The Double Leg Takedown is a fundamental wrestling technique that has become essential in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, particularly in no-gi and MMA contexts. This high-percentage takedown involves attacking both of your opponent’s legs simultaneously, driving through their base, and taking them to the mat where you can establish a dominant position. The technique is prized for its direct, explosive nature and its ability to immediately put you in a top position.
Unlike single-leg attacks that focus on isolating one leg, the double leg provides greater control over your opponent’s entire lower body, making it harder for them to sprawl or defend. The key to successful execution lies in proper setup, explosive penetration step, deep hand positioning behind the knees, and continuous forward pressure. When executed correctly, the double leg can bypass an opponent’s guard entirely and land you directly in side control or mount.
The double leg takedown requires excellent timing, level change mechanics, and the ability to close distance quickly. In BJJ competition, it’s often used in conjunction with grip fighting and feints to create openings. The transition from standing to top position is critical—maintaining control throughout the takedown ensures you don’t give your opponent opportunity to establish guard or initiate a scramble.
Starting Position: Standing Position Ending Position: Side Control Success Rates: Beginner 30%, Intermediate 50%, Advanced 70%
Key Principles
- Change levels explosively while maintaining posture and head position
- Penetration step must be deep—get your hips closer to opponent than they are to you
- Hands connect behind the knees, not at the thighs—deeper is better
- Head position to the side (never directly in front) to avoid guillotines
- Drive forward and upward through your legs, not by pulling with arms
- Run the pipe—keep driving until opponent’s back hits the mat
- Immediately establish control position before opponent can recover guard
Prerequisites
- Neutral standing position with squared stance
- Proper distance management—close enough to penetrate, far enough to avoid getting stuffed
- Opponent’s weight distributed evenly or slightly forward
- Your posture upright before the level change to disguise the shot
- Clear pathway to attack—no obstacles between you and opponent’s legs
- Mental commitment to explosive forward movement
Execution Steps
- Setup and distance management: Begin from standing position with upright posture. Use hand fighting, collar ties, or feints to create an opening. Establish proper distance—approximately one arm’s length from your opponent. Your feet should be in an athletic stance with knees slightly bent, weight on the balls of your feet, ready to explode forward. (Timing: Pre-attack phase, 2-5 seconds of setup)
- Level change and penetration step: Drop your level explosively by bending at the hips and knees, not by bending forward at the waist. Simultaneously take a deep penetration step with your lead leg, placing your foot between your opponent’s feet or slightly behind their front foot. Your hips should drive forward and down, getting closer to your opponent than their hips are to you. Keep your head up and spine straight to maintain power. (Timing: Explosive movement, 0.5 seconds)
- Hand connection and head placement: As you penetrate, drive both arms around the outside of your opponent’s legs. Your hands should connect behind their knees or even behind their calves—the deeper the better. Your head should be placed firmly against their hip or lower abdomen on one side (never in the center where it’s vulnerable to guillotine). Your shoulder should make contact with their midsection. (Timing: During penetration, simultaneous with step 2)
- Lift and drive: Squeeze your hands together tightly behind their knees, pulling their legs toward you while driving your shoulder into their center of mass. Simultaneously drive your hips forward and upward, lifting with your legs (not your back). Your head pressure and shoulder drive should push them backward while your hands prevent them from stepping back to regain base. Keep your elbows tight to your body. (Timing: Continuous pressure, 1-2 seconds)
- Run the pipe and finish: Continue driving forward with small, powerful steps (called ‘running the pipe’). Don’t stop moving forward until your opponent’s back hits the mat. As they begin to fall, you can either keep them tight to your body for a clean landing, or slightly adjust your angle to land in side control. Drive through the takedown—many failures occur from stopping forward movement too early. (Timing: 1-2 seconds of continuous driving)
- Establish top position: As your opponent lands on their back, immediately transition to side control by releasing one hand and stepping your leg over to establish crossface position. Maintain chest-to-chest pressure to prevent them from creating space. If they turn to their side or turtle, be prepared to take the back or work for a submission. Do not allow space for them to recover guard or initiate a scramble. (Timing: Immediate transition, 1-2 seconds)
Opponent Counters
- Sprawl defense - opponent throws hips back and weight down (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: If caught early: immediately transition to single leg or ankle pick. If their hips are back but weight forward: drive harder with your head and continue forward. If fully sprawled: release the legs, establish front headlock control, and look for guillotine, anaconda, or back take opportunities.
- Guillotine choke attempt - opponent catches your neck during penetration (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Prevention is key: keep head to the side, never center. If caught: immediately adjust head position to the side and look up toward the ceiling to relieve pressure. Drive forward aggressively to complete the takedown—you can escape the guillotine easier from top position. Consider transitioning to a single leg if the guillotine is tight.
