Kani Basami
Kani Basami — scissors takedown. Sacrifice technique with elevated knee injury risk. Elite-level timing and angle requirement.
Adapted from InGrappling, Kani Basami. System Games did not invent this curriculum.
FamilyStandingLevelElitePerspectiveNeutralIntentOffensiveSafetyElevatedMapView on graph →This technique has elevated risk. Make sure you've covered the prerequisites before attempting.
Manage injuries →Position map Connects to 10 positions across 2 relationshipsOpen in the map →1234567←Enters from
is a sacrifice takedown in which the attacker scissors their legs around the opponent’s legs — one leg sweeping forward at or above the knee, the other sweeping backward at or below it — to topple the opponent sideways using rotational force. Both players go to the ground simultaneously. It is a sacrifice technique: the attacker gives up their own base to execute it.
The technique is well-established in Sambo, present historically in judo (before being banned in IJF competition in 1980), and has experienced renewed interest in no-gi submission grappling during the leg lock era — the position the Kani Basami creates on landing provides a direct entry into ashi garami and heel hook positions.
Ability level: Elite. This is not a technique for practitioners without precise angle, timing, and spatial awareness. Executed at a wrong angle — particularly straight-on rather than from the side — it creates the conditions for serious knee injury to the opponent without any submission threat to prompt them to tap. The technical requirements are substantial, and the cost of imprecision is not a failed takedown but potential injury to a training partner or opponent.
Elevated RiskKani Basami is an elevated risk technique. The scissoring force of Kani Basami applies simultaneous lateral and rotational stress to the opponent's knee joint — hyperextension, lateral stress, or rotational torque depending on the angle at which the technique is applied. This is not the same as a submission where the defender can tap before the injury threshold is reached. The injury in a poorly angled Kani Basami is near-instantaneous: once the scissors motion is committed, there is no window for the defender to prevent the knee from being stressed beyond its tolerance. The opponent cannot tap fast enough. Serious injury can occur Near-instantaneous at an incorrect angle — the rotational force is applied at the moment of the scissors motion. There is no progression from 'discomfort' to 'injury' — the force either loads the knee correctly (and the takedown completes) or it loads the knee incorrectly (and injury occurs, with or without a tap)..
If you are new to this technique: read this section before anything else. Understanding the danger is part of understanding the technique.
The person applying the technique is responsible for releasing immediately.