Being fully mounted in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is an awful position. With no opportunities to attack your opponent, your only goal when mounted is to escape from the mount and recover your guard or switch to the top where you have a chance to break your opponent’s guard and pass to an advantageous position. In MMA or a street fight, the mount is an even worse position. That is why escaping from mount is a crucial tool to have in BJJ and is included in the How To Get A Blue Belt guide.
A common position when the bottom fighter is strong or very active trying to escape is the cross-face or headlock, where the top fighter will reach their arm under the bottom fighter’s head and through so that their elbow is against the bottom person’s neck. This locks them down onto the bottom fighter and sets up attacks like the Ezekiel choke.
The headlock trap and roll escape in BJJ allows you to sweep your opponent off of their position mounted on top of you even when they have you in a headlock, an even worse position! The headlock that secures the mount can be used by the bottom fighter to trap the top fighter and turn their attack against them as they are swept to their back.
Start: Mounted with a headlock or cross-face
Step 1: Grab arm with headlock and make your head heavy to trap in place
Step 2: Step foot on same side as headlock over opponent’s foot to trap it
Step 3: Wrap other arm around opponent’s back in a body hug
Step 4: Bridge hips up
Step 5: Reach body hug arm across towards other side
Step 6: Switch hip to follow opponent over
Finish: Opponent’s guard via headlock trap and roll escape