If your opponent has you in a rear mount and you target the arm on your near side, which escape should you perform?

If your opponent has you in a rear mount and you target the arm on your near side, which escape should you perform?

• A. Escape from Headlock (ground): Shrimp Out/Sit Up
• B. Escape from Rear Mount (Inside Arm)
• C. Knife Defense (Forward Diagonal Attack)
• D. Shrimping

Answer: (B)

In rear mount your first job is to address the arm that is controlling you, because freeing that limb breaks the foundation of the mount and creates the opportunity to move. Focusing on the near-side inside arm is the best move because it directly disrupts the attacker’s grip and gives you a clear path to turn your body, escape the position, and recover guard or another safer base. By securing or controlling that arm, you can pivot your hips, pull your trapped arm free, and use your legs to create space as you roll to your side. From there, you can establish a guard or scramble toward a more favorable position. Shrimping or escaping from a headlock-like grip isn’t the right fit here since you’re behind you, not under a headlock on the ground. The knife-defense technique addresses a different threat, and while shrimping can be part of escapes, it doesn’t specifically target the control that the near-side arm gives the opponent in a rear mount. The focused move on the near-side inside arm directly leverages the key control to turn the corner and improve your position.

In rear mount your first job is to address the arm that is controlling you, because freeing that limb breaks the foundation of the mount and creates the opportunity to move. Focusing on the near-side inside arm is the best move because it directly disrupts the attacker’s grip and gives you a clear path to turn your body, escape the position, and recover guard or another safer base.

By securing or controlling that arm, you can pivot your hips, pull your trapped arm free, and use your legs to create space as you roll to your side. From there, you can establish a guard or scramble toward a more favorable position.

Shrimping or escaping from a headlock-like grip isn’t the right fit here since you’re behind you, not under a headlock on the ground. The knife-defense technique addresses a different threat, and while shrimping can be part of escapes, it doesn’t specifically target the control that the near-side arm gives the opponent in a rear mount. The focused move on the near-side inside arm directly leverages the key control to turn the corner and improve your position.