Improving Takedowns Through Games

Recently many people have been more interested in improving their takedowns in BJJ. This has long been a neglected area, but I think there has been a real effort to improve this in recent years. The obvious answer is to just go to a Wrestling or Judo class, but we all know that for some people that isn't possible. Even when it is, sometimes you don't get all the info you need or what you get isn't applicable to BJJ. 

In this article I want to show somethings that helped me. I know there has been a lot of talk recently on the internet about the "eco" approach and although this is similar, I don't really want to get into that here. I'm an advocate of learning techniques and drilling(to a certain extent) and what I want to give here are things that are supplemental to those that can help you develop your standing skills. These are games/positional sparring/drills that can be used to work on problem areas and develop confidence. These are ones that I've done that have helped me and hopefully they will help you as well, so give them a try. Since the Grappling Conjecture is about Nogi I'm going to focus on that, but many of these can be applied to gi training as well, so feel free to try them there as well. 

How to Use These

In my opinion these things should be supplemental to stand up techniques and the games will help you with things like timing, feel, working through defenses, etc. I'd recommend learning techniques on your own, drilling them until you feel comfortable and then playing one of these games to improve your skills. Try to use the techniques you've learned in the games and don't be afraid to fail. Of course you can play a lot of these games without much knowledge, but you'll get more out of them if you know some technique already. Also if you notice something isn't working for you during a game, make a note of it, find a solution to the problem and then the next time you play the game, try to apply that solution. Modern wrestling and Judo are over 100 years old and millions around the world have done it, so if you are having a problem, someone else has likely experienced it as well. There are solutions are out there. 

For people who are new to stand up, try some of the easier games and work on them until you feel comfortable. Then you can move into full stand up sparring rounds. For people that are more experienced, you can use these games to work on certain problem areas or places you want to develop and become better in. Another great use for them are when you are injured. There are times you can't do full sparring, but you might be able to do one of these games, so you can still improve, even if you aren't at 100%. Finally these can be used as warm up, or just a way to maintain your skills. If you are some high level wrestler, nobody in BJJ is going to want to stand with you, so you might go 3-5 years without anyone getting double underhooks on you. You don't want the next time it happens to be in a tournament, so these games can help there as well.

These aren't in any particular order and don't feel like you need to do all of them. Pick and choose the ones that are applicable to you. 

Games 

French Randori

For those familiar with Judo, you'll know that randori is just sparring. The difference here is that instead of free sparring, you are just drilling with resistance. Usually you'll go in turns and one person will attack and the other person defends. Both people should be moving around and hand fighting the whole time and the defender should respond to what the attacker is doing. However the defender needs to give way and let the attacker finish their takedown. This is also a good chance for the defender to work on their breakfalls. After the attacker gets the takedown the roles switch. There are no winners or losers here and this is just a chance to work on your techniques in a live setting and seeing what defenses you might go up against. 

This can either be done with a specific technique over and over again such as a double leg, or the attacker can vary their attacks so the defender doesn't know what is coming. 

Focus

The important thing here is to work on your setups and really make sure you are getting into position with your takedowns instead of just trying to toss moves out there. The defender should also mix up his defense, so the attacker can't just use the same setup repeatedly. Although this isn't as tiring as full sparring you should be breaking a sweat doing this and you can do your setups at full speed, just slow down when you get to the takedown, so you don't slam your partner. 

Also, make a note of the defensive responses that give you problems and then use that as a spring board to research more setups or improve your technique. 

Variations

You can vary the amount and type of defense to help prepare for certain things or increase your skill. For example you can have the defender try to stop the first takedown, but then the follow up attack in the chain they won't defend. Another thing you can do is have someone stand left handed or right handed, stay in a low stance, back away a lot, etc, so you can get used to working out of these conditions. Talk to your partner and work together to really hone in on your personal problem areas. You can also have one person just attack the whole time and the other person defend if you want as well.

 

Example

Knee Touch Game

This is a fairly simple game. Start by getting into a good stance. Now you should try to touch the back of someone's knees with your hands. You can do it with one hand or both. The other person of course should be looking to sprawl and down block to prevent this. This is a simple game that can be used as a warm up, but it can also get fairly heated if you want. 

