underhook, you can use an elbow hook (kind of like heel hooking their elbow) to get the process started.

The Arm Triangle

Once you've established the head and arm control, your partner's arm position will dictate how you proceed through the double attack. If your partner's arm is across their head, drop your head to the mat to lock in the arm triangle position. There are multiple ways to finish the arm triangle choke. If you have incredibly good shoulder pressure, you can actually finish the choke with one arm (just keep the initial armpit grip, and keep up the shoulder pressure). Alternatively, switch to a palm-to-palm grip, ultimately pulling yourself into your partner in order to finish the choke.

The Reverse Armbar

When, in the course of going for the arm triangle, their arm just won't pass over to the other side of their head, this is the perfect time to go for the reverse armlock. Once again, drop your head to the mat, but this time, the intention is to keep their arm from coming over to the other side. Climb upward and then step on your partner's hips. This will not only cement your forward progress, but it will also make their mount escape all but impossible. From here, use your head to push outward while you use your Gable grip to pull inward just slightly. Your head is going to do most of the work here.

Note: this technique is thoroughly outlined here. You can also make an easy transition to S-mount once this position has been established.

Alternative Details

Here's another look at the same technique. Note that you can also plant your hand on the mat and simply use the tension that exists in order to turn your elbow inward, hyper-extending their elbow. This is a viable alternative to the Gable grip, where you can't always get the same inward tension.

Evolution

My own personal mount game has evolved a great deal since getting my black belt in 2008. Until my black belt, I was much more of a fan of side control (developing my Kimura game at the time). When I started utilizing the head and arm control, I was instantly a fan of mount, and have been ever since. This series really opens up a great deal of other opportunities (including the aforementioned switch to S-mount), and I hope that you have success working through it! As always, let me know if you have success with these techniques.

© 2017 Andrew Smith

Andrew Smith (author) from Richmond, VA on July 17, 2017:

Glad to help!

Torez on July 17, 2017:

This article is helpful, thanks