My new #1 goal from side mount has become to scoop the near-side arm with my head-side knee, and trap it up in the air. Given the transformation to a tighter game I’m willing myself through, it is really an ideal set-up for everything you could want to do from there (mount, or attack arms or neck).
This is not news to most practitioners, but it is different than my previous, light floating, fast-spinning top-side game.
I’ve known about, and occasionally used, this approach of getting under the arm, but with no real strategy preceding it, besides capitalizing on opponents’ mistake of practically sending a singing telegram asking me to scoop it.
Recently, among the videos I habitually peruse before sleep, I came across the one posted here. I think Brad Wolfson might have recommended this guy’s videos to me before. Anyway, upon seeing this particular tutorial, my interest level might have peaked at about “Neat.” The true impact of the power of this little detail came later, when I was rolling and remembered to try it.
The efficacy and simplicity of this really wowed me.
It has gotten way easier to get under that arm with this little detail… The video here is the one I picked it up from (video should start around 2:34. The detail I’m describing here goes until about 3:50. Don’t miss the narrated examples of Roger Gracie using it begin at 6:16):
As you can see in the video, with the opponent’s hips twisted to face away from you, the options for that trailing elbow are to remain glued to the side of the body (and come off the mat, where it can be attacked), or stay on the mat, leaving a triangle of open space, more than large enough for that knee to scoop.
Getting the opponent to face away is a matter of tipping their knees away, either by rotating around the body “through” them, or threading over the near leg to hold the far one, as Dan shows in the video, or going low-tech, and just pushin’ ’em over, which I’ve been doing with reasonably high success, having missed other subtleties in the video until reviewing it now.
Would love to hear if this helps anyone else, or if anyone else has different entry point ideas. Comment away if so. Hope this helps your game!