Knee-on-stomach, or knee-on-belly, knee-on-chest, knee-ride, knee mount (''uki-gatame'', 浮固, "floating hold"
[Kawaishi, Mikonosuke (1955). ''My method of judo''. W. Foulsham & Co.] in
budō
is a Japanese language, Japanese term describing modern Japanese martial arts. It is commonly translated as "Martial Way", or the "Way of Martial Arts".
Etymology
is a compound of the root ( or ; ), meaning "war" or "martial"; and ( or ; ), ...
), is a
dominant ground grappling position where the top combatant places a
knee
In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...
on the bottom combatant's
torso
The torso or trunk is an anatomical terminology, anatomical term for the central part, or the core (anatomy), core, of the body (biology), body of many animals (including human beings), from which the head, neck, limb (anatomy), limbs, tail an ...
, and usually extends the other
leg
A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element cap ...
to the side for balance. This position is typically obtained from
side control
In grappling, side control (often also called side mount, cross mount, 100 kilos) is a dominant ground grappling position where the top combatant is lying perpendicularly over the face-up bottom combatant in such a way that the legs are free an ...
, simply by rising up slightly and putting a knee on the opponent's
stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the upper gastrointestinal tract of Human, humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The Ancient Greek name for the stomach is ''gaster'' which is used as ''gastric'' in medical t ...
or
chest
The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen.
In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...
.
Use

Knee-on-stomach is an advantageous position, where the top combatant can effectively
strike
Strike may refer to:
People
*Strike (surname)
* Hobart Huson, author of several drug related books
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
* Airstrike, ...
similarly to in the
mounted position, and also
transition into various
holds or other
positions, and also easily disengage and escape if needed. It is not however considered as stable as the mount, which on the other hand complements the knee-on-stomach well, since it is possible to easily transition from one to another in response to escape or
sweep attempts by the opponent. A common
submission hold
A grappling hold, commonly referred to simply as a hold that in Japanese is referred to as ''katame-waza'' ( "grappling technique"), is any specific grappling, wrestling, judo, or other martial art grip that is applied to an opponent. Grapplin ...
applied from this
position
Position often refers to:
* Position (geometry), the spatial location (rather than orientation) of an entity
* Position, a job or occupation
Position may also refer to:
Games and recreation
* Position (poker), location relative to the dealer
* ...
is the
juji-gatame armbar, which can be performed if the opponent extends his or her hands in an attempt to push the top combatant off. The top combatant can sometimes
submit the bottom combatant from this position by simply using his or her weight to compress the
torso
The torso or trunk is an anatomical terminology, anatomical term for the central part, or the core (anatomy), core, of the body (biology), body of many animals (including human beings), from which the head, neck, limb (anatomy), limbs, tail an ...
, hence causing
pain
Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging Stimulus (physiology), stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sense, sensory and emotional experience associated with, or res ...
and
compressive asphyxia.
See also
*
Back mount
Back mount, or rear mount (often confused with back control), is a dominant grappling position where the practitioner is on their opponent's back in such a way that they have control of their opponent (in back control, the practitioner controls ...
*
Guard
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison gu ...
*
Half guard
Half guard (or half mount) is a defensive ground grappling position where one combatant is lying on the other, with the bottom combatant having one leg entangled. Sometimes the bottom combatant is said to be in half guard, while the top comba ...
*
North-south position
References
Further reading
* Gracie; Renzo, Gracie, Royler; Peligro, Kid; Danaher, John (2001). ''Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and technique''. Invisible Cities Press. .
* Page, Nicky
Groundfighting 101 ''homepage.ntlworld.com''. URL last accessed March 4, 2006.
* Thomas, David
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Notes: Knee on Chest austinmma.com Technique Catalog. URL last accessed December 13, 2006.
*Kawaishi, Mikonosuke (1955). ''My method of judo''. W. Foulsham & Co.
External links
Collar choke (Knee on stomach, with gi)Elbow lock (Knee on stomach, with gi)Heel hook Shows a
heel hook Heel hook may refer to:
* Heel hook, in grappling
* A climbing technique
Climbing technique refers to a broad range of physical movements used in the activity or sport of climbing.
Notable sub-groups of climbing technique include:
*Aid climbin ...
from the bottom.
Uki-gatame Shows uki-gatame in
Judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
.
{{grappling
Grappling positions
Brazilian jiu-jitsu techniques
Knee