The Double Leg Finish is the critical completion phase of the double leg takedown, transitioning from the penetration step to establishing dominant top position. This fundamental wrestling technique adapted for BJJ focuses on the mechanical principles of lift, drive, and controlled landing to secure top position. The finish requires proper coordination of leg drive, hip extension, and upper body control to overcome opponent resistance and establish side control or mount.
The effectiveness of the double leg finish lies in its directness and mechanical advantage. Once the penetration step is achieved with hands clasped behind the opponent’s knees, the practitioner uses explosive hip extension combined with forward driving pressure to elevate and displace the opponent’s base. The finish can be executed with various methods including the traditional lift-and-dump, the power drive-through, or the trip finish depending on opponent size, resistance level, and positional context.
Mastery of the double leg finish is essential for any grappler’s takedown game, as the entry without a solid finish leaves the practitioner vulnerable to guillotine chokes, sprawls, and scrambles. The finish must be practiced with emphasis on maintaining connection throughout the motion, controlling the opponent’s landing, and immediately transitioning to dominant position without allowing guard establishment or re-guarding opportunities.
Starting Position: Clinch Ending Position: Side Control Success Rates: Beginner 55%, Intermediate 75%, Advanced 88%
Key Principles
- Maintain tight connection with hands clasped behind opponent’s knees throughout the finish
- Drive explosively through the hips while keeping head tight to opponent’s body
- Angle your trajectory to drive opponent’s hips backward while moving their shoulders toward the mat
- Control the landing to prevent opponent from establishing guard or defensive frames
- Immediately transition to side control or mount without pausing in neutral positions
- Adjust finishing method based on opponent’s size, weight, and resistance level
- Keep your base wide and posture strong to prevent guillotine attempts during execution
Prerequisites
- Successful penetration step with level change completed
- Hands clasped securely behind both of opponent’s knees
- Head positioned tight against opponent’s torso (typically on their hip or abdomen)
- Shoulders lower than opponent’s hips with proper postural alignment
- Weight forward on the balls of your feet with knees bent for explosive drive
- Opponent’s base compromised with weight shifting backward
Execution Steps
- Secure the grip connection: Ensure your hands are tightly clasped behind both of the opponent’s knees with your forearms pressing into the back of their legs. Your head should be positioned firmly against their torso, typically at hip level, creating a strong structural connection. Verify that your shoulders are lower than their hips and your spine maintains proper alignment for the upcoming explosive movement. (Timing: Immediately following successful penetration)
- Initiate hip extension drive: Begin explosive hip extension by driving forcefully through your legs while simultaneously lifting with your arms. Your hips should thrust forward and upward, transferring energy through your torso into the opponent’s legs. Maintain constant pressure with your head against their body to prevent space creation. The power comes from your legs driving into the mat, not from pulling with your arms alone. (Timing: Explosive movement coordinated with breath)
- Angle and elevate: As you drive forward, angle your trajectory to move the opponent’s hips backward while their shoulders move toward the mat. Continue lifting their legs higher while your head drives into their torso, creating the falling motion. Your feet should step forward in short, powerful steps maintaining base and drive rather than standing fully upright which compromises leverage. (Timing: Continuous motion from step 2)
- Control the rotation: As the opponent begins to fall, control their rotation to ensure they land on their back or side rather than their knees. Adjust your grip and head pressure to guide the landing - if they land toward their side, you’re already positioned for side control; if they land flat on their back, you can choose mount or side control. Avoid releasing your grip prematurely which allows escape opportunities. (Timing: As opponent’s weight passes the tipping point)
- Manage the landing: Control the opponent’s descent to the mat by maintaining your grip and adjusting your body position. Step your legs wide around their body as they land to prevent guard closure. Keep your weight distributed to control their hips and shoulders simultaneously. If finishing to side control, immediately shift your weight to establish crossface and hip control. If finishing to mount, step over as they land and establish hooks. (Timing: Coordinated with opponent’s landing)
- Establish dominant position: Immediately upon landing, release the leg grip and transition to position-specific controls. For side control, establish crossface with one arm, control the far hip with the other, and distribute your weight across their chest and hips. For mount, secure hooks and establish posture control. Do not pause or hesitate - continuous motion prevents opponent from establishing defensive frames or initiating guard recovery sequences. (Timing: Immediate transition without pause)
- Consolidate position: Settle your weight and refine your controls to eliminate any space or movement opportunities. In side control, ensure proper weight distribution, head control, and hip pressure. From mount, establish strong base with knees tight, posture controlled, and weight properly distributed. Be prepared to counter immediate escape attempts with appropriate position maintenance techniques. Your goal is complete positional control within 2-3 seconds of landing. (Timing: Within 2-3 seconds of landing)
Opponent Counters
- Guillotine choke attempt during the drive phase (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Keep your head positioned on the side away from their choking arm, maintain posture with chin tucked, and accelerate the finish to land them on their back before they can secure the choke. If the guillotine is locked, circle toward the choking arm side while maintaining your drive to reduce leverage.