Focus 

You should be looking to keep a good stance while using your head, hands and hips for defense and shot prevention. You should also be using proper setups to break through your partners defenses and get to their legs. Remember why you are doing this and don't just start extending your arms as far as you can or jumping forward onto your belly to touch them. Imagine you are actually going for a takedown and you need to grab their leg for a takedown. I find it helpful to actually grab the back of their leg and lift it slightly, just to I know my grip is good enough to actually finish the shot. 

Variations

You can do double leg touches as well, to simulate double leg takedowns or even toe touches. You can also have one person on defense the whole time or offense the whole time if you feel that someone is weak in one of those areas. 

Example

Escape/Hold the Tie Drill

This very simple. The idea is one person gets a tie and the other person tries to escape. The longer the attacker can hold it the better and the better for them and the faster the defender can escape the better for them. You aren't allowed to do takedowns, but you can off balance the other person using your legs like you would in Greco-Roman wrestling(no footsweeps). This can be done with the goal of escaping a certain amount of times or you can do it with a timer like the other games. It should be noted that this can get tiring and repetitive, so it might be better to use a shorter time limit. Also vary the ties and don't use neutral ties such as over-under. The ones I'd recommend working on are the collar tie, the Russian tie(2-on-1), rear bodylock, double wrist ties, the front headlock, an underhook and double under hooks. 

Focus

The defender should be looking to work their escapes and ideally gradually learn to rely on their technique and not tire themselves trying to use strength and speed to escape. The attacker should also try to move and unbalance their opponent to try to gain advantage instead of just squeezing their ties as hard as possible. 

Of course you can do this with all the ties, however I think it is better to work on your own personal problem areas to get the most out of this. Don't forget to try it on both sides, so you can get used to things on both sides. 

Control Tie Game

This is very similar to the "Hold the Tie" game above, but this time both people are attacking. Both people should start facing each other, move around and attempt to catch their partner in a dominant control tie. Once they have it count to 10 out loud. If they can keep their partner in the tie until the count of 10 they win. The other person should work to get out of the tie or counter it into their own dominant tie. If you are in a neutral tie, such as over-under or both people have collar ties, etc they need to keep working. I recommend using collar and biceps tie, underhook, russian tie, the rear bodylock and double underhooks. Whatever ties you choose, just confirm it with your partner before you start, so you are both on the same page. 

Focus

Both people should try to keep in a good stance and work on their entries as well as counters to control ties. After they get into a tie try moving the other person around and off balance them in order to get that 10 count. Also try not to do that same tie over and over again. If you feel confident you can hold a certain tie well, ex. right hand underhook, try getting into a left side russian tie or a rear bodylock. Of course this isn't always possible, but try to mix things up a bit. Also you can keep it interesting by sometimes being the aggressive person and making first contact or other times playing a more counter attack style strategy. Both people can explore a variety of things and get different looks by doing this. 

Variations

If one person is much better than the other, let the less skilled person start in a specific tie, so as soon as you start the more advanced person is on the clock. From there continue as normal and start from whatever their worst position is on the restart. 

You can also do this will full sparring where you try to take someone down from these control ties and then if you fail restart. If you feel that you aren't aggressive enough, try doing this game in reverse. The attacker starts in the control tie and attempts to take the other person down. The defender slowly counts to 10 and the defender wins if they can stay on their feet for 10 seconds, but the attacker wins if they can get the other person down before the end of the count. 

Single Leg Defense Game

I'm sure many of you have played this before. It is simple. One person picks up a single leg and tries to take the other person down. The other person defends and tries to get their leg free or reverse them. The attacker should use a variety of single leg finishes and try to put the person down to their back/stomach. The defender should try to get their leg free and return to neutral. Of course this should be done on both legs. 

