Takedown
A move that brings a standing opponent down to the mat or ground while the attacker gains a controlling position.
Definition
A takedown is a grappling maneuver that takes a standing opponent to the ground, ideally with the attacker ending on top or in control. Common forms include the double-leg and single-leg — attacking the opponent's legs — and upper-body throws and trips. Success depends on level changes, timing and off-balancing the opponent.
Takedowns are central to wrestling, judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts, where they can score or set up follow-up control and finishing positions. Different rule sets reward them differently — some emphasise the throw itself, others the control gained afterward — but the shared goal is to move the contest from standing to the ground on the attacker's terms.
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Muscle groups
Movement patterns
- LandingThe controlled absorption of force at ground contact that ends an airborne phase, dissipating impact through eccentric triple flexion of the ankle, knee and hip.
- AccelerationThe athletic pattern of building speed from a standing or slow start by driving large horizontal forces into the ground to project the body forward.
- JumpThe plyometric pattern of projecting the body off the ground through explosive triple extension and controlling the landing — the core expression of lower-body power.
- GaitThe cyclic, alternating single-leg pattern of walking and running that carries the body across the ground — the base of most field and endurance sport.
Techniques
- DeadliftA strength exercise that lifts a loaded barbell from the floor to a standing position by extending the hips and knees together.
- The cricket driveCricket's foundational attacking stroke, played straight down the ground or through the off side — the cover, straight and on drive, and the length that makes each one available.
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- Content type
- Term
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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