Any advice, when going for a double leg?

Question

i keep getting stuffed by older guys in mma class, i used to do wrestling and never had trouble with the penetration step to double.

do u have any tips on how i can get faster when dropping to one knee to go for the penetration step. i know that u should only shoot arm's legnth away and never look down, any other thing i should consider

thanks

Answer 1

Another thing to consider is your hand placement. A bad habit that a fair amount of people have is dropping their hands low and wide as they shoot in. That is a HUGE telegraph, which also makes it very easy for your opponent to get underhooks and stuff your shot. Shoot in with your arms nice and tucked -- keeping them just wide enough to wrap aruond your opponents legs as you drive your shoulder in.

But regardless of whether or not you've got that habit, you should drill more setups. That's the key to landing anything, be it a strike, a takedown, or a submission. Practice setups from the outside and setups from the clinch (where you'll be firing from point blank). That's probably your best bet.

Answer 2

Set up every shoot by firing off shots to the head first - keep them disracted, and NEVER shoot during a moment of inactivity.

That is a huge telegraph.

Change levels by setting up your setups. Ex: kicks to the thighs, strikes to the head, shoot for the double/single.

Answer 3

The key to a double leg takedown is the set up and level change.  After setting up the takedown with an offensive manuever, clinch or tie-up make sure you change levels for the shot.  Your hips must be lower than your opponents.

Answer 4

Shoot through the person, set it up, close the gap, head up, and so on

Answer 5

Stay in closer than what you're staying in before shooting in for the "reap".  Never mind the "arm's legnth away" rule that's stuck in your brain. Keep your head centered into the opponent's mid stomache or naval area or maybe even higher ( but always center mass of opponent's mid section ) if need be.  Think about the reap in the terms of "JudoStyle" execution where Morote Gari is accomplished with the momentum of the shoulder and your head is off to the opponent's side at waiste level or so...it's easy to stuff or push that away, but when you land your head to the center mass of the opponent pushing down is harder to accomplish against the reap with your head at center mass of the opponent because your opponent is pushing down from his own chest area trying to stop a reap executed in this manner.  This will also make it harder for your opponent to turn out of the reap as well hitting him "literally" dead on and not with your head to the side of his waiste.  This also keeps your opponent from "guillotine" choking you after you dump him and you possibly end up in his gaurd as well.  This is where "striking" plays an important part as well. A thigh kick ( called a leg kick by wanna-be's ) or a few attempted straight punches right before shooting in for the "reap" would be very helpful as well.  Maybe try abandoning your "shoot step" ( penetration step ) as well and just use your "jab hand foot"  for balance.  It's very unorthodox, but it would get you the take down....not saying it'll score any points with your instructors, but it will assure the reap dude.  

Then again maybe you're just thinking about the take down for a second or two too long before finishing it.  Locking the reap in tightly and bringing the opponent's knees in very close to you and dumping him is another key point as well. It has to be done with quickness and I mean quickness.  One thing's for sure the "reap" should never be attempted once your energy feels zapped.  This aspect needs looked at closer by a great many trainers, instructors and MMA coaches.  The objective is "technique" not brute force, but you have no choice, but to switch to brute force after your energy is run down in the middle of round three you know what I'm saying?  

You can also try "muscle control" using a 80lbs. to a 100.lbs. set of iron weights and holding them above your head without moving for three minutes at a time this little training technique is painful, but it does teach the body "muscle control" and that's what you need when trying to shoot in for such a take down in any round beyond round one.  Sometimes the key can be "endurance" rather than actual technique execution.

What ever gets the job done right?

Answer 6

fake a lock up, push back, lower yourself, and BAM.

keep driving and make sure your force is applied upward too. this will keep him constanly adjusting himself. keep driving and hold onto the legs.

go to youtube, MARK KERR has an amazing video on how to shoot. he's one of the world's best. just watch real carefully. the link is in the sources section.

also keep in mind that there are key differences between mma wrestling and wrestling wrestling. if all else fails ask the people who beat you how they do it. u can only continue to get better by asking questions

Answer 7

Always set up your takedowns.

Also ensure you are constantly changing levels and protecting yourself. With feints and good set ups, you can keep someone off balance more, also try to set you shots up as a person is moving. Personally, I like to got for a few shots, circle out and away and as the person is coming at me, feint a jab, and drop to the shot.

The idea is to get someone already in some phase of being off balanced, you don't want to shoot on a stationary opponent, you want him moving. So again, set up with the hands, constantly change levels pretending like you are going to shoot. Throw punches from these positions, use it to set things up so that you aren't telegraphing your shot. Also lots of movement, keep circling. The same as you want to set up angles for strikes, set up your shots for going off angles.

It's like anything else you have to set it up. Most guys do it with jabs, or punches, that as soon as someone brings their hands up top to defend, they shoot. The same as if someone is charging you punching, a perfect time to slip underneath and shoot on them. Again, you have to get them in some sort transitioning movement. Usually as they are leaning back and retreating from strikes, or coming at you upright over their hips.

Lots of good advice on this thread.

Good luck!

Answer 8

The older guys are figuring out your telegraphing of the double leg.  Try to tape some of your matches to see if you can figure it out (unless someone will tell you).  

Also, and you should know this from wrestling, learn when to keep driving it and when to back out.