Escapes & Counters
Armbar Escapes
Armbar Escape — Foot on Hip Escape
The foot on hip escape is a fundamental counter to the armbar, where the trapped practitioner pla...
Armbar Escape — Forward Roll Escape
The forward roll escape is an advanced technique designed to relieve the pressure of a fully exte...
Armbar Escape — Hip Stack Escape
The hip stack escape involves driving the hips forward into the opponent while they attempt an ar...
Armbar Escape — Hitchhiker
The hitchhiker escape uses the principle of rotating the thumb in the opposite direction of the a...
Armbar Escape — Leg Lift Escape
The leg lift escape employs lifting the hips and legs to relieve armbar pressure. By raising the ...
Armbar Escape — Leg Over Escape
The leg over escape involves swinging a leg over the opponent’s body to relieve armbar pressure. ...
Armbar Escape — Spin Escape
The spin escape rotates the defender toward the attacker’s body to neutralize the armbar. By spin...
Armbar Escape — Stack and Step Out
The Stack and Step Out escape relies on stacking the opponent with forward pressure to shorten th...
Armbar Escape — Step Through
The Step Through escape works by pressing forward to stack the opponent and then stepping through...
Back Escapes
Back Escape — Escaping Seatbelt
The seatbelt grip is a dominant control when an opponent has one arm over the shoulder and one un...
Back Escape — Hip Escape to Guard
Hip escape, or shrimping, is a foundational defensive tool in BJJ, and when applied to back contr...
Back Escape — Leg Grab Escape
The Leg Grab Escape involves controlling the opponent’s lower body, typically by holding one of t...
Back Escape — Leg Over Turn
The Leg Over Turn escape uses momentum and rotational movement to throw one leg over the opponent...
Back Escape — Roll to Guard
Rolling toward the trapped side allows the defender to break hook control and recover full guard....
Back Escape — Shoulder Shrimp
Shoulder Shrimp involves shrimping the shoulders to disengage the opponent’s hooks and reduce che...
Back Escape — Spin Under Shoulder
Spinning under the opponent’s shoulder combines rotation with shoulder alignment to free the back...
Back Escape — Leg Trap Escape
The Leg Trap Escape focuses on using leg positioning to pin or trap one of the opponent’s legs wh...
Back Escape — Spin Under Escape
The Spin Under Escape involves spinning under the opponent’s body while maintaining awareness of ...
Back Escape — Roll Under Defense
Rolling under the opponent’s body shifts their weight distribution, relieving pressure from the b...
Back Escape — Sliding Escape
The Sliding Escape focuses on moving the hips and shoulders laterally to slip out from under the ...
Back Escape — Turn into Opponent
Turning into the opponent rotates the defender’s body toward the opponent to escape back control ...
Back Escape — Seatbelt Spin
The Seatbelt Spin retains partial seatbelt grip control while spinning to escape back control. By...
Knee-on-Belly Escapes
Knee-on-Belly Escape — Bridge Escape
The bridge escape from knee-on-belly uses explosive hip and shoulder movement to unbalance the op...
Knee-on-Belly Escape — Roll and Shrimp
Rolling toward the opponent while shrimping the hips is a controlled escape emphasizing gradual s...
Knee-on-Belly Escape — Side Roll Escape
Rolling to the side offers another angle to escape knee-on-belly. By turning perpendicular to the...
Knee-on-Belly Escape — Shrimp Out
Shrimping out involves moving the hips away from the opponent’s knee pressure, often while contro...
Mount Escapes
Mount Escape — Bridge and Roll
The classic bridge and roll escape from mount uses explosive hip elevation to unbalance the top p...
Mount Escape — Elbow Escape
The Elbow Escape focuses on creating incremental space by sliding the elbows and knees between th...
Mount Escape — Hip Bump
The Hip Bump escape uses an explosive motion to lift the hips and dislodge the opponent forward o...
Mount Escape — Knee Elbow Escape
Finally, the knee-elbow escape is a foundational method combining compact movements and leverage....
Mount Escape — Knee Push Escape
The knee push escape uses the defender’s legs as levers to create space between themselves and th...
