Mount

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Control first, submissions second: pin the hips so you can stay, separate the elbows so you can attack, and let their escape attempts pick the finish.

1. 1Pin their hips before you attack

   Settle your hips, hamstrings and seat down onto their pelvis so their bridge lifts nothing, and let your legs do the holding — knees to the mat when they buck, grapevines or hooks when they get violent.

   WhenThe first seconds after you arrive, before any grip — and again every time they bridge. Their escape starts the moment you land, so consolidating is the first move, not a pause.

   2:20“I'm going to scoot my hips, hamstrings and back to pin his pelvis down”BJJ Fanatics — How to Get Mount by Heath Pedigo
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2. 2Climb high and open the elbows

   Walk your knees up toward their armpits and hand-fight their elbows away from their ribs — high mount with their elbows floating above their shoulders is where every finish on this list lives.

   WhenOnce the mount is stable and their elbows are glued tight. Nothing submits a tight-elbowed opponent; separating the elbows is the doorway, not the attack itself.

   2:30“if I can get his elbows to his temples I barely have to hold on — my chest is above his eyes”Bernardo Faria BJJ Fanatics — This Is Why You Lose The Mount In Seconds (The Fix)
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3. 3Cross collar choke

   First hand goes deep in the collar, second grip comes behind it, and the finish is connection to the neck rather than arm strength — done right it takes very little movement.

   WhenEarly and often. Even a threatened collar grip forces both of their hands up to defend, and that reaction is what opens the armbar and the back take below.

   0:00“finishing the cross collar choke from the mount should take very little effort and requires very little movement — the key is how you create connection to the neck”Henry Akins' Hidden Jiu-Jitsu — How To Properly Finish Cross Collar Chokes (PRESSURE Mechanics)
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4. 4Arm triangle / head-and-arm choke

   When one of their arms gets pushed across their own neck line, wedge it there, drop your head to the far side and connect your chest to their trapped shoulder before you squeeze.

   WhenThe moment your elbow-separation work sends an arm past their neck. Mount is the best room in the house for this choke because it controls their hips while you finish.

   4:39“mount is the best place to finish it from because it's controlling his hipline”Knight Jiu-Jitsu — Head & Arm Choke: FINISH EVERY TIME
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5. 5Armbar when they push

   Their straight pushing arm is the entry: pin it to your chest, slide your hips up their trunk, swing your leg over the head and drop back with your knees pinched.

   WhenThey push on your chest or hips to make space. The push is the exposure — find the sleeve or wrist, drop your hips underneath it, and the arm is already extended for you.

   2:33“if he's pushing me away, he's exposed the arm — I just find the sleeve, drop my hip underneath, and we have the arm bar”Black Dragon BJJ — Lapelapalooza Lapel Guard System -Transitioning between Mount & Back from RDLW (week 7)
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6. 6Take the back when they turn

   When they commit to a side, ride up into technical mount, force their hands to the mat or feed a reverse underhook, and slide around behind them instead of wrestling them back flat.

   WhenTheir shoulders leave the mat and they start the elbow-knee escape. Don't fight to keep flat mount — follow the turn up and take the better position they're offering.

   3:45“forcing your opponent's hands to the mat is a useful way of clearing the path to the back, and I use a reverse underhook”Jordan Teaches Jiujitsu — Black Belt BEATS UP Purple Belt... | BJJ Rolling Commentary
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