I don’t remember the first time I was placed in full mount, because my mind shut down completely. I was frozen in terror. Everything faded away, and all I could think was that I was about to die. It didn’t matter that the person on top of me was my teacher, who was cracking a joke to calm me down. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed, causing me the same abject panic as a crocodile, ready to death roll me into dinner. No matter how much I trust my instructor, all I can see is a monster who will hurt me. I actually feel that tunnel vision as everything in my brain shuts down to everything but “PANIC” mode.
While I do have personal reasons for the mount to be so traumatizing, even friends who lack the background find the position to be incredibly demoralizing. They describe it as making them feel completely helpless and defeated.
I wish I had a magic pill to cure these feelings, but sadly, it is something people just have to work through. I also imagine this can be very difficult for instructors, who want to tread the narrow line between pushing their students through and avoiding traumatizing them.
So, what’s my advice?
Focus on learning the difference between real danger and being uncomfortable.
I often wondered why full-mount doesn’t count as a submission, because that is what it feels like to me, being completely trapped and helpless. The answer was clear. A submission is when you are physically trapped and unable to escape. A mount is largely psychological. Mount escapes are possible. I just need my mind to understand that.
In Krav Maga, we are taught to distinguish between immediate danger and precursors to dangers. For example, grabbing my shirt is terrifying, but it is actually not dangerous. A person can hold my shirt for an hour. All that will result is that the cloth will be stretched out. It is what happens afterward, such as being dragged or pinned for further control, or a subsequent attack, that poses the actual risk to my life.
As much as I dislike being in the mount, it is actually only uncomfortable. I can have someone sitting on top of me in mount for ten minutes and all that will happen is pressure on my bladder.
Now, of course, my brain is aware that being in mount is a precursor for far worse things to come. So when I’m in that position, my amygdala goes into hyperdrive, to make sure that I avoid the danger ahead. This is what leads to panic.
Learn to be uncomfortable.
Much of fear comes from the unknown. As humans, the unknown was a place where danger could lurk, and therefore, our brains trained us to be hyper-alert. The only way to combat that is to get familiar with the environment. Therefore, one of the best ways to deal with that panic is to actually let yourself go into the mount with a trusted training partner, or in private study with an instructor. As terrifying as it is, it can also be helpful to just lay there and see nothing bad is actually going to happen.
If the position is extremely stressful, you can begin by getting into mount and counting down out loud from one to ten. At number ten, the training partner will immediately dismount. This will force you to breathe, as you say the words. It will also be a controlled environment, requiring only a few seconds of endurance. When you count down, you know the end is coming and you just have to hold on a little longe
As you become more comfortable, you can extend the period to fifteen seconds, and keep going until you are far more comfortable in the position. It may take a lot of tries before it sticks, and there may be panic attacks and tears. Be kind to yourself and accept that you have to retrain your brain to accept it.
Advice to Instructors.
I am not a teacher, but I can offer my perspective from my side of the mat. Your students breaking down in mount are really suffering. Please show them patience and encourage them to make incremental progress.
If the student is truly terrified when teaching them mounts, you should immediately teach the simplest escape with it. There is no greater joy I feel when watching the light in the eyes of new students who are freaking out over the mount and then buck me off. They look like they have just pulled Excalibur from the Stone. They are suddenly aware of their own power. As helpless as the mount made them feel, they do not need to give up. They have options.
Once their brains know escape is possible, the feeling becomes far more manageable. They feel less trapped, as they feel empowered to realize they can develop the skills needed to deal with this position.
Off the mat, Elke is a real estate attorney and blogger, with degrees in urban planning, law, and history. She has worked in both the non-profit and profit sectors, has been awarded numerous fellowships, including serving as the Biodiversity Fellow at the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection. She’s proud to serve on the Board of Debate for Peace, which she insists counts as verbal sparring practice.
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As a fellow Krav Maga practitioner and special education teacher, I absolutely loved reading this article. Thank you Elke for sharing your experiences and challenges. Your commitment, strength and passion for helping others is truly inspiring and admirable.
Thank you so much for your beautiful comment! I really appreciate it! I just hope it helps others, I know I still fear the mount.