MasterclassBottomEscapes
The Perfect Mount Escape
John Danaher
Long-form lesson on escaping bottom mount
John Danaher explains how to escape mount, published free on the BJJ Fanatics co-founder's channel.
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Mount (bottom)
They are sitting on you. Keep elbows tight, trap an arm and foot, then bridge or shrimp out.
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Essentials
They’re sitting on your chest and you’re flat. It’s one of the worst places to be, so the order matters: protect your neck and arms first, then escape with the bridge (upa) or the elbow-knee escape.
Your goals
- Elbows tight to your ribs, hands near your face
- Bridge to knock them forward when they post
- Elbow-knee escape back to half guard or full guard
What they want
- Climb to high mount to attack the arms
- Isolate an arm for the armbar or set a choke
Key principles
- Survival first, escape second
- Bridge up and over your shoulder, not straight up
Common mistakes
- Pushing their chest with straight arms (armbar bait)
- Bridging without trapping an arm
Techniques to learn
Each one opens its own page and video.
Where it leads
- Other side
- Mount (Tate Shiho Gatame)
- Moves from here
- Half guardClosed guardClosed guard (top)
- In courses
- Foundations I: Survive & escape
- Seminars
If this happens…
- they post a hand on the mat beside your headTrap that arm and leg on the same side, then bridge and roll
- they sit back on your hipsFrame on their hip and elbow-knee escape to half guard
- they grab your collar for a chokeProtect your neck first, then escape
Seminars
All seminars →Longer seminars, classes and masterclasses that teach this. Free on YouTube.
Class recordingBottomEscapes
Full-Mount Escape System
James Clingerman
A complete system of mount escapes taught over a week of classes
James Clingerman’s mount-escape system, recorded over a week of classes at his academy in Indiana and published on his own channel.
Advanced detailsTransitions, threats, reactions, troubleshooting and a sparring drill
1. Overview
They are sitting on you. Keep elbows tight, trap an arm and foot, then bridge or shrimp out.
Key controls
- Elbows tight, don’t push with straight arms
- Bridge toward the trapped side
- Hip escape to half guard
In this position
3 transitions · 4 threats · 2 reactions · 2 troubleshooting fixes · 1 sparring exercise · 4 techniques
Read about itGrapplearts articlesBJJ Heroes
Finish this lesson
0% of this lesson0/17 videos completed · 0/4 techniques practiced
Test yourselfMount (bottom) lesson quiz5 questions · pass with 4