- Sprawl defense with hips pulled backward (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: If encountered during finish, run your feet forward explosively (running the pipe) to stay underneath their hips while maintaining your grip. Alternatively, switch to a single leg finish or ankle pick transition if the sprawl compromises your double leg structure.
- Opponent posts hands on mat to prevent being taken down (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Continue driving forward while lifting their legs higher to break their posted base. Alternatively, use their posted arm position to transition to a sweep single leg or adjust angle to dump them to the side away from their posting hand.
- Wizard/whizzer overhook controlling your head (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Address the whizzer by keeping your head tight to their body on the non-whizzer side, drive the angle away from the whizzer control, and accelerate the finish before they can establish full defensive structure. Consider transitioning to a power single or outside trip if the whizzer is too strong.
- Opponent immediately establishes closed guard upon landing (Effectiveness: Low) - Your Response: Prevent guard closure by stepping your legs wide as they land, maintaining your grip on their legs longer to control their hips, and immediately establishing heavy pressure to prevent ankle crossing. If guard does close, immediately begin guard opening sequence while maintaining dominant posture.
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: What is the primary source of lifting power in the double leg finish? A: The primary lifting power comes from explosive hip extension and leg drive into the mat, not from arm strength alone. The practitioner drives through their legs while extending their hips forward and upward, creating the force needed to elevate and displace the opponent. The arms maintain connection and guide direction, but the lower body generates the actual power. This mechanical principle allows the technique to work against larger opponents and prevents early fatigue.
Q2: Why is maintaining head position against the opponent’s body critical during the double leg finish? A: Head position serves multiple critical functions: it creates a tight structural connection that transfers driving power efficiently from your body to theirs, it prevents space creation that would allow sprawl defense or guillotine attempts, it acts as a driving point to control opponent’s torso direction, and it maintains your safety by keeping your neck protected from choke attempts. Any gap between your head and their body significantly compromises the technique’s effectiveness and increases vulnerability to counters.
Q3: How should you adjust your finishing trajectory to optimize the takedown mechanics? A: The optimal trajectory is forward and upward at approximately 45 degrees, not straight forward. This angle creates the necessary falling motion by lifting the opponent’s legs while driving their torso backward and downward toward the mat. Driving purely forward allows them to maintain base by posting hands or stepping backward. The angled trajectory disrupts their base more effectively because it moves their hips backward while their shoulders move toward the mat, creating rotation that is difficult to counter.
Q4: What is the most effective counter to a guillotine attempt during the double leg finish, and why does it work? A: The most effective counter is to keep your head positioned on the side away from the choking arm while accelerating the finish to complete the takedown before the choke can be secured. This works because guillotine leverage requires time to establish - if you land the opponent on their back quickly, the choke loses effectiveness due to position change. Additionally, maintaining proper head position on the non-choking side prevents them from getting optimal angle for the submission. Some practitioners also circle toward the choking arm side while driving, which reduces the leverage angle of the choke.
Q5: Explain the timing and mechanics of the transition from double leg finish to establishing side control position? A: The transition should be one continuous motion without pause. As the opponent’s back touches the mat, immediately release the leg grip and transition to side control specific grips - typically crossface with near arm and far hip control with other arm. Your legs should step wide during the landing to prevent guard closure, and your weight should distribute across their chest and hips simultaneously. The key is not pausing in a neutral position between takedown and control establishment, as any hesitation allows opponent to insert frames, begin escape sequences, or establish guard. Advanced practitioners time the grip change to occur during the final portion of the falling motion, so position-specific controls are already being established as the opponent lands.
Q6: When would you choose a drive-through finish over a lift-and-dump finish, and what mechanical principles make the drive-through effective against certain opponents? A: The drive-through finish is preferred against larger or heavier opponents who are difficult to lift, when opponent has sprawled and achieved high base making lifting mechanically disadvantaged, or in no-gi situations where sweat might compromise grip security during lifting motion. The drive-through is mechanically effective because it uses forward momentum and continuous pressure rather than requiring significant vertical lifting force. By running your feet forward explosively while maintaining low shoulder position and tight connection, you generate overwhelming forward pressure that forces opponent backward. This method is less dependent on strength differential and more on timing, positioning, and explosiveness. The drive-through also maintains better defensive structure against guillotine attempts because you stay lower throughout the motion.
