Rear Mount Strategy
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Rear Mount·Stephan Kesting
Emily Kwok shares some techniques, strategies and tactics for the rear mount. From 'Advanced BJJ Q & A', available on …
Rear Mount
Family後ろ騎乗位(Ushiro Kijōi)
TraditionalTranslation: rear mount
Overview
The Rear Mount family covers the fully established back control positions where the controlling fighter has both hooks or a body triangle secured from behind the opponent. [1] Rear mount is the ultimate dominant position in grappling's positional hierarchy — the controlling fighter has maximum attacking potential (primarily the rear naked choke) while the controlled fighter has minimum defensive capability. [1],[2] Rear mount can be maintained from a seated position (controlling fighter sitting upright behind) or a supine position (controlling fighter lying on their back with the opponent on top). [2],[3]
History & Origin
Effectiveness
Lineage
Competition Record
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Biomechanical Mechanism
Primary Action — Gravity-assisted top control — body weight pins the opponent's torso to the ground
Joints Involved — Attacker's hips (heavy base), knees (clamped for ride control), opponent's spine (pinned)
Force Vector — Downward — gravity plus active hip pressure maximises control and submission opportunities
Positional Mechanic — High mount raises the centre of gravity above the opponent's shoulder line, isolating their arms for attacks
Position & Entry
From guard pass completion — After passing the guard, establish mount by placing knees on either side of the opponent's torso
From sweep — Complete a sweep from guard and land directly in mount position on top
From side control (knee slide) — From side control, slide the knee across the opponent's belly and settle into mount
Videos
1 video
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Ratings
Risk of injury to the person this technique is applied to
4
Moderate4/10
Back control is dominant position; enables rear chokes (Danaher 2021)
Skill level needed to execute this technique reliably
Intermediate
Whether this technique is allowed under major competition rule sets
— IBJJF — Legal, mount scores 4 points — highest-scoring po...
IBJJF Rules Book v6.0, June 2024PDF— ADCC — Legal, mount scores 2 points
ADCC Rules Update, April 2025PDF— Unified MMA — Legal dominant position
Unified Rules of MMA, August 2025PDF— UWW — Legal, back exposure scores points, pin ends match ...
UWW International Wrestling Rules, January 2026PDF— FIAS Sport Sambo — Legal, pin scores points
FIAS International Sambo Competition RulesPDFTraining Notes
✓Rear mount is the general term for the back-control position where the attacker is behind the opponent with some form of hook or leg control — the most dominant position in grappling (Danaher, Back Attacks, 2018)
✓Rear mount encompasses: seated rear mount, supine rear mount (flat), body triangle variants, and chair sit
✓The rear mount provides the highest submission percentage of any position — the RNC from rear mount is the most common finish
✓In competition, rear mount scores maximum positional points across all rule sets
✓The rear mount eliminates the opponent's offensive options while maximizing the attacker's
✓Control hierarchy in rear mount: body triangle > double hooks > single hook
✓The rear mount is the goal of every back take — whether from turtle, guard, standing, or scrambles
✓In MMA, the rear mount with ground strikes is fight-ending — the opponent cannot defend both strikes and chokes simultaneously
Common Mistakes
!Not establishing hooks or body triangle — back contact without leg control is not true rear mount
!Focusing on attacks before control — stabilize the rear mount before attempting submissions
!Allowing the opponent to get their back to the mat — this is the first step of every escape; prevent it
!Not maintaining the seatbelt — the seatbelt is essential for upper-body control in rear mount
!Crossing the feet with hooks — this creates ankle lock vulnerability
!Not training rear mount retention — the ability to hold the position against escape attempts is fundamental
!Treating all rear mount variants as identical — each variant (seated, supine, body triangle) has different properties
Related Techniques
Counter Techniques
Setup Chain
1Pass the Guard — clear the opponent's legs to advance to this dominant position
2Settle Weight — distribute body weight to maintain heavy pressure
3Control Arms — manage the opponent's arms to prevent frames and escapes
4Threaten Submissions — attack to force defensive reactions and maintain dominance
Sources & References
Primary Source
Mastering Jujitsu (Renzo Gracie & John Danaher, 2003)
1BookJiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Alias sources — [1] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008) [2] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
2BookBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Technique (Gracie & Gracie, 2001)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Mastering Jujitsu (Gracie & Danaher, 2003) [2] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Standard Japanese martial arts terminology (kanji/hiragana)
4OtherJapanese Martial Arts Standard Terminology (武道用語)
Established Japanese martial arts naming convention — native Japanese term (和語/漢語)
5CitationJiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Alias sources — [1] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008) [2] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
6CitationBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Technique (Gracie & Gracie, 2001)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Mastering Jujitsu (Gracie & Danaher, 2003) [2] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Community
Athletics
Requires
base stability, heavy hips, ride ability
Favours
heavier build with strong hips for pressure
Key muscles
hip adductors, core, glutes, quadriceps
Sub-techniques
Prone Rear Mount
SubFamilyThe Prone Rear Mount is a back control variation where the opponent is face-down (prone) with the attacker mounted on their back — creating a devastating control position used in MMA ground-and-pound and in grappling for rear naked choke attacks from a flattened position. [1] This variation occurs when the opponent turtles and is flattened, or when back control is established while the opponent is face-down. [1,2]
1 genera·1 techniquesExplore
Seated Rear Mount
SubFamilyThe Seated Rear Mount subfamily covers the rear mount position where the controlling fighter is sitting upright behind the opponent, with the opponent in front and typically flattened or leaning forward. [1] The seated rear mount provides the controlling fighter with excellent posture and gravity-assisted control, making it particularly effective for ground-and-pound in MMA and for choke attacks in grappling. [1,2] The seated position gives the controller the ability to use body weight and gravity to maintain the position. [2,3]
1 genera·1 techniquesExplore
Supine Rear Mount
SubFamilyThe Supine Rear Mount subfamily covers the rear mount position where the controlling fighter is lying on their back with the opponent on top of them, face up, with hooks or body triangle maintaining control. [1] The supine rear mount is the more common rear mount configuration in competition because escaping fighters often roll to put the controlling fighter on their back, and skilled back takers maintain the position from supine. [1,2] Despite being on the bottom, the supine rear mount is still considered a dominant position because the controlling fighter maintains full back control and attacking capability. [2,3]
1 genera·1 techniquesExplore
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I keep my opponent from defending my choke attempts from the rear mount?