Mount Escape — Leg Hook Escape
The leg hook escape focuses on destabilizing the top player by using your legs to manipulate thei...
Mount Escape — Shoulder Roll
The Shoulder Roll uses a rolling motion over one shoulder to redirect the opponent’s weight and c...
Mount Escape — Trap and Hip
The Trap and Hip Escape involves controlling one of the opponent’s arms while sliding the hips ou...
Mount Escape — Up and Over
The Up and Over Escape combines vertical bridging to elevate the hips toward the opponent’s head,...
Mount Escape — Knee Elbow Escape
The Knee Elbow Escape combines simultaneous hip shrinkage with elbow positioning to maximize spac...
Mount Escape — Elbow-Knee Bridge
The Elbow-Knee Bridge uses explosive hip pressure in coordination with elbow placement to create ...
Mount Escape — Hip Switch Roll
The Hip Switch Roll incorporates rotational movement while simultaneously changing hip orientatio...
Mount Escape — Shoulder Shrug Escape
The Shoulder Shrug Escape complements rolling by contracting and shifting the shoulders to rotate...
Mount Escape — Trap and Roll
The Trap and Roll combines arm trapping with a bridging motion to flip the opponent over, convert...
Mount Escape — Up and Shrimp Roll
The Up and Shrimp Roll adds a shrimping motion after the upward bridge, sliding the hips out effi...
Side Control Escapes
Side Control Escape — Bridge and Roll
The Bridge and Roll escape uses explosive hip movement to disrupt the top opponent’s base. Drivin...
Side Control Escape — Bridge to Hip
The Bridge to Hip Escape combines a bridging motion with lateral hip movement, destabilizing the ...
Side Control Escape — Frame and Roll
The Frame and Roll Escape establishes frames on the opponent while rolling toward the frame to re...
Side Control Escape — Elbow Frame
Elbow Frame Escapes place the elbows against the opponent’s shoulders, chest, or neck to maintain...
Side Control Escape — Hip Switch Escape
The Hip Switch Escape emphasizes quickly switching the hips to free trapped legs, opening opportu...
Side Control Escape — Underhook Escapes (Standard, Hip, and Roll)
Underhooks are critical tools for controlling the opponent while escaping. Establishing an underh...
Side Control Escape — Bridge and Turn
The Bridge and Turn variation emphasizes turning toward the opponent while bridging. This allows ...
Side Control Escape — Bridge to Knees
The Bridge to Knees Escape extends the bridging concept by using the motion to free the legs and ...
Side Control Escape — Frame and Shrimp
The Frame and Shrimp Escape uses frames while executing a shrimping motion to slide the hips out ...
Side Control Escape — Shoulder Frame Escape
Shoulder Frame Escapes operate on the same principle as elbows but are especially useful when the...
Side Control Escape — Shrimp to Guard
Shrimping to Guard involves sliding the hips away from the opponent while reinserting the legs to...
Triangle Escapes
Triangle Escape — Arm Inside Roll
The Arm Inside Roll escape involves rolling toward the trapped arm to relieve the pressure of the...
Triangle Escape — Bridge and Stack
The Bridge and Stack escape uses forward pressure to disrupt the opponent’s positioning. By drivi...
Triangle Escape — Posture and Pull Arm
Posturing to pull the trapped arm focuses on regaining vertical alignment to relieve pressure. Th...
Triangle Escape — Posture and Stack
In the Posture and Stack escape, the defender postures up while simultaneously stacking the oppon...
Triangle Escape — Posture Break Escape
The Posture Break Escape relies on creating a posture difference between the attacker and defende...
Triangle Escape — Stack and Leg Pull
The Stack and Leg Pull escape combines stacking the opponent with actively freeing the trapped le...
Triangle Escape — Stack and Pass
Stack and Pass is an aggressive escape aimed at not only relieving the triangle but immediately t...
Triangle Escape — Stack and Step Out
Stack and Step Out is similar to Stack and Pass but focuses on stepping out with the legs to full...
Triangle Escape — Step Over Escape
The Step Over Escape emphasizes using footwork to slip out of the triangle. By stepping over the ...