If someone is pinning you effectively then they probably have pretty good control over both sides of your body.
This can make escape very difficult.
Your escapes are made much easier if you off-balance your opponent before escaping, which is an application of kuzushi. If your opponent is off-balance, then he’ll be focused on getting back into good position instead of submitting you, and also it’ll open up potential escape routes.
This idea applies to all pin escapes but is probably easiest to illustrate from the bottom of the mount.
Think of your mounted opponent as a giant triangle above your body that you can tilt to the left and to the right.
When you tip that triangle to one side, you create room to escape on the other side.
This creates a dilemma for your opponent. For example, if he makes his left knee light then you might use the elbow-knee escape. And if he adjusts his weight the other way you might scoot out and put him in the Single Leg X guard.
To help you apply this concept check out this video with lots of examples here…
Video Highlights
0:05 The Tipping the Triangle Principle0:37 The Kipping Escape1:15 The Elbow-Knee Escape2:05 The Tripod Escape2:33 Side Mount Reframing
P.S. Some of the kooky background imagery in this video is a commentary on how particularly vulnerable some members of the BJJ community are to reflexive conspiratorial thinking. Yes, there have been conspiracies in this world, but no, not everything is a conspiracy!!
If you want an antidote to this reflexive conspiracism, then check out The Strenuous Life Podcast for a dose of data-driven BJJ and occasional rants about approaching the world through the lens of science.
P.P.S. Do you often find yourself pinned on the bottom of mount, smashed in side control, crushed by the knee ride, or unable to escape from north-south?
If so, then is on the way! I’ve been working on a brand new Grapplearts instructional that’ll absolutely change how people learn and use pin escapes. I guarantee it’ll change your game.
Enter your best email below to get this before any of your training partners and a special email-only discount….
Thanks,
Stephan Kesting
