Today we are going to look at one of my favorite escapes from the mount. The mount escape to heel hook is one of the first leg lock transitions that I perfected. I’ve blogged about this transition in the past where we focused on bridging our hips up to create the space needed to secure the escape. Today I wanted to look at a variation of that transition that I have been using a lot more that uses the shrimp escape.

The video below comes from leg lock guru Dan Fagella. Dan focuses his jiu jitsu game on attacks for smaller guys but you can pull this move off regardless of size. I really liked how Dan breaks down how he sets up this escape. By moving onto your side you can either go for this move or if you prefer recover half guard. Having options is a great way to keep your opponent guessing.

One thing I personally would add to Dan’s entrance is to hug the knee as you move onto your side. I have become a firm believer of hugging the knee when setting up leg locks. By hugging the knee you maintain control of the leg and prevent your opponent from just pulling the leg out. Yes you can do this move without holding the knee but holding the knee makes it even tighter.

Want to learn this move? You know the deal….Check out 10thplanetvannuys.com and stop by and take a class. If you mention that you read this post I’ll personally show you this technique!