7th-10th June, 2010

Technique

Transition to Mount

Concepts

Pinning
Pressure

Over the last few weeks we have been examining ways to move to an even more dominant 'top' position.  Other than the guard, the mount is perhaps the most recognisable position in Jiu Jitsu.  However, before taking a closer look at the intricacies of this position, we have have looked at various ways of the transition to mount.  This is an very important aspect on your top game as a poorly attempted mount transition can often result in your opponent escaping.

We looked at several mount transitions, a couple of which are illustrated in the clips below.  But what we tried to emphasise is the mechanics behind each transition rather then just the transitions themselves.  The most salient points are:

1. Control.  A successful mount transition is executed because you have control over your opponent.  This is where you will need to utilise your side control positions to exert this control.

2. Pressure. No surprises here, applying pressure to your opponent, is fundamental to gaining and more importantly keeping control.



3. Timing.  One of the transitions we trained was from reverse scarf hold, this transition is somewhat more opportunistic and the correct timing is one factor in determining the success of the transition.  That said, it should still be clear that you need to have a degree of control of over your opponent, in this case given by the reverse scarf hold position.



4. Patience.  Another key reason for the failure of a mount transition is patience, it is so common to see the person on top gain side control then immediately attempt a mount transition only to be be thwarted - they give up the mount and side control, end up in half, full or open guard and have to start passing all over again.  The reason why we spent such a long time drilling side control positions is to give you that confidence to maintain the top position, set up the mount transition properly, then successfully execute.