Reverse Mount is a transitional dominant position where the practitioner sits on the opponent’s torso while facing away from their head, essentially mounted in the opposite direction from standard mount. This position scores 4 points (same as standard mount in IBJJF) but possesses fundamentally different control dynamics and sustainability characteristics due to its backward orientation.
The defining characteristic of reverse mount is the inverted positioning: the top practitioner’s back faces the opponent’s head while sitting on their chest or abdomen. This creates unique challenges - no head control, inability to see opponent’s face for reaction cues, and different weight distribution requirements. However, it also creates opportunities for specific submissions and serves as an excellent transitional platform to standard mount or back control.
For the bottom practitioner, reverse mount represents a highly defensive situation where traditional mount escape frames cannot be effectively established. The defender cannot see the attacker’s upper body movements, making defense more challenging and requiring heightened proprioceptive awareness. The exposed back creates immediate submission threats, particularly rear naked chokes if the top player transitions to back control.
The position’s main strategic value is as a stepping stone rather than a destination. It typically occurs during scrambles, failed back take attempts, or when opponents turn away during standard mount control. Experienced practitioners recognize reverse mount immediately and flow smoothly to standard mount (simply turning to face forward) or back control (inserting hooks from the reverse position). Attempting to hold reverse mount for extended periods typically results in increased escape success for the opponent.
The position’s moderate risk level reflects its transitional nature - dominant enough to score points and create submissions, but vulnerable enough to require quick decision-making about which superior position to convert to. Understanding both perspectives - the control mechanisms from top and the escape hierarchy from bottom - is essential for complete positional mastery.
Key Principles
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Reverse mount is always transitional - recognize immediately and flow to superior position
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Top player must decide quickly: standard mount or back control within 5 seconds
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Bottom player must protect neck first, then create movement to turn and establish frames
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Weight distribution through hips onto chest is critical despite backward orientation
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Visual awareness is compromised for both players - rely on proprioception and feel
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Position occurs naturally during scrambles - pattern recognition enables smooth transitions
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Bottom escape priority: prevent back control, then turn to face opponent or re-guard
Top vs Bottom
| Bottom | Top | |
|---|---|---|
| Position Type | Defensive | Offensive/Controlling |
| Risk Level | High | Medium |
| Energy Cost | High | Medium |
| Time | Short | Short |
Key Difference: Backward orientation enables rapid transitions
Playing as Bottom
Key Principles
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Immediately protect neck with chin tucked and hands defending collar/throat area to prevent rear naked choke
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Prevent opponent from establishing hooks or seat belt control by keeping elbows tight and hips heavy
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Create movement through hip escapes and shoulder rolls to turn into opponent and establish frames
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Never allow opponent to flatten you completely - maintain some angle and keep trying to turn
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Prioritize survival and escape over attempting sweeps or submissions from this inferior position
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Use explosive bridge and turn movements to create space and opportunities to re-guard or escape to less dangerous positions
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Keep one shoulder off the mat when possible to maintain escape options and prevent complete flattening
Primary Techniques
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- Success Rate: Beginner 20%, Intermediate 35%, Advanced 50%
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- Success Rate: Beginner 15%, Intermediate 25%, Advanced 35%
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- Success Rate: Beginner 10%, Intermediate 20%, Advanced 35%
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- Success Rate: Beginner 8%, Intermediate 15%, Advanced 25%
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Technical Standup → Standing Position
- Success Rate: Beginner 5%, Intermediate 12%, Advanced 20%
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Rolling to Guard → Butterfly Guard
- Success Rate: Beginner 12%, Intermediate 22%, Advanced 35%
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Explosive Bridge → Deep Half Guard
- Success Rate: Beginner 8%, Intermediate 18%, Advanced 30%
Common Mistakes
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❌ Staying flat on stomach without attempting to turn or create angle
- Consequence: Allows opponent to easily flatten defender completely, establish hooks, and transition to back control or apply rear naked choke
- ✅ Correction: Constantly work to turn shoulders, create angles, and prevent complete flattening by keeping one shoulder off mat and hips mobile
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❌ Extending arms away from body in panic response
- Consequence: Exposes arms to kimura attacks, arm triangles, and other submissions while eliminating defensive frames needed for escape
- ✅ Correction: Keep elbows tight to ribs, hands protecting neck, using compact defensive posture until escape opportunity presents itself
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❌ Failing to protect neck immediately when position is established
- Consequence: Allows opponent easy access to rear naked choke or other collar chokes, potentially ending match quickly
- ✅ Correction: First action must be chin tuck with hands protecting collar/neck area, prioritizing choke defense above all other concerns
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❌ Attempting to roll or bridge without creating necessary angles first
