The Double Leg Takedown represents one of the most fundamental and highest-percentage takedowns in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, borrowed from wrestling and adapted for both gi and no-gi competition. This technique involves attacking both of the opponent’s legs simultaneously, driving through their base, and securing a dominant top position. The beauty of the double leg lies in its versatility—it can be executed from various setups including level changes, penetration steps, and reactive entries when opponents commit their weight forward. Unlike single leg attacks that isolate one limb, the double leg controls both legs, making it significantly harder for opponents to maintain balance or counter. The technique’s effectiveness spans all skill levels, though execution refinement and setup sophistication increase dramatically with experience. Mastery of double leg variations allows practitioners to control the standing phase of matches, dictate where the fight takes place, and establish dominant positions from the opening engagement. Understanding the multiple finishing variations—from traditional dumps to mat returns to direct passes—transforms this fundamental takedown into a complete offensive system.
Starting Position: Standing Position Ending Position: Side Control Success Rates: Beginner 45%, Intermediate 65%, Advanced 80%
Key Principles
- Level change must be explosive and committed to penetrate opponent’s defense
- Head placement on the side (preferably chest) drives opponent’s upper body and controls their balance
- Hip pressure forward is essential—drive through opponent, not just into them
- Hands must connect behind opponent’s knees or thighs with strong grip connection
- Feet stay active and mobile—small steps maintain base during finish
- Angle creation off-line prevents opponent from sprawling effectively
- Finish variations depend on opponent’s defensive reaction and weight distribution
Prerequisites
- Neutral standing position with proper distance management (just outside striking range)
- Opponent’s weight distributed evenly or slightly forward on their feet
- Clear path to penetrate—no barriers blocking access to opponent’s legs
- Proper grip fighting or hand positioning to disguise level change intention
- Athletic stance with knees bent and ready to explode into penetration step
- Head up and eyes on opponent before dropping level to read defensive reactions
Execution Steps
- Setup and distance management: Establish proper range control through grip fighting or hand positioning. Use collar ties, underhooks, or circling movement to maintain offensive distance where you can penetrate but opponent cannot easily defend. Create a threatening posture that keeps opponent guessing about your timing. (Timing: Pre-attack positioning phase—no rush)
- Explosive level change: Drop your hips explosively while maintaining upright shoulders. Bend deeply at the knees while keeping your back relatively straight. The level change should be sudden and committed—hesitation allows opponent to react and sprawl. Your head should remain up with eyes on opponent’s chest throughout the drop. (Timing: Single explosive motion—0.5 seconds maximum)
- Penetration step: Step your lead foot (typically same side as your head placement) deep between opponent’s legs. Your knee should nearly touch the mat between their feet. This deep penetration is critical—shallow penetration allows easy sprawl defense. Your trailing leg should follow immediately to maintain base. (Timing: Coordinated with level change—simultaneous motion)
- Head placement and grip connection: Drive your head firmly into opponent’s chest or preferably to one side of their sternum. Simultaneously wrap both arms behind opponent’s knees or thighs, connecting your hands in a strong grip (gable grip or S-grip). Your shoulder pressure into their hips prevents them from creating distance. (Timing: Immediate upon penetration—no delay)
- Hip drive and lifting: Drive your hips forward and upward while squeezing opponent’s legs together. Your chest should stay tight to their thighs. Lift opponent’s legs off the mat by elevating your hips and straightening your back. Small active steps with your feet maintain balance and generate forward momentum. (Timing: Continuous pressure—drive through, not just into)
- Finish variation (dump, mat return, or run): Execute appropriate finish based on opponent’s weight distribution: (1) Traditional dump—step to side and dump opponent to mat; (2) Mat return—drive forward and place opponent on their back while maintaining control; (3) Running finish—continue driving forward in small steps until opponent falls. Immediately establish top control position upon landing. (Timing: Flow directly from lift—timing depends on opponent’s reaction)
Opponent Counters
- Sprawl defense with hip extension (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Switch to single leg by releasing one leg and circling to the side, or drive harder forward before they can fully extend hips backward
- Whizzer overhook to prevent grip connection (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Continue penetrating while securing far leg grip, then use head pressure to break whizzer and complete double leg or transition to high crotch
- Crossface to turn your head away (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Keep driving forward with hip pressure while working to regain head position on their chest, or adapt to single leg finish
- Guillotine attempt during level change (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Immediately drive opponent backward to the mat while keeping head tight to their body, then extract head and establish side control
- Stepping back to create distance (Effectiveness: Low) - Your Response: Pursue aggressively with active feet, maintaining forward pressure and closing distance to complete the penetration step
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: What is the most critical component of the penetration step, and why does shallow penetration compromise the technique? A: The lead knee must drop nearly to the mat between the opponent’s feet (deep penetration). Shallow penetration leaves your hips too far from the opponent, making it easy for them to sprawl their hips back and establish defensive position. Deep penetration puts your center of gravity under theirs, making sprawl defense ineffective and allowing you to control their base.
