Knee on belly (also known as Kneemount) is a super-dominant position in jiu-jitsu.
If you’re using this position correctly then you’re driving down into your opponent with all your weight, making it hard for him to breathe, and forcing him to give you openings for submissions (click here to read 3 Ways to Get a Really Heavy Kneemount on Grapplearts).
Most typically the guy on the bottom of knee on belly will open himself up for armbar, Kimura and cross collar lapel choke submissions.
But sometimes you run into someone who is so tough they can endure the kneemount without giving you an obvious opening…
Or maybe they’ve been tapped out so often they’re just not giving you the standard submissions anymore…
In that case it’s time to change things up and attack him with something he’s not familiar with.
A really good example of that (and a technique you should consider adding to your arsenal) is the sneaky and powerful knee mount choke my friend Denis Kang uses on me in the video below.
The key is to set up the choke all backwards.
- First grip in the ‘incorrect’ sequence: start with the final grip first (the hand in the far collar)…
- Then get the kneemount and hop across to the far side…
- Now – because your opponent isn’t expecting it – it’s easy to get the second grip and apply the choke!
Check out exactly how to do it in the video here:
Additional resources
- A free downloadable copy of Stephan Kesting’s book on learning BJJ fast available here
- All articles and techniques tagged with ‘Denis Kang’
- Learn BJJ fast on your phone or tablet with this free grapplearts app
- Make all your chokes MUCH tighter by using this one simple concept