Mount Escapes - Bridge escape method

Question 1

What are some examples of mis-directional bridges?

Answer 1

When you’re mounted you can trap an arm and leg on the same side, opponent knows what’s about to happen so they base to the side with their free hand/arm to prevent the bridge escape. You can then reach up overhead and trap their second arm, then trap tho other leg (opposite to the first leg you trapped) and bridge to the opposite side of the first initial bridge.

Or

Trap an arm and leg on the same side m, the Opp knows what’s coming but you bridge (convincingly) to the ‘wrong’ side forcing them to base with their hand on the mat to prevent a face plant, then quickly bridge to the ‘correct’ side - the key is to ‘feint’ the wrong-side bridge hard to get them to base.

Question 2

What are the essential steps to a standard bridge escape from mount (upa)?

Answer 2

Trap an arm with a tricep seem grip and a four finger grip at the elbow pit of the same arm. Trap the leg on the same side of opponent at the ankle and keep it in tight with your foot

Plant feet asymmetrically with one knee pointing towards the direction of the bridge and the other leg as point towards ceiling as an initial driving leg

Bridge over one shoulder, the shoulder on same side your knee non driving knee is pointing

Look over head to where you want to land

Midway through bridge you transfer your weight from your initial driving leg to your other leg to ‘whip it round’

Land in opponents guard

Question 3

How do we deal with grape-vining?

Answer 3

Turn toes outwards/away from the grape vine

Extend leg to break grip

Repeat with other leg

Bring feet close to hips

Question 4

How to deal with a crossface in mount?

Answer 4

With a misdirectional bridge.

Gain the inside position of the opponents free/noncrossface arm, by framing inside the bicep.

With your same side foot, take outside position on the by trapping the ankle of the same side as opp’s ‘free’ hand.

Shoot framing arm around the opp’s free arm (like overhook) and bring it in tight to the body- trapping the free arm (elbows into opp’s ribs)

Bridge to the trapped side as a ‘feint’ - this will fail

As it fails bring your trapping/outside foot back to inside position

Press the back of your head into the ground- to trap the cross facing arm with your head position.

Bridge and roll to the other side to escape

Question 5

How do we use bridging to set up an elbow escape from mount?

Answer 5

Trap an arm as if going for a regular ‘upa’ bridge and roll- trap with a tricep seem grip and a cuff grip

Bump Opp forward to bring his other hand to mat

Don’t trap the ankle, keep your feet in the inside position

Do a strong bridging action *while keeping the elbow of your cuff-gripping arm into his hip, this elbow drives/forces him in the same direction of your bridge and acts as a frame

The opponent will base out with his legs

Continue to bridge and shrimp out

Get a knee inside of opp’s knees

Create V-frame with elbow and knee

Extend away/lift opp’s legs/ create space etc

Regain guard (open guard, seated, closed, etc)

Question 6

What do we do when opponent bases far over the opposite side of the trapped arm, moving his head far away from the direction we want to escape, preventing us from bridging, while trying to escape mount position?

Answer 6

We need to capture training partners head:

Perform a small hip bump to get his head towards centre line

Let go of tricep seem grip and reach up and grip the collar at the nape of the neck

Pull opp’s head over the centre line towards the side of your bridge