How To Do A Single Leg Takedown

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One of the most basic moves you will learn while training in wrestling is the Single Leg Takedown. It will be one of the first moves you learn with your wrestling coach along with How To Do The Double Leg Takedown. The single leg takedown is effective in mixed martial arts competition when your stand up game is not working or you have it apart of your overall fight strategy.

The single leg takedown is also effective in a street fight against a bigger opponent. When in a street fight against a larger opponent your two worries should be him throwing wild punches and landed one. If you are smaller chances are it will knock you out cold. The second fear you should have is him successfully executing a takedown and landing on top of you in a full mount position.

You know his next move will be to ground and pound you with all his strength and might. Of course you train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling to effectively protect yourself on the ground, but sometimes it doesn’t work in your favor. That is the reality of it all. And sometimes no matter how good you are on the ground sometimes you will lose.

Look at the greatest UFC and Jiu-Jistu fighters as an example. Some of the greatest fighters get submitted on the ground or knocked out on the ground while their opponent is facing them. Again, that’s the reality of it all. You win some you lose some. Anyhow back to the lesson.

How To Sprawl In MMA

How To Do A Single Leg Takedown

1 – Set Up Your Takedown

One of the single leg takedown mistakes is not setting up your takedown. People who have no experience in fighting will be in a fight and shoot (wrestling term) their body towards their opponent in hopes of grabbing their leg and bringing them to the ground. But as soon as their opponent sees them shooting in they raise their knee and you get hit in the face by it. Or they’ll see you shooting in and move out of the way and you fall straight to the ground.

You have to set up a move like a single leg takedown by jabbing or hooking them. Some fighters use a fake to the top then go in for the takedown. Whatever method you use to set up the takedown make sure that it is effective. There is nothing wort than getting kicked in your face when going in for a predictable takedown.

2 – Leg Grab

After the set up you have to shoot in for the single leg grab. Timing is everything with this move, that’s why it will take hours of practice to perfect. When you go for your shot remember to keep your elbows as close to your sides as possible. If you do this right, it will be nearly impossible for your opponent to defend.

The footwork for the shot is fairly simple. First you take your leg closest to the leg you are attacking and step outside of that leg. This is called the penetration step, the deeper you get the leg the better, just do not over extend yourself. Then you will use your hips to drive his leg up once you’ve grabbed it, this will feel like a hip thrust from a lunge.

You have to grab the leg as soon as possible. Remember to keep your arms tight to your sides as I mentioned before. Don’t reach out to grab the leg, instead lock your arms around the leg at the knee joint when your chest is near his side.

Single Leg Takedown By MMA Legend Dan Henderson

Single Leg Takedown BJJ

Doing a single leg takedown in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a bit different than MMA. Especially when you are in competition. In BJJ competitions you can do Gi or no Gi and this can effect your set up to the takedown in different ways. There are different set up techniques in these two different situations.

In BJJ Gi competition your competitor can latch onto grips with the gi, and fighting through the grips can be incredibly difficult. It is said that often times good wrestlers who get into BJJ with no grip fighting ability are slowed down by the grips or completely stopped in some cases. I have seen this to be true but all it takes is practice to get the hang of things and the wrestler will fit right in when it comes to defending that.

Below is a video of set ups and execution of Single Leg & Double Leg Takedowns

BJJ Single Leg Takedowns

Single Leg Takedown Highlights

MMA Shoot Takedown

In martial arts or any other combat sport a takedown is a technique that involves off-balancing an opponent and bringing him or her to the ground. When this move or technique is executed the objective is for the attacker to land on top.

The process of quickly advancing on an opponent and attempting a takedown is known as shooting for a takedown, or simply shooting. This is what it’s called in the wrestling, BJJ, and MMA world. The technique really originated from wrestling and expanded into different martial art forms.

