How many of you commit to dropping your knee during a takedown in MMA?

Ninjasteevo

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I've been watching some takedown videos and it's interesting to see how few drop down to their knee during a shot. Do you think it's because a full commitment compromises position in MMA? What are some of your techniques in an MMA enviornment?
 
I try to avoid dropping to a knee during any takedown attempt because I don't feel that's appropriate to do on a hard surface (in a streetfight situation or whatever, I don't want to develop habits that will mess me up in "the real world") so I shy away from it - despite the fact that my wrestling may suffer as a result.

I have a similar mindset with my grappling, I tend to avoid the more fancy stuff that might give me the edge in competition (like inverted stuff, DLR etc.) because I like to focus on things that are practical in all situations, not just friendly sporting occasions. Yes, I would probably be a better grappler if I included these concepts, but I'm just too much of a "realism at all times" type of guy.
 
I try because it helps me commit to the shot with proper posture. If i don't drop to the knee I can't help myself from reaching and bending forward...
 
I try to avoid dropping to a knee during any takedown attempt because I don't feel that's appropriate to do on a hard surface (in a streetfight situation or whatever, I don't want to develop habits that will mess me up in "the real world") so I shy away from it - despite the fact that my wrestling may suffer as a result.

I have a similar mindset with my grappling, I tend to avoid the more fancy stuff that might give me the edge in competition (like inverted stuff, DLR etc.) because I like to focus on things that are practical in all situations, not just friendly sporting occasions. Yes, I would probably be a better grappler if I included these concepts, but I'm just too much of a "realism at all times" type of guy.

Same. If I wouldn't do it in a real fight on concrete then I wouldn't do it in training - that goes for shooting onto my knees, drop Seoi Nages, rolling through after a Judo throw, et cetera. My knees are also pretty bad so that's another reason.
 
In wrestling you drop to your knee because you have to lower your level and wrestlers typically have a low stance. In MMA you are more upright so it isn't necessary to drop to your knee to get lower than your opponent.
 
In wrestling you drop to your knee because you have to lower your level and wrestlers typically have a low stance. In MMA you are more upright so it isn't necessary to drop to your knee to get lower than your opponent.

Don't you think it is important to learn the knee drop though, so that people automatically think to get their hips down and push up?
 
I do think the knee drop is important and it is how I penetrate on my shot BUT you don't HAVE to do it.

As people said earlier if you are fighting on an unforgiving surface or have bad knees best to not drop your knee.
 
I normally drop my knee, but like Mike says it's dependant on your opponent's stance and how they react.
 
In wrestling I dropped to my knee, but I was a teenage kid with ligaments for days. As age set in (mid 30s now), I have adapted my shot a bit so that my knee still comes darn near parallel with the ground, but I have developed the timing, distance, and fluidity to actually keep it from striking while still making it an appropriate level change and not a bend at the waist.
 
Whenever I shoot, I always focus on slamming my knee into the ground as hard as possible. No reason really.
 
i dont feel comfortable doing it,in the heat of the moment i wont go that low
 
But what if I drop to TWO knees!

Van Damme drops straight into the splits, never mind one knee

81927370.gif
 
My favorite takedown is a good hard double leg, but will take singles and high c's if the double isn't there. For example, I shoot in but the guy gets one of his legs back, so i just stand up with a single. But i always go for the double first. As far as dropping to your knee, it is necessary in wrestling except for the heavyweights. If you watch a 125 lb D1 match, you will see all leg attacks like singles and doubles done off of dropping to the knee. In BJJ, most guys pull guard and even if they don't their wrestling is pretty shitty so you see a lot of things that wouldn't normally work in a match between two good wrestlers or just guys with good takedown games like Buchecha. In MMA, the stances are up right so dropping to a knee isn't necessary but could be useful if you are struggling to take him down. For the guys (HomerPlata, Einarr) saying that they won't do it because they train for street fighting, you can shoot on concrete without hurting your patella as long as you shoot correctly. You aren't just dropping on your knee and slamming it into the ground, it is a controlled forward movement. I have wrestled on concrete when we did not have mats and I used my shots (I wouldn't recommend training on concrete, your body won't last long). Here I have a video of myself shooting on concrete.
[YT]/watch?v=1VJHCVya9eo[/YT]
Here is full link if embed video does not work and you still wish to view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VJHCVya9eo
 
Most guys in MMA don't start off by dropping to the knees. It really isn't necessary because of the height of the stances as was mentioned by others. You'll usually only see guys drop down when the opponent reacts in time to match the level change and start sprawling. If they don't have time to do that, it's usually best to just run through them. I still think it's important to learn to drop to the knee at first though because it's very difficult to shoot with good posture in the beginning. But what you'll notice when watching the most successful wrestlers (GSP, Sonnen etc) who shoot is that they often bend forward pretty far. Not at the waist though, they bend at the hips so their backs are still straight and posture is maintained even though they're leaning forward pretty far. The reason is that shooting in MMA is less about getting under and lifting before driving. You can mostly just drive and finish the takedown. With that in mind and considering how much more distance you typically need to cover when shooting in an MMA fight, a standard shot where the knee drops isn't usually the best option. Though it has it's place for sure.

Edit: Gif examples:

gsp_alves_takedown.gif


sonnen200_medium.gif


Both those guys will regularly drop to their knees though when they need to:

14579_Sequence_01_18_medium.gif


And Mighty Mouse will do it as his first choice:

tumblr_masxi4bdrP1qaa8d1o1_500.gif


So basically, learn to shoot with the knee down because you're always gonna need to fall back on it, but understand that it isn't wrong to keep the knee up and bend at the hips to cover more distance and drive more quickly.
 
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Question....

Can you effectively turn the corner without dropping the knee? I've been working the double a lot and the first sign of resistence, I will turn the corner. Seems to work. Idk if I could do it without dropping that knee though
 
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