- Consequence: Wastes energy on ineffective escape attempts while opponent maintains control and advances position
- ✅ Correction: Use hip movement to create angles first, then time explosive bridge or roll when opponent’s weight is off-balance or shifted
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❌ Giving up and accepting the position without continuous escape attempts
- Consequence: Allows opponent to methodically advance to back control or secure submissions with minimal resistance
- ✅ Correction: Maintain constant movement and defensive posture, looking for any opportunity to improve position even when situation appears dire
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❌ Trying to turn into opponent too quickly without establishing frames
- Consequence: Turns directly into mount bottom or gives up arms for kimura/armbar without improving defensive situation
- ✅ Correction: Create space with hip escapes first, establish frames on hips or knees, then turn strategically when opponent’s weight allows
Playing as Top
Key Principles
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Transitional Recognition: Understanding this position is temporary and should convert quickly to standard mount or back control
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Weight Distribution: Proper weight through buttocks onto chest prevents bridging escapes despite backward orientation
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Balance Through Core: Core engagement maintains balance while facing away from opponent’s center of mass
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Quick Transition Mindset: Mental preparedness to flow immediately to superior positions rather than forcing reverse mount control
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Opportunistic Submissions: Recognizing brief submission windows without over-committing to attacks from unstable position
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Knee Control: Wide knee positioning provides base and prevents opponent hip movement
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Position Hierarchy Awareness: Recognizing that standard mount and back control are superior end goals
Primary Techniques
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- Success Rate: Beginner 50%, Intermediate 70%, Advanced 85%
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Back Take Generic → Back Control
- Success Rate: Beginner 40%, Intermediate 60%, Advanced 75%
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Mount to Armbar → Armbar Control
- Success Rate: Beginner 25%, Intermediate 40%, Advanced 55%
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- Success Rate: Beginner 20%, Intermediate 35%, Advanced 50%
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Side Control to Mount → S Mount
- Success Rate: Beginner 30%, Intermediate 45%, Advanced 60%
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Transition to North-South → North-South
- Success Rate: Beginner 35%, Intermediate 50%, Advanced 65%
Common Mistakes
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❌ Attempting to Maintain Reverse Mount Long-Term
- Consequence: Position becomes progressively less stable over time, opponent adapts to unusual control dynamic, escape probability increases significantly, energy expenditure increases without corresponding control improvement
- ✅ Correction: Recognize reverse mount as transitional immediately upon entry, make decision within 3-5 seconds (standard mount, back control, or quick submission), execute transition smoothly without hesitation. If you’ve been in reverse mount for more than 10-15 seconds without clear submission setup, you’re making this error.
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❌ Insufficient Weight on Chest
- Consequence: Opponent can bridge effectively and create angles for escape, makes position unstable and easy to reverse, reduces control effectiveness and increases opponent’s ability to turn into defensive positions
- ✅ Correction: Keep hips heavy and sink weight directly onto opponent’s sternum/upper abdomen through buttocks and lower back, maintain forward lean with core engagement, eliminate space between your lower body and their chest. Weight should feel oppressive to bottom player even without head control.
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❌ Narrow Knee Base
- Consequence: Unstable balance facing backward, easy for opponent to tip you off-balance with minimal hip movement, vulnerability to bridge-and-roll escapes increases dramatically, difficult to maintain position during opponent’s defensive movements
- ✅ Correction: Keep knees wide and positioned outside opponent’s ribcage, create broad base similar to standard mount but adjusted for backward orientation, engage adductors to maintain connection while allowing flexibility for balance adjustments, feet should be positioned near or past opponent’s shoulders.
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❌ Hands Not Posted for Balance
- Consequence: Loss of stability when opponent moves, difficulty maintaining position during escape attempts, vulnerability to being rolled backward or having weight shifted, reduced reaction time to opponent’s defensive actions
- ✅ Correction: Keep at least one hand posted on mat for balance support, use hands to sense opponent’s movement and adjust weight distribution, alternate hand posting with leg control as needed, maintain connection with mat for stability reference while facing away from opponent’s upper body.
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❌ Over-Committing to Submissions from Reverse Mount
- Consequence: Loss of position entirely, opponent escapes to better position during submission attempt, wasted energy on low-percentage attacks, failure to recognize better opportunities in standard mount or back control
- ✅ Correction: Only attempt submissions if setup is completely obvious and opponent has made critical defensive error, prioritize transitioning to standard mount or back control over forcing submissions, use reverse mount primarily as transition platform rather than submission platform, maintain position hierarchy awareness.
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❌ Ignoring Opponent’s Head Position
- Consequence: Missed opportunities for back control when opponent turns, failure to recognize turtle transition possibilities, reduced awareness of opponent’s escape attempts since you cannot see their face or upper body clearly
- ✅ Correction: Maintain awareness of opponent’s head position through feel and peripheral vision, recognize that head turning toward either side signals back take opportunity, use hands to monitor shoulder and head movement, stay cognizant that backward facing reduces visual information requiring heightened proprioceptive awareness.