In BJJ, MMA, and in street fights, being mounted is one of if not the worst position you can be in. When mounted, your opponent is using their weight to control all of your movements while leaving their hands and feet free to stop any escape attempts or mount their own attacks. Being mounted in BJJ only gets worse when someone grapevines you and hooks their heels under your legs, stretching you out until you can’t bridge or upa.
With no ability to post either of their feet, the grapevined BJJ fighter is stuck with no chance to create space between their body and the top player’s hips. To get back to a position they could upa from, the bottom fighter would need to leg curl with enough strength to overpower their opponent’s extension. Unless the bottom fighter is built like elastigirl, that’s a losing battle.
The BJJ hook removal mount escape is an essential Jiu-Jitsu mount escape, so critical that it is part of the Gracie BJJ Blue Belt test guide.
Start: Mounted and grapevined
Step 1: Kick one leg out to the side to strip opponent’s grapevine and then circle inside
Step 2: Use free foot to peel opponent’s other grapevine off and kick the trapped leg straight
Step 3: Frame a hand on opponent’s knee to stop its movement
Step 4: Slide the frame-side knee through in front of opponent’s knee
Step 5: Step free foot over opponent’s leg to trap it and switch onto you opposite hip
Step 6: Frame against opponent’s other leg and slide that knee through
Finish: Guard via Hook Removal Mount Escape