Double Leg Entry
Double leg — head at the hip, shoulder through both legs. Deepest level change of any takedown. Primary defence is the sprawl.
Adapted from InGrappling, Double Leg Entry. System Games did not invent this curriculum.
Manage injuries →Position map Connects to 11 positions across 2 relationshipsOpen in the map →12345678910←Enters from
The double leg takedown drives through both of the opponent’s legs simultaneously — the practitioner’s arms wrap around both legs while the head drives to one side of the opponent’s hip and the near shoulder presses through the opponent’s thighs. The finish drives the opponent backward, lifts both legs, and dumps them to the mat.
The double leg requires the deepest level change of any standing takedown — the practitioner must get below the opponent’s centre of mass completely before the entry. The head going beside the hip (not between the legs) is the defining positional requirement. A double leg attempted from too high will not reach both legs and will be stopped by the opponent’s arm or hip.
The double leg is vulnerable to the sprawl — the opponent driving their hips back and down to remove the target. Because of this, the level change must be aggressive and deep, bringing the practitioner’s head to hip level before the opponent can sprawl. A slow or shallow level change is sprawled every time.
INV-ST04Invariant "Level change — dropping the hips below the opponent's centre of mass — is a prerequisite for penetration on most double-leg and single-leg entries. Attempting penetration without level change exposes the head and allows the sprawl."
Why it works hereThe double leg requires the deepest level change of any standing entry because the head has to reach the opponent's hipline beside the hip, not above it. If the practitioner's hips do not drop below the opponent's hips before the penetration step, the shoulder contacts the thigh rather than driving through the hip and the sprawl arrives in time. The level change is achieved by bending the knees with a straight back — bending at the waist drops the head without dropping the hips and produces both effects you do not want: a snap-down target and a high-hip shot.
See full invariant page → The double leg is the technique most dependent on the level change. The head must reach the opponent’s hip level, meaning the practitioner’s hips must be significantly below the opponent’s hips. Without this depth of level change, the double leg contacts the opponent’s thighs rather than their legs, and the sprawl defence is trivially available.
INV-ST01Invariant "Destabilising the opponent requires controlling the secondary leg — the leg that is not the primary base. Moving the secondary leg removes the opponent's ability to rebalance."