Create Massive Pressure in S Mount With These Fundamental Tips
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Fundamental Mount·Chewjitsu
Today's BJJ technique video comes as a response to a Reddit questions I received recently from an AMA I did. The questio…
Fundamental Mount
Familyファンダメンタルマウント(Fandamentaru Maunto)
Translation: fundamental mount
Overview
The Fundamental Mount family covers the core mount position variations and techniques for maintaining, controlling, and attacking from the mounted position — the apex of the BJJ positional hierarchy and the single most dominant position in grappling. [1] This family addresses the fundamental mount variations: low mount (grapevine legs for maximum control), high mount (knees in armpits for submission access), S-mount (modified position for armbar entries), and the basic strikes and submissions available from mount. [1],[2] Mount maintenance — the art of staying mounted while the bottom player bridges, bucks, and frames to escape — is considered one of the most important and undertrained skills in BJJ, as the mount is only valuable if it can be held against resistance. [2],[3] Roger Gracie's competition career is the definitive demonstration of fundamental mount mastery — he submitted multiple World Championship opponents with the same basic cross-collar choke from mount, proving that perfected fundamentals are nearly unstoppable. [3]
Mount TechniqueMount ControlMount Position Technique
History & Origin
Effectiveness
Lineage
Competition Record
Images
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Biomechanical Mechanism
Primary Action — Maintaining a straddling position on top of the opponent's torso while systematically attacking with submissions or strikes
Joints Involved — Hips (dropping heavy for pressure in low mount, walking up for submission access in high mount), knees (squeezing against the opponent's ribs for control, posting for base against bridges), ankles (grapevine hooks in low mount lock around the opponent's legs to prevent bridging)
Force Vector — Downward gravitational pressure through the hips into the opponent's torso; lateral base from the knees prevents rolling; in high mount, the knees drive into the armpits trapping the arms
Control Mechanic — Mount control works by neutralising the bottom player's three escape tools: bridges (countered by grapevines and base adjustments), frames (countered by arm isolation and head positioning), and hip escapes (countered by heavy hip pressure and following the escape with the hips)
Position & Entry
From side control (leg swing) — Slide the near-side knee across the opponent's belly while maintaining chest pressure, swing the far leg over into full mount — the standard mount entry [1]
From knee-on-belly — Step the far leg over when the opponent turns toward you, settling into mount
From back control transition — When the opponent escapes back control by turning, follow them over into mount rather than losing position
From guard pass completion — After a successful guard pass, continue advancing directly to mount rather than settling in side control
Videos
1 video
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Ratings
Risk of injury to the person this technique is applied to
8
Very High8/10
Very high for the bottom player — mount provides unrestricted submission and striking access; for the top player risk is minimal with proper technique
Skill level needed to execute this technique reliably
Beginner
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
✓Position before submission — spend more time maintaining mount against a resisting partner than practicing attacks; mount maintenance IS the skill (Roger Gracie's philosophy) [1]
✓Low mount with grapevines is the highest-control variation — use it to exhaust escape attempts before transitioning to high mount for submissions
✓Learn to ride the bridge — when the bottom player bridges, post hands on the mat, absorb the bridge, and re-settle; don't fight the bridge with stiffness
✓Cross-collar choke from mount is the highest-percentage gi submission from this position — Roger Gracie finished World Championship finals with this single technique [2]
✓In MMA, posture up for ground-and-pound — create distance, sit up, and deliver downward strikes
✓Drill the armbar-americana-cross-collar triangle as a chain attack system
✓Transition from low to high mount is critical — walk the knees into the armpits as the opponent tires
Common Mistakes
!Sitting too high without base — leaning too far forward from high mount invites the upa escape
!Crossing ankles under the opponent — in both BJJ and MMA, crossed ankles expose a foot lock
!Going for submissions too early before consolidating control — rushing armbars from mount often loses the position
!Not adjusting base when the opponent turns — failure to post on the turning side leads to being reversed
!Riding mount passively — stalling from mount results in stand-ups in competition
Related Techniques
Counter Techniques
Setup Chain
1Achieve Mount — advance from side control or knee-on-belly
2Consolidate — establish low mount with grapevines, settle weight
3Advance to High Mount — walk knees up as opponent tires
4Isolate Arm — use head positioning to isolate one arm
5Attack — launch armbar, americana, or cross-collar choke
6Chain Submissions — flow between attacks as each is defended
Sources & References
Primary Source
Jiu-Jitsu University (Saulo Ribeiro, 2008)
1BookJiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Description sources — [1] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008) [2] Mastering Jujitsu (Gracie & Danaher, 2003) [3] Roger Gracie competition analysis
2BookMastering Jujitsu (Gracie & Danaher, 2003)
3CitationJiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Description sources — [1] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008) [2] Mastering Jujitsu (Gracie & Danaher, 2003) [3] Roger Gracie competition analysis
4CitationMastering Jujitsu (Gracie & Danaher, 2003)
Community
Athletics
Requires
balance, hip dexterity, upper body control for arm isolation
Favours
heavy bodyweight, long legs for grapevine, strong core for riding bridges
Key muscles
adductors (squeezing), core (balance), glutes (driving weight down), forearms (arm isolation)
Sub-techniques
Notes
Mount appears in 3,445 passages across our corpus — one of the most referenced positions. The most dominant position in ground fighting, scoring 4 points in IBJJF. From mount, the attacker can strike, choke, and arm lock while the bottom player has limited defensive options. (200+ books; IBJJF Rules v6.0; Ribeiro, Jiu-Jitsu University)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I prevent my opponent from bridging effectively in mount position?
