Keep It on the Ear
pins
Grapplers Collective, Keep It on the Ear. 5-6 min rounds.
Problem
Isolating one arm to its own ear from mount and keeping it there.
Tell the room
Top drives the underhooked arm until the bottom's biceps touches their own ear, then keeps it there. Bottom recovers guard, reverses, or clears the underhooks and gets both elbows to the ribs. If the arm is still on the ear when the round ends, the top scores.
Setup
Start mounted with crossface and underhook. Top in mount, hips low, one arm across the face, the other under the bottom's near arm. Bottom flat, far elbow tight.
Score
Arm on the ear at the end.
- Top — the bottom's own biceps held against their own ear when the round ends
- Bottom — recovers any guard, or reverses to top
- Bottom — clears every underhook and gets both elbows onto their own ribs
Rules
- Body holds it, not hands. Hands may move the arm; a head, chest, shoulder, knee, or shin must hold it.
- Both elbows, or nothing. The frame escape counts only with no underhook and both elbows on the ribs.
- No submissions. The hold scores, not the finish.
Adjust
Easier
Start with the arm already on the ear, so the top only has to solve keeping it.
Harder
Start with the underhook only, no crossface. The top earns head position before the arm moves.
If it stalls
If the top grabs the wrist with both hands and gets bridged, ask what their knees are doing.
TOP PLAYER
POSITION
Top in mount, hips low, one arm across the face, the other under the bottom's near arm. Bottom flat, far elbow tight.
OBJECTIVE
Top drives the underhooked arm until the bottom's biceps touches their own ear, then keeps it there. Bottom recovers guard, reverses, or clears the underhooks and gets both elbows to the ribs. If the arm is still on the ear when the round ends, the top scores.
CONSTRAINTS
Body holds it, not hands. Hands may move the arm; a head, chest, shoulder, knee, or shin must hold it. Both elbows, or nothing. The frame escape counts only with no underhook and both elbows on the ribs. No submissions. The hold scores, not the finish.
WIN CONDITION
the bottom's own biceps held against their own ear when the round ends
BOTTOM PLAYER
POSITION
Top in mount, hips low, one arm across the face, the other under the bottom's near arm. Bottom flat, far elbow tight.
OBJECTIVE
Top drives the underhooked arm until the bottom's biceps touches their own ear, then keeps it there. Bottom recovers guard, reverses, or clears the underhooks and gets both elbows to the ribs. If the arm is still on the ear when the round ends, the top scores.
CONSTRAINTS
Body holds it, not hands. Hands may move the arm; a head, chest, shoulder, knee, or shin must hold it. Both elbows, or nothing. The frame escape counts only with no underhook and both elbows on the ribs. No submissions. The hold scores, not the finish.
WIN CONDITION
recovers any guard, or reverses to top; clears every underhook and gets both elbows onto their own ribs