Safety Considerations
When practicing the double leg finish, controlled application is essential to prevent injury to both partners. The primary safety concern is managing the driving power and landing to prevent dangerous falls, head-first impacts, or hard landings on the opponent’s back or head. During training, always maintain awareness of mat space to ensure adequate room for the full driving motion and controlled landing. Start with slow, controlled repetitions with compliant partners before progressing to resistance. The partner being taken down should be taught proper breakfall techniques to protect themselves during the landing phase. Practitioners should build up driving power gradually, emphasizing technical precision before adding intensity or speed. In live training, be especially cautious when finishing near the edge of the mat or in crowded areas. When drilling, the person executing the technique should control the opponent’s landing by maintaining grip and adjusting descent speed - slamming or dropping the opponent is dangerous and unnecessary. Partners should communicate clearly about resistance levels and stop immediately if either person feels unsafe. Proper conditioning and technical progression prevent most injuries associated with this technique, but awareness and partner safety must always take priority over completion of the technique.
Position Integration
The double leg finish is the critical completion phase of one of the most fundamental takedown techniques in BJJ and wrestling. It represents the transition point between standing grappling and ground fighting, serving as the bridge that converts a successful entry into dominant top position. Within the broader BJJ system, the double leg finish connects to multiple strategic layers: it is the culmination of grip fighting and angle creation from standing position, it requires integration of timing and level change fundamentals, and it directly feeds into top position control strategies from side control or mount.
The technique integrates with several key positional systems in BJJ. From the perspective of takedown strategy, it is part of the core wrestling-based entries that complement guard pulling and sacrifice throws. The finish itself branches into multiple position outcomes - side control being most common, but mount, knee-on-belly, or even back control are possible depending on landing mechanics and tactical choice. Understanding the finish variations allows practitioners to select optimal position based on situational needs - for example, finishing to mount in competition for points, or finishing to side control for better submission access.
The double leg finish also integrates defensively within the scrambling system. When opponents attempt re-guarding or escape during the landing phase, the double leg finish mechanics provide the structure needed to maintain top position through the transition. Advanced practitioners develop seamless connections from double leg finish to guard passing sequences when opponents manage partial guard establishment during landing. This integration of takedown finish and guard passing creates a continuous attacking system from standing through ground control, eliminating the traditional gap where many practitioners lose positional advantage during the standing-to-ground transition.
Expert Insights
- Danaher System: The double leg finish represents a perfect study in biomechanical efficiency and the transfer of force from lower body power generation to opponent displacement. The common error of attempting to lift with arm strength reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of mechanical advantage - the arms serve as connection points, not primary movers. The true power comes from the kinetic chain beginning with leg drive into the mat, transferring through hip extension, and expressing through the structural frame created by your torso and arms. The angle of trajectory is critical: driving purely forward allows opponent to maintain base through hand posting or backward stepping, while the optimal 45-degree upward angle creates rotational force that is geometrically more difficult to counter. The finish must be understood as a continuous motion that doesn’t end when opponent’s back touches the mat - the technique is incomplete until dominant position is fully established with appropriate controls. Many practitioners lose positional advantage during the 1-2 second gap between landing and control establishment, which represents a technical failure to understand that takedowns and position establishment are one integrated sequence, not separate techniques.
- Gordon Ryan: In competition, the double leg finish is one of the highest percentage techniques when executed properly, but it requires absolute commitment and explosive execution - hesitation kills the technique and opens you up to guillotine counters. I focus heavily on the drive-through variation because it’s more reliable against elite-level sprawl defense and doesn’t rely on lifting strength which can fail against larger opponents or when fatigue sets in during long matches. The key competition detail is managing the guillotine threat - I keep my head on the side away from their strong arm and I accelerate the finish if I feel them setting up the choke rather than trying to fight it while static. For points strategy, I prefer finishing to side control rather than mount because it gives me more immediate control and prevents them from using the transition scramble to recover guard. The biggest mistake I see competitors make is pausing after the takedown instead of immediately securing the position - those 2-3 seconds of hesitation are when opponents escape or recover guard, which can cost you the match in close competitions.
- Eddie Bravo: The double leg finish needs some street-smart adaptations for no-gi and MMA contexts because the traditional wrestling finish assumes you have reliable grips that won’t slip from sweat. I teach students to modify the grip to a gable grip or s-grip rather than traditional finger interlock when finishing in no-gi, because it’s more secure when everything is slippery. The drive-through variation is money in no-gi because you’re not depending on maintaining grips during a lifting motion. One innovation from the 10th Planet system is deliberately finishing to positions that set up our leg lock entries - if you finish the double leg with their legs still elevated and controlled, you’re already in position to transition to saddle or ashi garami rather than traditional side control or mount. This catches a lot of people off guard because they’re defending the takedown and thinking about preventing side control, but suddenly they’re in leg entanglement positions. The other adaptation is using the double leg finish as an entry to truck position - if they turn away during the finish or you angle it correctly, you can ride the finish directly into truck control which opens up the whole twister side control system.