BJJ Fundamentals

Lesson 4 – Mounted Elbow Escape

Ankle Trap – Escape to Half Guard

Start in bottom mount, uke’s ankles should not be crossed or otherwise ‘hidden’
Establish an elbow frame inside uke’s knee
Trap uke’s ankle between your knees on the side of your frame
- Stick your bottom leg to the mat on the inner side of uke’s ankle then use your top leg to place uke’s ankle between your knees
- Use your elbow frames to stop uke’s knee from moving forwards
Push uke’s knee forwards and switch your hips using a sliding hip escape motion
Trap uke’s leg above the knee to secure half guard

Ankle Trap – Escape to Closed Guard

Continue from bottom half guard
Frame against uke’s far side shoulder, to stop them from crossfacing
Frame against uke’s knee and push your own knee through the inside, onto their hip
Align your body with uke, moving your hips back to the middle
Extract your trapped foot and secure closed guard
- To avoid getting stuck, use a sliding hip escape to the side of your trapped ankle; uke should shuffle forward to ensure this detail is being performed correctly

Knee Trap – Static Entry

Start in bottom mount, with uke’s feet touching as to block the ankle trap escape
Establish elbow frames inside uke’s knee
Bridge to one side and off-balance uke
- Don’t expose your back; keep your top elbow on the outside and don’t let your legs cross
Hip escape, sliding your knee to the inside of uke’s knee
- Your knee will not move if it points upwards; it must point down, the same direction of uke’s knee, to properly slide to the inside
Align your body with uke, moving your hips back to the middle to finish the escape to guard

Knee Trap – Trap & Roll Entry

Start in bottom mount, with uke’s feet touching as to block the ankle trap escape
Grip uke’s arm, pinning it to your chest so that they cannot use it for base
Bridge to one side and off-balance uke
Let go of your arm-trap grips and frame against uke’s knee
Execute the rest of the knee trap elbow escape, as in the previous technique