- Knee block or frame - opponent posts knee or forearm to prevent penetration (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Don’t force through a solid frame—you’ll waste energy and telegraph future attempts. Instead, circle away from the frame, reset, and try from a different angle. Alternatively, use the failed attempt to set up a different attack like a single leg or foot sweep on the posted leg.
- Guard pull - opponent sits and pulls you into their guard (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: If you see it coming: release the legs and establish standing guard passing position rather than going to the ground. If already committed: try to land in a strong passing position by driving one knee across or establishing headquarters position. Don’t follow them blindly into their preferred guard.
- Whizzer and crossface - opponent overhooks your arm and controls your head (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Immediately switch to a single leg on the side opposite the whizzer. Duck your head under the whizzer arm and drive across their body. The whizzer actually helps you by elevating their leg. Alternatively, if you have deep penetration, ignore the whizzer and continue driving—the takedown can still be completed with proper forward pressure.
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: What is the most important factor for achieving deep hand positioning on a double leg takedown? A: The penetration step is the most important factor. Your lead foot must step deep between or past your opponent’s feet, getting your hips closer to them than theirs are to you. This deep penetration naturally allows your hands to reach behind their knees rather than just at their thighs. Without proper penetration depth, you’re forced into a shallow shot that’s easy to defend.
Q2: Why should your head be positioned to the side rather than in the center during a double leg takedown? A: Center head position makes you extremely vulnerable to guillotine chokes and allows your opponent to easily control and stuff your shot by driving your head downward. Side head position (ear to their hip) protects your neck, generates more power through your shoulder into their center of mass, and makes it much harder for them to control your head. This is the most critical safety and technical detail of the double leg.
Q3: What does ‘running the pipe’ mean in the context of finishing a double leg takedown, and why is it important? A: ‘Running the pipe’ refers to continuing to drive forward with small, powerful steps after making initial contact until your opponent’s back hits the mat. It’s important because many practitioners stop driving too early once they have the legs, allowing the opponent to recover their base, establish guard, or initiate a scramble. Continuous forward pressure ensures the takedown is completed and you land in a dominant position. The technique isn’t finished when you grab the legs—it’s finished when their back is on the mat.
Q4: If your opponent catches you in a guillotine during your double leg attempt, what are your immediate defensive actions and should you abandon the takedown? A: Immediate actions: look up toward the ceiling to create space and relieve pressure on your neck, adjust your head position to the side if it’s centered, and most importantly, continue driving forward aggressively to complete the takedown. Do not abandon the technique unless the choke is fully locked—it’s much easier to escape a guillotine from top position than from your knees. Once on top in side control or mount, you can address the guillotine with proper escapes. Prevention is better: always maintain side head position from the start.
Q5: What are the biomechanical differences between proper and improper level change mechanics for a double leg takedown? A: Proper level change involves dropping the hips by bending at the hip joints and knees (like sitting in a chair) while keeping the spine relatively straight and head up, generating power from the legs and glutes. Improper level change involves bending forward at the waist with legs relatively straight, which creates a slow, telegraphed movement, positions the head centrally (guillotine danger), and relies on weaker back muscles rather than powerful leg drive. Proper mechanics allow explosive penetration, maintain a strong posture for defense, and generate significantly more power for the finish.
Q6: How should you chain the double leg takedown with other techniques when it’s defended, and what are the best transitions based on different defensive reactions? A: Against a sprawl: transition to single leg (especially on the side where you have deeper penetration), ankle pick, or establish front headlock control for guillotine/anaconda/darce opportunities. Against a whizzer: convert to a single leg on the opposite side, using the whizzer to elevate their leg. Against a guard pull: don’t follow blindly—establish standing guard passing position or drive through to a strong passing position like headquarters. Against a successful stuff with knee/forearm frames: circle away, reset, and attack from a different angle or with a different technique. The key is recognizing the defense early and flowing to the next attack rather than forcing a defended position.
Safety Considerations
The double leg takedown is generally one of the safer techniques in BJJ when practiced with proper progression and control. However, several injury risks exist: guillotine chokes can be applied suddenly if head position is incorrect—always maintain side head position and tap immediately if a choke is locked. Knee and ankle injuries can occur if the person being taken down posts awkwardly or if the technique is executed too explosively without proper mat awareness. Practice on appropriate mats and start with controlled drilling before adding resistance. For the person executing the takedown, ensure proper warm-up of hips, knees, and ankles before practicing explosive penetration steps. Lower back injuries can result from poor level change mechanics—always bend at the hips and knees, never round the back. When drilling, both partners should communicate and gradually increase resistance over weeks of practice. Begin all training at slow speed with zero resistance, focusing purely on mechanics. Partners being taken down should practice proper breakfall techniques to safely land on their back. Never practice this technique on hard surfaces or without proper supervision during the learning phase.
