
Basic Jiu Jitsu Takedowns

Once your opponent is down on the ground, they are unable to generate as much force in their movements which limits their ability to more easily defend and attack
Ultimately, if you are new to bjj and wrestling then this post is for you.
What Are Basic Jiu Jitsu Takedowns You Should Know
The basic jiu jitsu takedowns are that you should know are single leg takedowns and double leg takedowns. From my own training the highest percentage setups being from snap downs and arm drags or from a distance with no setup or a fake head grab.
These statistics were taken from observing a week of all the wrestling classes that my gym offers (4 wrestling classes total).
During these classes, I made note of the specific setups and takedowns that were hit successfully by the trainees.
With these details in mind it is important to focus on learning both single leg and double leg takedowns. While achieving these takedowns is definitely possible and highly successfully (as observed from the graph above), it is important to focus on use proper setups like arm drags or snap downs.
Achieving these takedowns without a setup relies more on your athletic ability in terms of if you can reach your partner’s legs before they sprawl or defend.
Using proper wrestling setups enable you to rely more on technique instead of speed or strength which is what Brazilian jiu jitsu is all about.
These techniques have few details to remember making it easy to remember and master.
But keep in mind that it may take time for you to finally grasp the concept, but what is important is that you try and keep learning.
Tips to learn takedowns:
- drill your takedowns (they require more drilling than your average bjj techniques
- practice them with some resistance with a training partner your trust
- begin to incorporate them into your live training slowly by choosing one takedown to work each class
Double Leg Takedown
A good start for first learning the double leg takedown is by either:
- first, learning to wrestle up to a double leg from the seated position
- this will teach the mechanics of the movement without the risk of shooting from your feet
- second, learn to effectively snap your opponent down then enter into your double leg takdown
- a snap down is used like a jab in boxing, you should frequently be snapping your opponent down as well as faking shots
Single Leg Takedown
Single leg takedown is the most popular and most used especially for the BJJ beginners.
Whereas a double leg takedown is harder to enter but easier to finish, a single leg takedown is easier to enter but harder to finish
Know that there are different variations for this attack. But for the mid level single leg takedown, all you have to do is shoot yourself to their leg, make sure that your forehead or template is to their chest and then you will grab the back of the knee.
From here, you will now be able to off balance your opponent and take them down.
So what are the keep factors to remember?
- Stance – make sure that you have a strong stance because this will be your foundation. Make sure it’s wide and sturdy.
- When you grab their knee and lock your arms, make sure that you will put the knee grabbing wrist over, this will make your grip tighter.
- Pinch your arms towards your body. This can avoid giving your opponent room to sprawl.
Here’s Andre Galvao of Atos Jiu Jitsu showing a solid option that I’ve been able to hit frequently in sparring.
Foot Sweeps
If you are not that comfortable yet applying single leg or double leg takedown to your opponent, then you can make foot sweeps your go to takedown.
Foot sweeps involve less risk than other takedowns, but will require you to effectively off balance your opponent and have impeccable timing to hit properly.
What I like the most about foot sweeps is the accuracy and effectiveness of it. To add to that, you can note that they highly rely on timing.
So what are foot sweeps? often down from the outside of your partner’s legs or inside of them in a sweeping motion.
But the main goal is to catch the foot of your opponent just before it lands to the floor or just when they are picking it up and sweep them from there.
Thus, making them caught off guard and landing to the ground.
I recommend learning foot sweeps especially those who are just begging BJJ.
Uchi Mata
Uchi Mata throw from an over hook is one of the Judokan throws that have been incorporated into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
What I like about this throw is how it’s a throw that is so effective even for no gi.
There are several ways to get into position for this throw.
Often your opponent will be working to get an under hook on you – this is when you get your over hook on them
Many people see getting an under hook as the goal for takedowns since it can open up a variety of attacks such as single leg takedowns.
However, if you are ready for their under hook attacks you can then effectively work towards your uchi mata throw from your over hook.
So what are the steps you have to do in order to finish this?
- First off, you have to pull your opponent’s arm across towards you (while controlling their other arm
- From there, with your inside leg you will drive it up and across to raise their legs
- Using his leg as leverage. You will be using a motion to get him down to the mat with the directionality of force being across your body* and not just in front of you.
Watch this video to for more detail on the Uchi mata
Arm Drag to Back Take
An arm drag is a very powerful movement – especially when your opponent is stand more upright.
It involves you grabbing one of their arms with both of your hands.
It is done in a quick fashion and is used to either expose their legs to a take down usually in the form of a double or single leg takedown or get them to rotate in order to reach and attack their back.
What I like about this is that anyone can do it, even the beginners in BJJ. It is another technique that relies on timing and precision.
So what is an arm drag and how do you go from here to a back take? Keep in mind that of course, there are different variations on how you will go from an arm drag to a back take. But today, we’ll go over the basic standing arm drag.
- First, reach for your opponents same side wrist with a thumb down grip
- From there, pull their wrist close to you and with your other hand reach deep to just below their armpit to grab around their arm near their tricep
- Now that you have two of you hands gripping one of their arms, you can pull them in and across to expose their back
- If they give a large pullback reaction, this will usually expose their legs and then you can go for a single or double leg takedown
If you are able to reach your opponents back you can then, lock your arms just above their hips. From here, you bring them down to the ground with a mat return or a foot sweep.
Keep in mind that taking an opponent down from their back is a lot easier than entering into attacks when they are facing you.
Why you should learn takedowns
Moreover, do not fear takedowns. Remember, your opponent may be bigger or taller than you but by creating movement and off balancing them you can successfully hit these takedowns.
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Just keep learning and exposing yourself out there in order to learn what works best for you and what takedown you can apply in different scenarios. Keep in mind that there is always room for improvement and that you will soon master all these techniques!
Hope this has been an informative and great read for you!
Catch you next time!
Zack is an avid jiu jitsu practitioner and martial arts nerd. He currently holds a brown belt in BJJ. When not on the mats or in the gym, he can be found going for walks with his wife, attempting (and often failing) to train his dog, and frequently obsessing over a specific hobby only to forget about it a week later.