Q2: How should your head position change throughout the double leg execution, and what happens if you drop your head too early? A: Head should remain up looking at opponent’s chest during the level change and penetration, then drive into their chest or to one side upon contact. Dropping the head early telegraphs the takedown attempt, allows opponent to sprawl or guillotine, compromises your posture, and makes it difficult to generate effective forward pressure. The power comes from hip drive, not head position.
Q3: Explain the biomechanical difference between the traditional dump finish and the running finish, including when each is most effective? A: Traditional dump uses lateral movement and rotational torque to topple opponent to the side—effective against lighter opponents or when you achieve a clean lift. Running finish maintains forward linear drive with small active steps, using continuous pressure to drive opponent backward until they fall—effective against heavier opponents, when conserving energy, or when you have significant momentum. The dump requires more explosive lifting power but finishes faster; running finish conserves energy but requires more space and conditioning.
Q4: What are the three most common defensive reactions to a double leg attempt, and what is the appropriate offensive adjustment for each? A: 1) Sprawl (hip extension backward): Drive harder forward immediately before sprawl completes, or switch to single leg by releasing one leg and circling. 2) Whizzer (overhook): Continue penetration while securing far leg, use head pressure to break whizzer, or transition to high crotch variation. 3) Guillotine attempt: Drive opponent backward to the mat while keeping head tight to their body, then extract head and establish side control.
Q5: Why is active footwork crucial during the finish phase, and what specific footwork pattern generates maximum forward momentum? A: Active footwork (small, quick steps) maintains your base and balance while generating continuous forward momentum, preventing opponent from recovering or countering. Static feet create a stalled position where opponent can push down on shoulders or work defensive techniques. The optimal pattern involves small active steps that keep your feet under your hips, maintaining weight forward over opponent’s legs. Think ‘running through’ opponent rather than planting and pushing—constant foot movement equals constant pressure.
Q6: How does grip connection behind the knees versus behind the thighs affect the double leg’s execution and finish? A: Gripping behind the knees provides tighter control and makes it harder for opponent to step back or create distance, ideal for the traditional dump finish. Gripping higher on the thighs (closer to hips) provides more lifting leverage and works better for the mat return finish, but gives opponent more room to defend by stepping back. Most practitioners start with knee grip for initial control then may slide up to thighs during the lift phase if needed.
Safety Considerations
When practicing double leg variations, controlled application is essential to prevent injury during the finish phase. Both partners must be aware of proper falling mechanics—the person being taken down should not post their arms to catch their fall, as this can lead to wrist, elbow, or shoulder injuries. Instead, they should tuck their chin and distribute impact across their back. The person executing the takedown must control the descent and avoid slamming or dropping their partner, especially on hard surfaces. Beginners should practice on adequate matting with crash pad areas if available. During the penetration step, both knees can experience stress, so practitioners should ensure proper warm-up and avoid repeated explosive entries on the same knee without rest. When defending against double legs in training, avoid violent sprawl reactions that can cause neck or back strain. Progressive resistance training allows both partners to develop proper mechanics safely before advancing to full-speed, full-resistance execution. In competition scenarios, awareness of mat boundaries prevents dangerous takedowns near the edge where falls can occur off the mat surface.
