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According to the IBJJF, knee-on-belly happens:

When the athlete on top and free of the opponent's guard, places the knee or shin (closest to the opponent's hip) on the opponent’s belly, chest or ribs, without the opposite knee touching the ground, maintaining the position stable for 3 seconds, while the opponent is lying on his/her back or side.

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As far as I know, this position exists only in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I'm curious to know what the origin of this position is. Different positions like mount and back-take, knee-on-belly look to me like they originated from Jiu Jitsu.

brazofuerte
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AFetter
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1 Answers1

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Knee-on-belly in BJJ likely originates from judo, as it is depicted in several early 20th century judo manuals (under the name uki-gatame, "floating hold"):

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My Method of Judo (p.154) (1955)

However the restraint itself is found in many combat disciplines around the world predating judo and (like many throws and joint-locks) was likely independently developed in many cultures and sports:

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Solider on ground attempts to counter opponent's knee-pin. Bas-relief at Angkor Wat, Cambodia (c.1100).
brazofuerte
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