The most important ground escape technique you can learn!
BJJ black belt Stephan Kesting shows you how to escape from one of the worst positions in a streetfight using BJJ, and why many commonly taught escapes won’t work.
The ‘trap and roll’ is one technique you can try using to escape the mounted position. It involves a bridge, or upa in BJJ, and trapping one side of your opponent’s limbs.
Some ideas from the community about how to get better at executing this technique:
“Ideally, for this ground escape technique:
– his bicep clamped hard in your armpit
– your heels as close to your butt as possible
– bridge up, then over; not just over
Of course those aren’t always possible…
I think the two most important tricks to increasing upa success are: 1) get sneaky with it, and 2) only do it when your opponent is already off-balance.
I see a lot of new students telegraphing upa. It’s easy to avoid the upa if you see it coming. Try not to touch the opponent’s calf when you step over it. That warns him. Don’t trap the arm until a split-second before you execute. Lock up the leg at the last second.
I also see a lot of new students waste huge amounts of energy when they try this ground escape technique, attempting upas that weren’t there if the first place. Don’t waste energy trying to bridge when the guy is either in too high of a mount (not over your hips), or already postured up with wide base.
Bait him into attacking your neck. Wait until his hands are busy and his mind is focused on that attack. Then execute. Also, alternate shrimp and upa. As he reorients to defend each, holes will appear.”
“Sounds sort of weird, but I started looking “up” at about a 45 degree angle, and now everything is magically easier! I kept missing part of the execution which gets your opponent lighter, and that silly little detail has sort of fixed things for me. Also dropping your leg across the belly at a nearly 90 degree angle on the last step of execution was something I kept missing as well.”
Check out the video and then try it on your training partner or on a willing friend.
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The bridge is a grappling move performed from a supine position, lying down face-up. It involves lifting the pelvis off the ground so that the body weight is supported on the shoulders (or head) at one end and on the feet at the other. This move is used in wrestling and other grappling and ground fighting sports, often combined with a twisting motion, to dislodge or flip an opponent who has established a position on top. The bridge is also a common exercise position. This maneuver can also be used to dodge pin attempts.
In Brazilian jiu-jitsu, this move is referred to as an upa, and is commonly used in attempting to dislodge an opponent in mounted position. [source : wiki]
