Best BJJ Takedowns From Knees: Easy Submission Hacks

In most martial arts, takedowns are a very important element. Even in grappling martial arts, which are supposed to be fought on the ground, the takedowns are always an exciting element of the art. In martial arts such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the takedowns are even more important for a practitioner to learn because they are not very commonly focused on, as the majority of BJJ practitioners think that the ground fighting techniques are more important to learn. But that is a misconception. So if you are a Jiu Jitsu practitioner, then you should learn some takedowns to implement in your game. The article focuses on the best BJJ takedowns from knees, which can be a good source of submissions for you, and therefore, easy submission hacks.

A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu takedown is a technique in which a grappler takes their opponent to the ground from the standing position. For BJJ, the takedown is done mostly at the start of the fight because a takedown means you and your opponent are both in a standing position. The grapplers in BJJ implement the various techniques and strategies against their opponent to bring them to the ground. The basic purpose of a BJJ takedown is to take the lead and dominance by bringing your opponent to the ground. Usually, the one who has done the technique is on top, dominating over the other grappler who is at the bottom. If the attempt is done using the knees of the opponent, then it can be very effective if you have done it correctly.

The takedowns, if done using the knees of your opponent, can be so effective that you can get the submission of your opponent. The only thing you have to make sure of is to implement the technique correctly. So are BJJ takedowns from the knees truly the submission hacks? How does that make sense? Let’s dive into the reasons behind it with logic and facts. The following are some of the reasons why knee takedowns in BJJ can be a quick and easy submission hack:

The first reason why the takedowns from the knees of your opponent can be a way to submit your opponent is that it disrupts their balance. One of the most important things in BJJ to help you keep dominant over your opponent, execute the techniques properly, and keep yourself in a good defense against your opponent’s techniques and moves is to maintain your posture and balance. But in knee takedowns, such as the single leg takedown, you are starting the technique with the disturbance in your opponent’s balance and posture. So you are hitting just at the right target. This gives you an advantage over your opponent. When they cannot even balance themselves, they cannot attack you, and it will also become difficult for them to defend against your techniques.

• The knee takedown involves the effective grip technique. You have to grab the knees or legs of your opponent strongly to make sure that to have your opponent trapped in the takedown. If you have grabbed loosely, then anytime your opponent can slip their leg from your hands, the takedown is unsuccessful. So it concludes that one important element of takedown is the effective grip, which you need to have on your opponent’s leg.

• For this, you have to practice improving your grip techniques. So when you practice, it refines your grip, fighting skills, and techniques. This not only helps in the takedowns using the knees of your opponent, but also improves your various other techniques in which the grip is involved. So BJJ takedowns are a way to improve your grip fighting techniques, which help you in various submissions.

Another good thing about the BJJ takedowns using the knees of your opponent is that you are able to have a lot of transitions. During and after the takedown, you have various opportunities to make various forms of transitions. Now it is up to you which type of transition you want to make. You can do it to take your opponent to a trap, or submission. Or you can do it to attack your opponent from different angles. So it all depends on your choice from the list of transition opportunities.

The takedowns from the knees of your opponent are less dangerous with a much lower risk of injury than the standing takedowns. So it is a safe way to take your opponent to a submission by taking them to the ground. It is also not too explosive compared to other takedowns, such as standing takedowns. So you can easily execute the knee takedowns without fearing for your opponent getting seriously injured.

• One of the most common misconceptions about the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu techniques among grapplers is that they think the easier a technique is, the more beginner and basic level it is, and not at all for experienced grapplers. They have a belief that the experienced grapplers should only train and practice the difficult techniques, as they are the actual techniques made for the experienced ones in BJJ. Therefore, they do not focus much on such easy techniques, whether it's about the takedowns, the attacks, or any other sort of technique in BJJ. But this is a wrong statement and a complete misconception spread among the Jiu Jitsu grapplers.

• The BJJ takedowns from the knees are the techniques that provide various benefits to the grappler, and they are suitable for both beginners and experienced grapplers. So it eliminates the distinction, and both beginners and experienced grapplers can train it and implement it in their game, getting effective benefits.