Position Integration
The Double Leg Takedown serves as a primary entry technique in the standing phase of BJJ, directly connecting neutral standing engagement to dominant top positions. Within the positional hierarchy, successful double leg execution establishes immediate top control—typically Side Control, Mount, or direct guard passing positions like Headquarters Position. This takedown is fundamental to the offensive standing game, working in concert with other takedown systems like Single Leg variations, Body Lock passes, and Snap Down entries to create a complete standing attack system. The double leg’s highest-percentage finish leads to Side Control, where practitioners can immediately begin their top game progression through mount transitions, submission attacks, or positional control. Understanding the double leg’s position within the larger BJJ system reveals its strategic importance: controlling where the fight takes place (standing vs. ground) and establishing favorable position from the opening exchange. Advanced practitioners chain double leg attempts with guard pulling options, creating dilemmas where opponents defending the takedown become vulnerable to guard establishment, while those defending guard pulls expose themselves to explosive double leg entries. This technique also integrates with Front Headlock when partially defended, offering seamless transitions to alternative attacks rather than abandoned techniques. The double leg’s finish variations (dump, mat return, running) each lead to different top positions, allowing strategic selection based on desired outcomes—side control for control-oriented strategies, direct passes for point accumulation, or immediate mount attacks for submission-focused approaches.
Expert Insights
- Danaher System: The double leg takedown represents a biomechanical masterpiece when executed with proper understanding of leverage, penetration, and force vectors. The critical element most practitioners misunderstand is the relationship between penetration depth and takedown success probability. Shallow penetration creates a vertical force vector that opponents easily defend by extending their hips backward—the sprawl. Deep penetration between the legs creates a horizontal force vector directly under their center of gravity, making defensive hip extension mechanically inefficient. Your lead knee should nearly touch the mat between their feet—anything less represents compromised penetration. The finish phase requires understanding opponent weight distribution: if their weight shifts backward during your attack, the running finish maintains forward pressure most efficiently; if their weight remains centered or forward, the traditional dump exploits rotational mechanics for faster completion. The double leg’s integration with your broader standing system requires developing entries from multiple grips and positions—collar ties, underhooks, and reactive entries when opponents initiate their own attacks. Superior practitioners don’t simply attempt double legs randomly; they create situations through grip fighting and movement where the double leg becomes the highest-percentage response to opponent positioning and weight distribution.
- Gordon Ryan: In high-level no-gi competition, the double leg remains one of my highest-percentage takedowns because it works against defensive wrestlers and guard pullers equally well. The key is making your entry unpredictable through varied setups—sometimes I’ll snap their head down first to get them reaching, then explode to the legs when their hands are out of position. Other times I’ll fake a single leg to get them defending one side, then switch to the double when they overcommit. What separates competition-effective double legs from practice room techniques is the willingness to commit fully to the penetration—you cannot hesitate or slow down during the level change, because elite opponents will sprawl immediately. I prefer the running finish against other high-level grapplers because it conserves energy and keeps constant pressure without requiring a full lift, which can be exhausting in a long match. Against guard pullers, I’ve developed a specific variation where I anticipate their pull and use my double leg penetration to drive through into an immediate pass rather than allowing them to establish guard. This requires timing your entry to coincide with their sitting motion, turning their guard pull into your passing opportunity. The double leg also sets up my entire front headlock system—if they defend well and I can’t complete it, I’m already in perfect position for darce, anaconda, or guillotine attacks.
- Eddie Bravo: The double leg is fundamental, but in my system we’ve adapted it specifically for no-gi situations where traditional wrestling entries don’t work as well without collar grips. We use what I call the ‘chaos entry’—instead of the standard level change, you create scramble situations through snap downs, foot sweeps, or pushing them off-balance, then explode to the double leg when they’re recovering. This unpredictability makes it harder for them to time their sprawl. One variation we use heavily at 10th Planet is the double leg to truck position—instead of finishing in side control, you maintain your grip behind their legs but roll them over your shoulder into truck position, setting up twister and back take options. This works especially well against guys who turtle up to defend the takedown. We also chain the double leg with our guard pulling game in a specific way: I’ll threaten the double leg early in the match to make them defensive and hesitant about their movement, which makes them easier to pull into rubber guard or lockdown positions later because they’re worried about another takedown. The double leg isn’t just about getting the takedown—it’s about controlling the mental warfare of the standing phase. If they’re worried about your double leg, they fight differently in every other position. We drill specific scenarios where the double leg gets partially defended but we’ve already planned the next three moves: whizzer defense leads to high crotch switch, sprawl defense leads to front headlock game, guillotine attempt leads to guard pass sequence. That’s 10th Planet approach—never waste energy on a single technique; every technique is part of a larger system.