Kyokushin Takedowns: Getting From Strikes to the Takedown

In our adult class, the stand-up is rooted in Kyokushin, the takedowns come from Judo, and the ground game is Jiu-Jitsu. This lesson is about the bridge between the first two.

Shoot on the second strike

The entry is built on a basic one-two. One, two, and you go. I don’t want the extra beat where people throw the two, cover up, and then decide. “One, two, cover. Nope. You just shoot on the second one.”

The strikes do two jobs. They make him react, and they hide what’s coming. Think of a linebacker and a running back. When the running back sees the hit coming, he lowers his shoulder and braces. The big hits happen when he doesn’t see it. Same idea here: “He masked it with the two, and then he hits.”

Get rid of the gap: face on chest, wrap and drive

Once you’re in, close the space right away. “Be committed to get rid of the gap. Face on chest, wrap and drive.”

Notice what I’m not asking for. “I didn’t ask you to do a knee-down swoop.” You don’t need to drop to a knee. Get in tight, put your face on his chest, wrap him up, and drive through.

Head position matters. “You’re not a pro wrestler with a really strong neck.” Don’t leave your head hanging out in space. Put your face on him so your head is supported and out of the way.

If the guard is tight, stop punching the guard

Some people play a high, tight guard, forearms locked over the body and face. Punching into that is a waste. “It’s like you’re hitting elbows, bony forearms. No good.” I call it the law of diminishing returns. You’re working hard for nothing, and you’re hurting your hands on bone.

So go somewhere else. “Chop the trees, or look for circulars. Low.” Attack the legs and throw round strikes around the guard. Soon enough the guard opens, and then you have your entry.

The secret is pulling in

Once you have your hands on him, everything is about removing space. “The secret’s always going to be pulling in. It’s never going to be this,” with the elbows flared out, “because you have a what? A gap.”

Pull your elbows in to your own body. Step and pull so your hip meets his hip. From the clinch you can also drag him across: step, pull, and get hip to hip or shoulder to shoulder, then work your turn.

Strong people are out there. I’ve locked up with construction guys who carry real power in their hands. Muscling them doesn’t work. Getting tight does. When I get to the lower back, I drive into it and pull my elbows in.

To break his posture, my hand goes to the lower back. If he’s strong, I slide the hand down toward the tailbone and make a fist at the end, instead of leaving my fingers out where they can get hurt. “He only needs to bend just enough.” Once his posture breaks, the takedown is there.

Commit, or don’t go

“You can’t hesitate with that. If you hesitate, it’s gone.” This is the part that separates a takedown from a scramble. “You’ve got to commit. You can’t go and stop. You’ve got to go through, and break them.”

Here is why. When someone shoots on me, my brain says one thing: get my hips away from him. The moment I feel him coming for my hips, I’m moving them back. If you hesitate even a little, the hips are gone and the takedown is gone. Now you have to adapt, go with him, or fight your way back in.

When it doesn’t work

Sometimes you don’t get the tilt. He’s too strong, too heavy, too balanced. “There’s nothing wrong with just saying, I’m not strong enough.” If his leg is open, I’ll commit to it and take the leg.

What you can’t do is stall. If you hang there with your head down, he starts punching the back of your head, and now you’re trying to protect yourself instead of finishing. Commit to the next option.

On the ground, don’t get stuck either. When he wraps your legs in half guard, you’re “always playing a dance to get that foot out of there.” Pass the leg and keep moving. For more on the ground side, read why you need to defend yourself on the ground, or look at our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes.

How to drill it

“Let’s go super slow so we’re doing it right.” Takedowns are where training partners get hurt when people rush. Wear pads, use mats, and drill with a partner who knows how to fall.

1. Entry only. Partner holds pads. One-two, shoot on the two, face on chest. Stop there.

2. Wrap and drive. Add the wrap and a slow drive. Your partner steps back with you rather than falling.

3. Pull in. From the clinch, pull the elbows in, step hip to hip, and break posture with the hand on the lower back.

4. Against a tight guard. Partner covers up high. Work low and circular strikes until the guard opens, then enter.

The same tight, connected body position shows up in clinch to sweep, where a smaller fighter uses it against a bigger one.