Elbow-Knee Escape
Escape · Mount
The elbow-knee escape takes you from under mount to half guard or full guard. The moment is when he lifts his hips and a gap opens beside your hip. Frame one hand on his hip and keep the other elbow tight to your body inside his knee. Make a small bridge to lift his weight for a moment, then turn onto your side and shrimp your hips away. Slide your bottom knee up under his leg until elbow and knee touch, then trap his leg between yours for half guard, or shrimp to the other side and bring in the second knee for full guard. The hip frame holds him still, it does not push him away; any gap between elbow and knee lets him re-mount. If he blocks your knee, go back to the Upa Bridge and Roll.
How to do it
- Frame one hand on their hip and put the other elbow inside their knee: the hand blocks the hip from coming forward, the elbow stays tight to your own body against the inside of their knee.
- Make a small bridge to lift their weight for a moment, then turn to your side and shrimp your hips away, pushing off the foot on the mat.
- Slide your knee between their knee and your elbow: your bottom knee comes up under their leg until elbow and knee touch, leaving nothing between them.
- Hook their leg with your legs: the inside knee shields, the other leg comes over their calf so the leg is trapped between yours.
- Recover half guard on that leg, or shrimp again to the other side, bring the second knee in and recover full guard.
Key details
- Elbow and knee meet: nothing between them, because any gap is where their knee slides back in and re-mounts.
- A small bridge first creates space: it lifts their hips for a moment so the shrimp is possible.
- Always on your side, never flat: on your side the knee has room to come in, flat it is blocked by their leg.
- The hip frame does not push them away; it holds them still while your hips move.
- Bottom leg flat on the mat, top foot close to your buttock: the flat leg lets your knee slide under their ankle, the near foot keeps them from grapevining it.
Common mistakes
- Lying flat on the back. — Flat on the back there is no space for the knee to come in under their leg. — Turn to your side so a gap opens for the knee.
- Pushing with straight arms. — Straight arms stick out from your body and get caught in an armbar. — Keep the elbows tight to your ribs and use the arms only as frames.
- Holding the frame without a shrimp. — The frame holds them, but your hips stay under them and no space opens for the knee. — Move your hips away while the frame holds them in place.
- Turning too far onto your side. — Too far on your side shows them your back and they take it; too little and you cannot cut the angle. — Lift only the hip, shoulder and knee of one side slightly off the mat.
If they defend
- They climb high in mount. → Push the knee down to low mount first.
How to drill it
Shrimping drill 3 × 20 m, then 10 elbow-knee escapes each side; then 1-minute rounds from mount.
What comes next
Where it comes from