Mount Escape for Police Officers: Find the Missing Table Leg
By Amir Khillah, use-of-force & subject-control SME
Scrambles happen, and sometimes an officer ends up on the bottom with a person mounted on top. A mount escape for police officers has to work with duty gear on, under strikes, on hard ground. This class footage covers the bottom position, the bridge-and-trap escape, and the one concept that ties every sweep together.
The bottom position: your standard if you get mounted
Before any escape, get to the standard position: feet close to your hips, elbows in so he can't creep up into your armpits, hands up in front of your face, and head off the ground. Head up gives you room to maneuver, and if he punches, you're not taking it straight into the concrete.
Bridge and trap: making him post
Push against the floor with your feet and raise your hips as high as you can. The goal is to make him post his hands, because hands that are posting aren't punching or choking. When he posts, reach around and pull that elbow in tight so the post comes completely off the ground. Lay the leg on that side flat, push hard with the opposite leg and come up on your shoulder.
The table concept behind every sweep
Think of the person on top as a table. Trap an arm and you've taken away a table leg. He can still stand on three posts, so apply pressure at a 45-degree angle toward the leg that's missing, and the table topples. The concept is the same in the mount or the guard: find the table, or create it, eliminate a leg, apply pressure in that vector.
When he posts a leg to stop the roll
A savvy person kicks a leg out to the side for base. Two fixes: don't push at 90 degrees into that post, push at 45 away from it; and trap the leg with your thigh or foot before you bridge up and over.
Training progression
Partner postures up, no resistance. Bottom officer sets the standard position. Five reps.
Bridge, trap the arm, trap the leg, roll. Switch roles.
Top partner kicks a leg out; bottom officer traps it and rolls at 45.
Add light resistance. Train away from walls and cages so nobody gets hurt.
If the bridge doesn't work, go to the elbow escape from mount. For why ground skills matter for officers, see my Police1 article Is Brazilian jiu-jitsu the optimal defensive tactic for law enforcement?
Frequently asked questions
How do police officers escape the mount?
From the bottom, keep feet close to your hips, elbows in, hands up and head off the ground. Bridge hard to make him post, trap the posted arm and its leg, then bridge at a 45-degree angle over the missing post.
What is the 'table' concept in ground escapes?
Picture the person on top as a table on four legs. Remove one leg by trapping an arm or leg, then apply pressure at 45 degrees toward the missing leg so the table topples.
Why keep your head off the ground?
Head up gives you room to move, and if he starts striking, your head isn't being driven into concrete.
What if he posts his leg out to stop the roll?
Don't push at 90 degrees into the post. Trap the leg with your thigh or foot and bridge at a 45 up and over, away from his base.
Related reading: Centurion training for agencies · The Officer's Top-10 Field Guide · Training a spouse or family member? Guardian Ludus civilian self-defense
About the author. Amir Khillah is a use-of-force and subject-control subject matter expert and a peace officer based in the Kalamazoo, Michigan area. He founded Centurion Modern Subject Control, previously taught subject control at a regional police academy, and has written for Police1. He holds a 2nd-degree BJJ black belt and a 6th-degree Combat Hapkido black belt, is a U.S. Army Combatives Level II Instructor and a certified firearms instructor, and a retired professional MMA fighter (TUF 12, Bellator), and holds an M.S. in Human Performance from Western Michigan University.
Want this taught to your officers or DT instructors? Email booking@centurionmsc.com.
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