Reverse Mount

Last updated: June 7, 2026

What is the reverse mount?

The reverse mount happens when the top grappler ends up on the opponent’s torso but turned around, looking down toward the feet rather than the face. The knees sit roughly around the opponent’s hips or ribs, and the weight presses down through their midsection. It is, in plain terms, a regular mount flipped 180 degrees.

That orientation changes what the position is good for. A standard mount points the top player at the head, where chokes and armlocks live. The reverse mount points them at the legs, so it trades away those upper-body attacks in exchange for something else: control. Facing the legs shuts down the opponent’s ability to turn onto their side or bridge explosively, the two things they need to escape.

Most grapplers never set out to land here. The reverse mount tends to appear on its own, usually mid-scramble, after a back take falls apart, or when someone bridges hard to throw off a normal mount and the top player rides the spin instead of fighting it. Rather than abandon the top, they stay connected and use the position as a holding point until a better one opens up.

How the reverse mount works

Control in the reverse mount comes from hips and balance far more than from raw pressure. Because the top player faces the legs, their hips block the opponent’s hips, and a person who cannot move their hips cannot run the standard mount escapes. Stephan Kesting, who learned the position at an Erik Paulson seminar, points out that the chest-down weight also bears on the diaphragm, which makes breathing genuinely uncomfortable for the person underneath.

Balance is the catch. The position sits high on the body, and the top player’s eyes point away from the opponent’s upper half, so leaning too far in either direction invites a reversal. Centered weight and live knees, ready to adjust, are what hold it together. Settle in too long, and the bottom player starts working toward the legs or the back.

It also opens a clear door to leg attacks. Facing the legs puts kneebars, toeholds, and heel hooks within reach, which is why the reverse mount shows up so often in no-gi and submission grappling, where those finishes are legal.

Reverse mount vs other positions

A lot of confusion around the reverse mount comes from mixing it up with positions that look similar from the outside. The table below sorts out the differences.

Position	Top player faces	Primary use	Scores in IBJJF?
Traditional mount	Opponent’s head	Chokes, armlocks, control	Yes, 4 points
Reverse mount	Opponent’s legs	Control, leg-lock entries	No
North-south	Opponent’s head, chest-to-chest, lying flat	Chokes, kimura	No (pin, not a scoring position on its own)
Back mount	Opponent’s back, them face-down	Chokes, back control	Yes, 4 points

The one people trip over most is north-south. In north-south, the top player lies chest-to-chest over the opponent’s head with their own legs up by the head, whereas the reverse mount has them sitting upright astride the torso looking at the feet. Different positions, different jobs. A few sites also loosely call a seatbelt-style back position a “reverse mount,” but that usage is the odd one out. The standard meaning across coaches is the legs-facing top position described here.

Does the reverse mount score points?

This is where the answer depends entirely on the ruleset, and it is the detail most write-ups skip. Under IBJJF rules, the mount is worth four points, but the points are tied to the standard head-facing orientation; a reverse mount is not a recognized scoring position and earns nothing. Referees have been clear about this for years.

ADCC treats it differently. Under ADCC submission-grappling rules, the mount is worth two points, and a reverse mount also scores two, according to BJJ Fanatics’ breakdown of the ruleset. So the same body position pays out under one rulebook and pays nothing under another.

Legality is separate from scoring, and the reverse mount itself is legal everywhere. What changes is the leg attacks it feeds into. Under IBJJF rules, the straight ankle lock is open to most belts, and the kneebar opens up at brown and black belt, while heel hooks are restricted to specific no-gi divisions. ADCC and many modern no-gi events allow the full range. Knowing which finishes are on the table is what tells a grappler whether the position is worth chasing in a given match.

Why the reverse mount matters in BJJ and MMA

For a position that scores nothing under the most common competition rules, the reverse mount earns its keep in a different currency. Its value is staying on top. When a scramble goes sideways, and the alternatives are resetting to neutral or losing the top entirely, holding a reverse mount keeps the top player in the dominant half of the exchange while they find the way back to mount, side control, or the back.

The leg-lock connection is the other half of the story. Modern no-gi grappling revolves around lower-body attacks, and a position that drops a grappler facing the legs is a natural feeder for kneebars and heel hooks. Kesting has described starting in north-south, jumping forward into reverse mount, and finishing with a kneebar, a sequence that turns an awkward-looking pin into a finish.

MMA shifts the calculus again. There are no points for it in the cage, but the diaphragm pressure and the top control still matter, and the orientation can free up space to posture for ground strikes before moving to a more orthodox attacking position.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the reverse mount a legal position in BJJ?

Yes. The position is legal across rulesets. Only the submissions attacked from it, such as heel hooks, carry belt, or division restrictions.

Should a grappler stay in the reverse mount for a long time?

No. It works best as a brief holding point. The longer the top player sits there, the more time the bottom player has to attack the legs or recover.

Is the reverse mount better in gi or no-gi?

It shows up more in no-gi and submission grappling, both because scrambles move faster without grips and because the leg attacks it sets up are more widely allowed there.

Does the reverse mount stop the opponent from bridging?

It limits hip movement, the engine behind most bridges, but it does not shut bridging down by itself. Active balance from the top player is still doing the work.

How is the reverse mount different from north-south?

In north-south, the top player lies chest-to-chest over the opponent’s head; in the reverse mount, they sit astride the torso facing the feet. The body orientation and the attacks available from each are different.

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Sources

1. Evolve MMA. “BJJ 101: The Reverse Mount.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://evolve-mma.com/blog/bjj-101-the-reverse-mount/
2. Grapplearts (Stephan Kesting). “The Reverse Mount; Another Unorthodox BJJ Position.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://www.grapplearts.com/the-reverse-mount-another-unorthodox-bjj-position/
3. Grapplearts (Stephan Kesting). “Escaping the Reverse Mount the Proper Way.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://www.grapplearts.com/escaping-reverse-mount-proper-way/
4. BJJ Fanatics. “BJJ Point System.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://bjjfanatics.com/blogs/news/bjj-point-system
5. Jitsmagazine. “How Does The IBJJF Points System Work?” Accessed June 2026.
   https://jitsmagazine.com/how-does-the-ibjjf-points-system-work/
6. NAGA. “How Does the BJJ Scoring System Work?” Accessed June 2026.
   https://www.nagafighter.com/how-does-the-bjj-scoring-system-work/

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