The Double Leg With J'Den Cox!

The double leg takedown can be an extremely effective tool in taking down your opponent.  

If you’ve practiced the double leg takedown in live training (rolling) I’d say it’s safe to assume that you learn pretty quickly where the shortcomings are, and what you need to do to make sure you don’t get choked.  

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The longer you have trained, the more variations of the double leg takedown you’ve probably seen.  One of the great things about our sport is that it is constantly evolving. There are always slight modifications, or details we can add to our game to make it even better than it was before.    

There are several video instructional out there on the double leg, but we are going to take a look at the video below to see his take on the most effective way to execute the double leg in a Jiu jitsu match, or self defense situation. Check it out...

 J’Den is well respected in the wrestling world, viewed by many and one of the most talented wrestlers in history.  He boasts a laundry list of accomplishments including being a three time NCAA Champion, a four time NCAA all American, 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist, 2017 World Bronze Medalist and lastly 2018 Gold Medalist.

Before diving into the technique breakdown it’s important to note a detail J’Den mentions about snapping the opponent down.  The snap down is done using the collar tie (your hand cupping the back of the opponents’ neck). A common mistake in executing the snap down is people tend to back up, which then creates space and defeats the effort that went into the snap down because you are too far away to shoot.  The power for the snap down should be generated from you changing levels, not backing away from your opponent.

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Starting out we are tied up similar to many other takedowns where we want to have the inside control, with one hand cupping the back of the opponents’ neck and the other hand on the opponent's’ shoulder.  J’Den then snaps the opponent down while changing his level. The snap down is going to cause the opponent to react by stepping forward. It’s important that not change your level again, once you go down, stay down.  The opponent steps forward as a result of your snap and that closes the distance for you.

Now we are ready to do the double leg takedown.  J’Den does not drop to his knees like some other variations you may have seen.  He simply cups behind the knees, puts his forehead on the opponents’ sternum, and drives to one side, while using his arms to push and lift the legs to the opposite side.  This should allow you to land in side control rather than landing in guard, or half guard which is a common problem for people who use the double leg variation where you drop to your knees.  

It seems in this variation there is less risk of being choked, along with the increased mobility of being on your feet the entire time.  It also seems to be a very powerful takedown for the same reason, being on your feet rather than your knees has several added benefits.

There are a lot of options out there when it comes to takedowns.  The best plan is to try as many as you can as many times as you can until you determine what works best for you and seems to be the most effective.  This particular double leg variation seems strong and fast, which will inevitably play into some practitioners strengths and not as much for others. Remember when drilling takedowns, first and foremost, take care of your training partner, be a good partner and make you best effort not to hurt your training partner.  Secondly, the move isn’t broken, you’re missing a detail. If the technique isn’t working for you, the chances are you missed a step, or a detail that is key to making it work. This is a good time to revisit the move with the instructor, or on the instructional video.

Don’t forget to check out BJJ Fanatics massive selection of takedown instructional videos!  With over thirty videos containing takedown technique and hours upon hours of detailed instruction you can be certain your Jiu jitsu takedown game will reach new levels.

 

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