The Football Tackle vs The Double-Leg Takedown

Tackling is beautiful

A well planted tackle is one of the most “fun” things to watch when I’m enjoying a game of football. The solid hit, the crunch of the pads, and roar of the fans make it just awesome! When you look at an athlete who can tackle well, their tackles are essentially double-leg takedowns, just hit with a lot more power, due to them running at their target or their target running at them. Obviously in a real fight, you’re not going to run and charge your opponent – way too many openings – though some dumbass might try to do that to you, but what’s great about a football tackle is the POWER, DRIVE, and FORCE behind it.

Taking a lesson from football

When learning to do a double-leg takedown, use the football tackle as a example of how you want to drive into your opponent and force him back. Many times when I watch failed takedowns it’s because there was no commitment nor drive with the takedown. The person just tried to grab onto the legs and hope for the best.

When going for the double-leg or any leg takedown, aim to drive your opponent back and take him off balance. This will allow you to trip the back leg as demonstrated in the H2H Self Defense system, or finish in a variety of other ways.