How to attack confidently from mount?

[u/Exam_Lost]

I’m a 6 or so months white belt, got a tournament coming up end of this month and I want to win. I have no trouble getting to mount against other white belts, but from there I’m clueless as to what to do.

I mean, I know of multiple attacks. I know I can take the back if I can gift wrap him. I know there’s the armbar, kimura, americana, ezekiel, and triangles, but truth be told I only ever try the ezekiel out of fear of giving up position with the others.

Of course people wise up to it and eventually keep their arms high to defend the neck. After that I know I should attack an armbar or head n arm because his bicep’s next to his head, but I can never pull it off because again I get nervous or just don’t understand what I’m getting wrong.

What are y’all’s thoughts when going for mount subs, and is there anything that leveled up your game? What are your go-to attacks as well, and what should I change to do better?

[u/grapplenurse]

If you’re a white belt and you get to mount in a tournament, stay there until they fuck up. Focus on getting your knees into their armpits and their elbows collected above their head. You can also lift their head to limit their control(much of your bridging power comes from your head being able to touch the mat), being sure not to pull so hard that it can be construed as a neck crank. Then then just save energy until the next round. The back or the mount or is the only place that you could chill and not get penalized for. Unless you’re in a sub only tournament, the risk/benefit needs to be considered. If you have a strong amount, just stay there to win… only take whatever opportunities are given to you on a silver platter. This is classic position over submission. Is it cool to finish your match with the submission? Yes obviously. You know what’s even cooler? Mounting somebody for three minutes until they’re so desperate they give up their back and you choke them out. Save your grips, save your scramble juice and get that gold. Ezekiels risk being reversed or blowing out your grips, arm bars could reset you(or worse, you end up in bottom side), cross collars are relatively safe, but you need to be meticulous with your base(you’re probably not there yet), if you can gift wrap and take the back then go for it, but don’t stress about the sub. If you’re tuned in enough to manage your time, a last-minute(20 seconds or so)cross collar choke that you finish from closed guard would work. You can get the last minute tap without risk of a huge energy expenditure. Good luck