Takedowns are usually distinguished from throws by the forward motion and target of advancement (typically the legs); the terms are used interchangeably for techniques. Takedowns are featured in all forms of wrestling and stand-up grappling.

Proper Takedown Technique

As I said many times there is a right and wrong way to execute moves and techniques withing wrestling and mixed martial arts in general. You pull off a move then you can have your opponent in a world of hurt. If you fail to be in the proper position or do a move that’s anticipated by your opponent you can be knocked out or submitted with ease.

When conducting a single leg takedown there are simple rules to remember:

1. Setup The Single Leg Takedown

2. When you shoot remember to keep your elbows as close to your sides as possible

3. When you shoot use your hips and legs do not bend over to grab the leg

4. Take your leg closest to the leg you are attacking and step outside of that leg

5. Never step directly into your opponent this will make him sprawl or put you into a guillotine.

6. Step in at and angle and hook the leg closest to you pressing your head against your opponents mid-section. Keep your head on the outside position. It’s the safest

7. Once you have a grip on your opponent’s leg, you must control their leg correctly to prevent their escape.

8. Finish the leg takedown by driving into your opponent and lifting him up or twisting your body so he can spin to the ground. Adjust and amend the technique as you choose

Single Leg Takedown Defense

The best single leg takedown defenseis the Single Leg Sprawl. A sprawl is a wrestling takedown move used in other forms of martial arts such as MMA and BJJ.

The sprawl is performed by scooting the legs backwards, so as to land on the upper back of the opponent attempting the takedown. If you witness this you will see one guy hunched over the back of his opponent pushing down on his neck and sprawling out both of his legs behind him. The resultant position is also known as a sprawl or sprawling position.

You can do this for a single or double leg takedown if done correctly you will effectively defend yourself from a takedown.

Bruce Steinel Low Single Leg Takedown

Bruce Steinel Sweep Single Leg Takedown

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Double Leg Takedown Drills

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I’m going to cover a few Double Leg Takedown Drills in this article. The double leg takedown is one of the most basic takedowns you will learn in wrestling along with the Single Leg Takedown. Wrestling is an important aspect of mma because it allows you to take your opponent to the ground if your stand up game is not working in a fight.

Sometimes you can’t get off the combination strikes you want. Or you can be trying to punch and kick your opponent but he’s anticipating your every move and moving out of the way making it hard to land anything. That’s when you can rely on your wrestling to set up a takedown and try to beat him on the grown.

How To Sprawl In MMA

To be honest the majority of fights do end up on the ground so it’s good to have some wrestling in your mma arsenal. Don’t only practice in the gym and at home but try to watch some Olympic wrestling and mma fights of strong wrestlers. This will help you improve your techniques. If you see a move you like but can’t seem to pull it off at the gym, you can always adjust it to fit your size and strength. Nothing wrong with taking a move and amending it to your satisfaction. it’s done in martial arts all the time.

Double Leg Takedown Steps

Double Leg Takedowns in mma and double leg takedowns in bjj are the same. These moves stem from Greco wrestling and teach the same steps in how to execute the move. There are advanced variation on how to apply the technique but for now I will just go over the straight forward basics. Below are the steps on how to do the move.

We will start off with how to do the takedown without a set up and in the second half of this post get into how to do a takedown with a set up. In a real situation if you are at a distance between you opponent the wise thing to do would be to set up your takedown. This is to disguise it so your opponent won’t anticipate the move and counter it. First you have to learn how to do the move and after you master that you will learn how to set it up.

Staggered Stance

In order to do a double leg takedown you have to get in the proper stance. This stance is called the Staggered Stance. It’s when you bend your knees and crouch down your body to lower your center of gravity.

You can do a double leg takedown from a squared stance but it will take you more time to get your feet into the correct position since your lead (front) leg is the leg used to penetrate.

Set Your Feet And Body Position

To execute the takedown you are going to need to take what is called a “shot” that is when you shoot into your opponent. The power of your shot is generated from your trail properly known as your back leg. Make sure your trail leg is firmly planted slightly behind before you take your penetration step.