Keep your opponent's head up off the ground by controlling underneath the head, which prevents them from generating a strong bridge. According to Chewjitsu, if the head can drive up freely, the bridge becomes much more problematic.
What's the key to transitioning into S-Mount from regular mount?
Chewjitsu recommends isolating an arm for attack first, which allows you to slide your knee up smoothly. You can use a keylock threat to bring both of your opponent's arms up together to defend, then bring the knee up and slide your arm into position.
Where should my top knee be positioned in S-Mount?
According to Chewjitsu, position the knee up by the shoulder with active toes, and keep in mind there is a sweet spot for your pressure application in this position.
How do I avoid getting rolled when setting up S-Mount?
Make sure to keep your arm out so it doesn't get tucked when you get rolled, especially as you're walking and transitioning into the S-Mount position.
How does the Fundamental Mount work?
The Fundamental Mount family covers the core mount position variations and techniques for maintaining, controlling, and attacking from the mounted position — the apex of the BJJ positional hierarchy and the single most dominant position in grappling. This family addresses the fundamental mount variations: low mount (grapevine legs for maximum control), high mount (knees in armpits for submission access), S-mount (modified position for armbar entries), and the basic strikes and submissions available from mount.
Where does the Fundamental Mount come from?
Mount has been the apex position in BJJ since Hélio Gracie built his self-defence system around achieving and finishing from mount. Roger Gracie's competition career (7x World Champion) demonstrated that perfected mount fundamentals defeat the world's best grapplers.
Is the Fundamental 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 Fundamental Mount?
Danger rating 8/10. Very high for the bottom player — mount provides unrestricted submission and striking access; for the top player risk is minimal with proper technique
How do I set up the Fundamental Mount?
The standard setup chain: Achieve Mount → Consolidate → Advance to High Mount → Isolate Arm → Attack → Chain Submissions.
How do I defend against the Fundamental Mount?
Standard counters include: Trap and Roll (Upa) — trap arm and foot, bridge to reverse / Elbow-Knee Escape — frame and hip escape to recover guard / Foot Drag — trap the mount player's foot, bridge to half guard / Going to Turtle — turn to turtle as intermediate position.
What are the variants of the Fundamental Mount?
Common variants: Low mount (grapevine) (legs grapevined around the opponent's legs, hips heavy on…); High mount (hips walked up to the chest, knees pinning the arms; supe…); S-mount (one leg posted forward beside the head, shin across the f…); Technical mount (one knee up with foot on ground (lunge position); transit…); Mounted crucifix (opponent's arms trapped under the mount player's legs; de…).
How effective is the Fundamental Mount in competition?
Mount scores the maximum 4 points in IBJJF. Roger Gracie won 10 World Championship golds using mount-based submissions.
What are common mistakes when doing the Fundamental Mount?
Top errors to watch for: Sitting too high without base — leaning too far forward from high mount invites the upa escape / Crossing ankles under the opponent — in both BJJ and MMA, crossed ankles expose a foot lock / Going for submissions too early before consolidating control — rushing armbars from mount often loses the position / Not adjusting base when the opponent turns — failure to post on the turning side leads to being reversed.
What are other names for the Fundamental Mount?
The Fundamental Mount is also known as Fandamentaru Maunto, Mount Technique, Mount Control, Mount Position Technique.