There are a lot of very effective and easy takedowns in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. But the top three that make the list by using the knees of the opponent are the following:

• The first BJJ knee takedown, which is an easy and quick way to take your opponent to the ground and then to the submission, is the arm drag to back take. In this technique, you are applying two techniques. The first is the arm drag, and immediately after it, you execute the back take on your opponent. So you are not at all sparring your opponent and implement two techniques together to make sure the takedown is successful and your opponent taps out.

• In this takedown tactic, the first step you need to take is to do the arm drag. For this, grab the wrist of your opponent. Make sure you have grabbed the wrists strongly; otherwise, you will lose the wrist. Next, pull the arm of your opponent that you have grabbed across your body.

• Now, the one important step you should take is to move your hips out. This is very important for you to do, and once you have done this successfully, the back of your opponent will be ready for you to take control of. So take the back of your opponent, and now you have the golden opportunity for the submission.

• The second best takedown by using the knees of your opponent is also a combination of the two to make sure you have the submission of your opponent, and is the snap down to front headlock technique. So it is a combination of two techniques. The first is the snap down technique, and immediately after it, you have to execute the front headlock technique.

• It is a very beautiful technique in such a way that it gives a lot of options to choose from for applying to your opponent. The more options, the more opportunities you have to submit to your opponent. So the more the options a technique has, the better it is.

• To do the snap down to front headlock takedown technique, you need to first grab the collar tie of your opponent. Or if you cannot do or don’t want to do this, then you can have the head and arm grip. Grab it strongly, and after having a strong grip, snap your opponent forward. Your first part of the takedown is complete.

• Now, you have multiple options to choose from at this step. You can dominate your opponent by circling around your opponent, executing a guillotine choke on your opponent, or the most common attack is to just take the back of your opponent or have a headlock. So, there are a lot of options for you to choose from for submitting your opponent, and that too in a much easier and quicker way.

• Reading the technique might have you surprised at first. You will be thinking how it is even possible to do the single leg from the knees without a standing entry. But yes, it is possible and easy.

• When we talk about the leg attacks, the single leg attack emerges as the most common attack point. You can also execute it in the form of a takedown using the knees.

• For doing the single leg attack using the knees of your opponent, move your lead leg ahead to maintain your balance, as this is the most important for keeping your technique successful against your opponent. After this, control the ankles of your opponent and then drive in for a leg takedown attempt. While doing this, the one thing you have to make sure of is to do the technique slowly and not do it quickly. This will prevent you from twisting the knees of your opponent.

Besides learning and practicing the technique, there is one thing that you have to make sure of, and that is the safety of yourself and your partner. You have to keep yourself and your partner safe while training for the takedowns so as to prevent any serious injury, which will restrict you from doing any training for several days. So it is better to take the precautionary measures. The following are some safety considerations that you should keep in mind during training with your partner:

• The first thing you need to avoid is a twist. This is the most common and happens a lot during the training, especially during the takedowns. You need to keep in mind at all times that you cannot twist any part of your opponent's body while practicing for the takedowns.

• It is very necessary for you to tell your partner that you are trying to execute the takedown on them during training. This will make them mentally prepared and therefore reduce the chances of the injury.

• Make sure to always have a space between you and other grapplers while everyone is training. This will allow everyone to do the training while keeping other grapplers safe from their unintended executions.

The takedowns act as the starting point for your game, and if you do the start very well, then you can play your entire grappling match while keeping yourself dominant over your opponent. There are standing takedowns and then there are the types that you can do using the knees of the opponent. This is not common, and this gives you a further reason to do it. You should learn it and implement it in your game, and your opponent will be clueless about countering this takedown for defending themselves.

A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu takedown is a technique in which a grappler takes their opponent to the ground from the standing position. For BJJ, the takedown is done mostly at the start of the fight because a takedown means you and your opponent are both in a standing position. The grapplers in BJJ implement the various techniques and strategies against their opponent to bring them to the ground.

The top three that make the list by using the knees of the opponent are the following:

• Arm Drag to Back Take

• Snap Down to Front Headlock

• Single Leg From the Knees

The following are some of the benefits of the knee takedowns in BJJ, making them a submission hack:

• Disturbs the Balance of Your Opponent

• Refining Grip Fighting Techniques

• Transition Opportunities

• Safe Technique

• Effective For Both Beginners And Experienced Grapplers

• You should not twist any part of your opponent's body while practicing for the takedowns.

• Tell your partner that you are trying to execute the takedown on them during training.

• Have a space between you and other grapplers while everyone is training.