Focus

The attacker should work on a variety of finishes and learn to feel out when is the best time for each. The attacker should also be trying to attack quickly and keep their partner off balance the whole time instead of just standing there as that usually favors the defender. The defender should be watching to see what the attacker is going to do and work on their balance. They can either work to escape as quickly as possible if they feel like they have problems escaping this situation or if on the other hand they can usually defend well, it sometimes helps to just stay there and try to fight off attacks while balancing. This will help the defender sharpen their defensive reflexes.

Variations 

There are a lot of ways to mix it up with this. You can start with the leg in the air and with a number of different grips or positions. You can also start from the ground on one knee if you need to work on working through sprawls or turnouts. 

Although this is called the single leg defense game, feel free to try it with double legs or the rear bodylock position. Use it with any takedown you can that has good late stage defenses. 

Work Through The Sprawl Game

This is the game that helped me the most, but it is also the hardest in my opinion. For this you grab your partner with a single leg and then they sprawl on top of you and you lay flat on your stomach while continuing to hold their leg and they have their full weight on top of you. Now someone says go and you try to work to build height and finish the single leg, while they sprawl and attempt to get away or make you give up. If you can get on top of them for the takedown you win. If you lose your connection or you just feel like you're stuck you lose. 

Focus

The attacker should be trying to feel the weight and positioning of the defender and choose the proper attack to use to complete the takedown. The defender should be looking for ways to break their hands apart with the sprawl, dig underhooks, etc. They should also be getting used to the different types of pressure you'll feel and adjusting their weight accordingly. I'd highly recommend looking at wrestling techniques to counter the sprawl before trying this and then applying them during this type of sparring. 

Also know when do admit defeat. It is important to learn how to keep going and not give up, but remember this is training and if you give something a good try and it doesn't work, spending another 2 min trying to muscle through is just going to waste the round and put wear and tear on your body. It is often better to to just concede and restart. After you get more experience you'll realize when you can break through their defense and when you are actually stuck. 

Variations

To make this easier or harder adjust the starting position. The deeper the sprawl the defender starts from the harder it will be for the attacker. When the attacker has their knees under their center of gravity(turtle or on a knee), it will be easier for them. You can vary these to parameters to make things easier or harder for someone. 

Just Stand Up/Derrick Lewis Game

This is a simple game where you start in turtle and attempt to stand up while the other person keeps you on the ground. The top player can use rides, turns, etc to keep the bottom player down and the bottom player should be attempting to stand. If they can get to a standing position they win, even if they are being rear bodylocked, have their back taken, etc. If the top person can keep the other person down the whole time they win. 

Focus

The bottom person should work on building their base and breaking grips that the top player is using. Also try out a variety of different moves instead of spamming the same one over and over. The top person should work on using various rides and techniques to break the person down and take away their connection to the ground. This person should focus on getting someone's belly or back flat on the floor.

Variations

To make this easier or harder vary the starting position. If the bottom person needs more of a challenge, start from belly down or bottom side control. If you want to make it easier, start from a quadpod position. This way people of different levels can work together by giving the more skilled person a handicap. Another way to do this is combine it with French Randori. One person will be on offense and work for a takedown while the other person give them some light defense. As soon as the defender hits the floor the sparring starts and the defender need to get back to their feet, while the attacker should attempt to keep them down. 

You can also do this with BJJ as well, but adding back takes as a losing position or allowing people to use submissions such as the RNC or kneebar. Just remember what the focus is and make standing up/keeping someone down, your number 1 priority. 

Sumo game

Make a somewhat small circle or square and 2 people fight to push the other person out or touch their hands to the floor. When doing this no slapping is allowed and the focus should be on using control ties to move people out of bounds. Also snap downs can be used to force people's hands to the floor. Don't make the area too large and no shots allowed. Takedowns aren't allowed except for snapdowns, but you can step behind or in between your partners legs to help off balance them. 

Focus

Handfighting should be the focus and also people should be working on reversing others as well as just pushing them forward. Try different off balancing techniques and learn to chain them together to get someone out of bounds. Look the the other persons posture and feel where their weaknesses are. Also this can be used to increase your awareness of the boundaries, so you don't go out of bounds while you're trying to set something up. Both people should be moving forward and trying to work quickly instead of being cagey and taking their time. Don't feel bad about setting a shorter amount of time for this if you find it too tiring. 