According to Stephan Kesting, most opponents will defend your attacking arm, so switch your hand position—if you go bottom hand on top, they'll defend the wrong arm and leave your attacking arm free. If they do defend your arm, you can peel the grip, pull their head back, and sink the choke in deeper to finish.
What's the proper body positioning for a tight rear mount?
Stephan Kesting emphasizes keeping your chest on your partner's back and staying extremely tight, like 'a pack on his back,' rather than having your head off to the side. You also want to keep your hands free by protecting one arm with your palm so your opponent can't trap both arms.
Why is the seatbelt grip so important in rear mount control?
The seatbelt grip maintains control of your opponent's back and prevents them from creating space to escape. Stephan Kesting stresses that if you fumble this grip, you'll have to recover from a worse position, so always practice maintaining it properly with your grip, setup, and overall control.
Should I always follow the same sequence of attacks from rear mount, or should I look to finish faster?
Stephan Kesting advises that just because you learn a technique in five moves doesn't mean you have to execute all five—look to finish as quickly as possible and eliminate unnecessary steps. The key is maintaining back control and reading the right openings rather than getting caught up in executing a fixed sequence.
How does the Rear Mount work?
The Rear Mount family covers the fully established back control positions where the controlling fighter has both hooks or a body triangle secured from behind the opponent. Rear mount is the ultimate dominant position in grappling's positional hierarchy — the controlling fighter has maximum attacking potential (primarily the rear naked choke) while the controlled fighter has minimum defensive capability.
Where does the Rear Mount come from?
Rear mount has been recognised as the most dominant grappling position since BJJ formalised its positional hierarchy. The position's tactical supremacy — maximum attack with minimum risk — has been confirmed across decades of competition in BJJ, submission grappling, and MMA.
Is the Rear Mount legal in competition?
IBJJF: legal — Legal, mount scores 4 points — highest-scoring position; IJF: legal — Legal, osaekomi (pin) — 10-19 seconds scores waza-ari, 20 seconds scores ippon; ADCC: legal — Legal, mount scores 2 points; Unified MMA: legal — Legal dominant position; UWW: legal — Legal, back exposure scores points, pin ends match by fall; FIAS Sport Sambo: legal — Legal, pin scores points
How dangerous is the Rear Mount?
Danger rating 4/10. Moderate — back control is dominant position; enables rear chokes (Danaher 2021)
How do I set up the Rear Mount?
The standard setup chain: Pass the Guard → Settle Weight → Control Arms → Threaten Submissions.
How do I defend against the Rear Mount?
Standard counters include: Bridge (Upa) — explosive hip elevation to off-balance the top player / Elbow-Knee Escape (Shrimp) — create space by driving elbow to knee and hip-escaping / Frame — establish forearm frames to prevent the top player from settling weight.
What are the variants of the Rear Mount?
Common variants: Low mount (hips heavy on the opponent's belly, grapevines in for sta…); High mount (knees under the armpits, arms isolated for submissions); S-mount (one knee high under the armpit, other leg across for arm …); Technical mount (one leg hooked, one knee posted, modified for back-take t…).
How effective is the Rear Mount in competition?
Rear mount leads to the most common submission finish in MMA history (rear naked choke). In IBJJF competition, back mount scores 4 points.
What are common mistakes when doing the Rear Mount?
Top errors to watch for: Not establishing hooks or body triangle — back contact without leg control is not true rear mount / Focusing on attacks before control — stabilize the rear mount before attempting submissions / Allowing the opponent to get their back to the mat — this is the first step of every escape; prevent it / Not maintaining the seatbelt — the seatbelt is essential for upper-body control in rear mount.
What are other names for the Rear Mount?
The Rear Mount is also known as Ushiro Kijōi, Back Mount Orientation, Rear Ride.