Again, your body needs to in a low stance position. Just simply bend your knees and lower your body while keeping your head up and back straight. This will ensure that you’re in a good position in order to penetrate your opponent’s defense.

Take A Deep Step & Drop Your Knee

The plan here is to push off of your back foot and take a deep penetration step two-to-three feet in front of you. This takes some practice so it’s good that you are doing this at home or at your mma gym.

You shouldn’t step so far that you lose balance, but you do want a large enough step to gain enough momentum to penetrate your opponent’s defense and get to his or her legs.

The next step is to roll over your front toe, dropping the knee of your lead leg to the mat in front of you like the picture shown above.

One thing you have to remember while doing this move is not to make the mistake of dropping to the knee of your trail leg or let the knee of your trail leg rest on the mat at any time. It is alright if your trail leg grazes the mat as you shoot, but anytime you drop both of your knees in front of your opponent, he can easily do a double leg takedown defense move called a sprawl.

This step is the most basic but to pull it off with good timing and position takes constant practice. To become good at it I suggest you practice it often on your team mate in the gym or work out partner at home.

Snake The Legs

As you drop to your knee and hit your opponent’s hips with your shoulder, use both of your arms to control both of your opponent’s legs.

To do this you will have to do what many wrestlers called “snaking” that is when you place your arms around the back of your opponent’s knees and to the inside of their calves.

You’re then going to pull their legs toward you tightly. You should keep in mind that won’t have much success trying to out-muscle your opponent above the knees because typically their hips and thighs will be too strong.

Especially with bigger guys some of them have thighs the size of your head lol. And also, If you try to control the legs too low you will most likely take your upper body out of position. The back of the knee is what you want to control.

Your next objective is to step up with your outside leg, which should be your trail leg. What you want to do is step a good distance away from your body and to the side of you so you can push off of this leg to drive your opponent to the mat. The bend of your knee when you do this should be slightly greater than 90 degrees. It’s important to stay in good position with your head and chest up, (your back straight) and with your opponent’s legs pulled tightly to your body.

Execute The Takedown

The final step in this double leg takedown move is to execute the takedown. After your initial step across your opponent’s body, keep running through him. Keep your knees bent and your butt down so you have enough power to drive your opponent’s weight. Take big steps to the outside of your opponent’s body, at a slight angle.

One mistake that beginners make is trying to drive directly forward or to the side. You should never do this because it will put you in an awkward position that your opponent can capitalize off of. Instead, use your head and shoulder to drive your opponent to a slight angle. As you do this, pull your opponent’s legs in a sweeping motion towards the shoulder of your trail leg.

Double Leg Takedown Drills – Trail leg Drill

MMA Takedown Setups

In MMA the fighters set up leg takedowns with strike moves.

You will see a fighter throw punch combos and while his opponent is distracted trying to block those punches he shoots in for a double leg takedown.

Or a fighter will throw kicks and a punch and shoot in for a takedown. In wrestling the set ups are a bit different because you can’t punch or kick. Most set ups are from close range after a couple of faints or off of a grapple move.

The reason why it’s a smart idea to set up a takdown is because it distracts your opponent form anticipating your move. if your opponent anticipates the takedown he can easly defend it. So a set up masks your intentions.

Jordan Burroughs is the 4x American world champion in freestyle wrestling and an Olympian. Below he displays his setups for the takedown.

MMA Strike to setup Double Leg Take down

MMA Double Leg Takedown Setup using level-change and strikes

So that’s it for this lesson. Always be sure to practice all the moves you learn here on the site so you can become proficient at using them. Practice often but in a safe manner. And don’t forget to follow us on social media to tell us how your training is going!

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Tag Archives: wrestling takedowns list

How To Do A Single Leg Takedown

Double Leg Takedown Drills

MMA Takedown Setups