Position Integration
The double leg takedown serves as a critical bridge between standing and ground phases in BJJ, immediately establishing top position control when successful. It integrates directly into the fundamental positional hierarchy by bypassing guard entirely and landing you in side control, mount, or other dominant positions. This makes it one of the highest-value takedowns in BJJ competition, as it not only scores takedown points but immediately puts you in position to score additional passing or position points. The double leg is particularly important in no-gi and MMA contexts where guard pulling is less common and takedown exchanges are more frequent. It chains effectively with other standing attacks: a failed single leg can convert to a double leg, a defended double leg can transition to front headlock control (leading to guillotine, anaconda, or back attacks), and a stuffed double leg can set up subsequent shots by creating defensive reactions. The technique also integrates with guard passing systems—when opponents attempt to pull guard to defend the double leg, you can establish strong passing positions. Understanding double leg mechanics also improves your takedown defense, as you’ll recognize the setup and penetration patterns. In the broader BJJ system, the double leg represents a direct, aggressive approach to establishing dominance, aligning with the fundamental principle that top position is preferable to bottom position in most scenarios.
Expert Insights
- Danaher System: The double leg takedown represents a perfect application of biomechanical efficiency in taking an opponent from vertical to horizontal control. The critical insight is that this technique is not primarily about arm strength—it’s about creating a mechanical advantage through hip positioning and directional force application. Your penetration step must position your hips lower and deeper than your opponent’s center of mass, creating a lever system where their weight works against their base. The hands serve merely to connect the system, while the real power comes from leg drive translated through hip extension into forward and upward pressure on their center of mass. Most practitioners fail because they attempt to lift with their arms or pull the opponent toward them, rather than driving their own hips forward and through the opponent’s base. The second critical principle is angle management: your head position to the side creates a force vector that disrupts their balance laterally while your forward pressure disrupts it sagittally, making it geometrically impossible for them to maintain base. Train the penetration step in isolation until the movement pattern becomes reflexive—your body must know how to achieve the proper depth without conscious thought. The setup is equally important: create the entry through grip fighting, level changes that don’t commit, and forcing your opponent to make small adjustments that create the timing window for your explosive attack.
- Gordon Ryan: In competition, the double leg is one of my highest-percentage techniques because it immediately puts me where I want to be—on top, passing, or already past the guard. The key difference between drilling and competition is the setup: you cannot just shoot a naked double leg against high-level opponents. I use constant level change threats, hand fighting, and grip manipulation to create a fraction of a second where my opponent’s weight is slightly forward or their attention is divided. That’s when I attack. My preferred approach is to establish some kind of upper body control first—collar tie, wrist control, or inside position—then use that control to break their posture slightly before exploding into the shot. This makes the penetration step much more effective because they’re already compromised. Once I have the legs, I never stop driving until they’re completely flat. Too many people get the initial grip and then pause or try to adjust, which gives the opponent time to sprawl or counter. Run through them like they’re not there. The finish is critical: I’m already thinking about my passing strategy as I’m completing the takedown. If I feel them turning away, I’m prepared to take the back. If they try to pull guard, I’m establishing headquarters or knee slice position. The takedown isn’t complete until I’ve scored my passing points or established a submission position.
- Eddie Bravo: While I often favor guard pulling over traditional takedowns, when I do use the double leg, I’m always thinking about unconventional follow-ups that catch people off guard. The standard wrestling finish to side control is fine, but I’m more interested in immediately transitioning to leg entanglement positions, the truck, or even unconventional controls like the twister side control. In no-gi especially, the double leg creates scramble situations that open up creative opportunities if you’re not locked into the traditional top-position mindset. One adaptation I emphasize is the low double leg variation where you’re almost dropping to a knee—this is lower percentage for the traditional finish, but it sets up different attacks and puts you in position to immediately attack leg locks if they defend by pulling guard. The setup is where you can really get creative: I like using a lot of misdirection, fake shots, and even incorporating rubber guard or lockdown threats from bottom if I’ve been playing guard, then suddenly switching to aggressive double leg attacks when I stand. The opponent’s mind is in guard mode, and the explosive level change becomes even more effective. Don’t be predictable—the double leg doesn’t have to end in side control. Think about where you want the fight to go and use the takedown as a vehicle to get there, whether that’s a leg lock position, the back, or even an unconventional pin.