Variations

If you want to make it harder you can let one person start with a tie. You can also add takedowns into the mix if you want.

Example

How to Play

At the end of the day it is your training, so do it however you want, but I'll try to give some tips that have helped me.

Don't try to "game" these games. These are for skill development and if you look at them in that context you'll realize that doing something that helps you win here, but doesn't make any sense in BJJ is a waste of time. Try to do these in the spirit they were meant to be done and think about how they are helping you improve. Don't try so hard to win at these games that you lose at BJJ. Crawling around like a dog during the knee touch game might help you win, but it doesn't make any sense to do that in BJJ for example. By cheating in these games you are only cheating yourself. 

Don't make things too easy on yourself mentally. Personally I use these for skill development, so I want to get the most out of my time. Work the things you have trouble with and vary what you're doing. Try not to use your "A game" the whole time. Try out some of those things you aren't good at, especially with people you are more skilled than. Of course you can use the things you already know, but try not to go on autopilot. These games let you do the same thing over and over again with full or near full resistance, so use that to hone in on the timing of that move you can never quite get in sparring or holding that position you always find people wiggling out of. You'll always improve more on the things you have trouble with than the things you are already a master at. 

Don't waste time. These games are meant to improve your stand up, so don't start guillotining people or adding in flying armbars, ect. Most people will be using a timer with these games, so every second you start doing other stuff is time you could be improving your stand up. By the same token, know when to give up. If someone has you dead to rights, just give up and try again instead of struggling and running time off the clock. You want to get as many reps in as possible not test your endurance and heart. If you do these with a certain mindset, you can get weeks worth of reps in on a move in less than 10 min, but you can also waste half your time doing things like circling or feinting with no purpose. 

I generally do these for 3 min at a time, but you can do longer or shorter rounds if you need to. My cardio is bad, so I like to keep it short, but my philosophy with these are "I'm here for a good time, not a long time. You want to get the most work done in the least amount of time possible. You shouldn't be trying to gas the other person out or waste a min trying to feel the other person out. Don't be afraid to lose, it is just practice. 

My Advice

A few years ago I wanted to work more on my standup and started doing pure stand up rounds for about 5 min. My friend would record them and later I'd watch them and critique what I was doing wrong afterwards. One day I was watching a round and I noticed I only went for 1 takedown in the whole round. My partner and I just circled and faked for most of the round and subsequently I didn't really have anything worth analyzing. I was disgusted in myself and realized that I'd been wasting my  time by practicing like this. After that I shortened the round time to 3 min and made it my goal to attempt 6-8 takedowns every round. This caused me to increase my work rate, but more than that, it helped me increase my technique substantially. I was able to analyze what I did wrong because I actually did something. I was also able to correct some of my problems in the rounds because I attempted them enough times I could find the problems in real time. It also helped develop my feel much more quickly and gave me immediate feedback on what I was doing wrong. Of course my takedown percentage was worse, but does that really matter when it comes to skill development. I say all this to encourage you to try more and get that wrestler/judoka mentality. Don't wait for the perfect moment, just attack and if it fails learn from it. If both people do that you'll get better much more quickly. You learn for your successes. You learn a lot from your failures. You don't learn anything if you don't try.

Check out their pace and lack of pointless stalling, handfighting and collar ties

Finally try to do some pure stand up rounds without any ground work, so you can put all your standing skills together, while avoiding wasting time on the ground. If you haven't done much stand up work, start slow and start with whichever of these games seems the easiest and safest for you. When you start feeling more comfortable, move to full standup sparring. Also, I can't stress this enough, don't hurt yourself or others. If you aren't sure how to do a move don't do it. If you can't throw someone with control, don't do it. Learn breakfalls and practice them here, so you can get used to them in a more realistic environment.

Standing grappling can be intimidating and confusing, but it doesn't have to be. More importantly it is a great skill to have that you'll find useful for BJJ, MMA or self defense. Hopefully these will provide easy and fun ways to improve your stand up skills. Also come up with your own games and share them if you have something good.