Best Takedown in BJJ: John Smith Low Single

I learned this takedown back in the early 1990s off a bootleg John Smith Sunkist Kids VHS tape. It got John Smith 6 world championships and two Olympic gold medals and it got me a state placement in Ohio.

Even though I’m 47 years old now, I still use it to take down most opponents from standing, including our local NCAA all American wrestler.

The down side is that even though this looks simple, it’s a high skill level move. You have to hit everything perfectly, so you probably won’t go and hit this after drilling one time in class.

I learned by putting on knee pads and sliding across the kitchen linoleum, aiming for a chair leg, and I still think this is a fine way to learn.

Just make sure to film yourself and make sure your level change is purely vertical. If you can make this work I virtually guarantee your head is moving forward during the level change, giving your opponent a heads up the shot is coming.

• Standup
• Wrestling
• Low Single