The mount is the top position where you sit astride your partner's torso, knees on the mat, while they lie on their back facing you. In judo the pin is tate shiho gatame (縦四方固), the lengthwise four-corner hold, one of the Kodokan osaekomi-waza.
- Japanese name: tate shiho gatame, 縦四方固.
- Kodokan classification: osaekomi-waza, a pinning technique.
- In BJJ: one of the two most dominant positions, together with back control. From here you attack the armbar, the Ezekiel choke and the cross collar choke.
What is the mount?
The Kodokan defines tate shiho gatame as holding down the opponent's upper body under your chest and abdomen by lying on your stomach over them while they lie on their back, holding their right arm and neck with both hands and holding their lower body with both legs.
That is the low, chest-to-chest version. BJJ players also use a high mount, with the knees pushed up into the armpits, and a technical mount, with one knee up and the weight on the far side when the bottom player turns.
How do you hold the mount?
The steps follow the Kodokan definition, with the BJJ details a coach adds.
- Sit astride your partner's torso with your knees on the mat and your feet hooked loosely under their thighs.
- Drop your hips. Your weight goes through their belly and chest, with your hands free or posted wide for base.
- Wrap their right arm and head with both arms, chest on chest, as the Kodokan describes, when you want to hold rather than attack.
- Hold their lower body with your legs: squeeze the knees in or grapevine the ankles so they cannot bridge you forward.
- When they bridge, post a hand and let your hips float; when they turn, slide to technical mount or take the back.
The most common mistake is sitting upright with the weight on your own feet. That gives the bottom player room to bridge and roll. Keep your hips low and your head over theirs until you choose to attack.
Video: KODOKAN official channel
How many points is the mount worth in BJJ?
Four. The IBJJF Rules Book awards the mount when you sit on the torso clear of the half guard, with both knees, or one foot and one knee, on the mat, facing the head, and hold it for three seconds. You may trap one arm under your leg as long as that leg does not reach past their shoulder; with both arms trapped it is only an advantage, and landing on top with a triangle locked scores nothing. Moving from the back mount to the mount scores 4 again. Holding the mount is never counted as stalling.
In judo the IJF Sport and Organisation Rules count tate-shiho-gatame as a pin when the held player's back or upper back is on the mat and the holder's legs and body are free of the held player's legs: 5 seconds scores yuko, 10 waza-ari, 20 ippon.
How do you escape the mount?
The bridge and roll, called the upa, puts you in their closed guard. The elbow-knee escape slides a knee under your thigh and recovers half guard. Both start with the bottom player trapping one of your arms or legs, so keep your elbows in and your hooks light. Mount drills are the bread and butter of every positional sparring round; our BJJ training gear has the kit for them.
Sources
- Kodokan defines tate shiho gatame, Kodokan Judo Institute
- IBJJF Rules Book, IBJJF
- IJF Sport and Organisation Rules, International Judo Federation
Related terms
Side control, Back control / rear mount, Bridge, Armbar, Ezekiel choke, Positional sparring.