Single Leg Takedown

Also known as: Single Leg · Kuchiki Taoshi · High Crotch (variation) · Running the Pipe (finish)

Capture one leg, keep your posture, and finish by running the pipe or lifting — the most adaptable takedown in the sport, often landing in top half guard.

Takedown · Gi & No-gi · Difficulty 2/5 · Usually learned at White belt

Starts from Standing as the either grappler → lands in Half Guard.

The details that make it work

1. Head position wins the single: your head stays tight on the chest or outside the hip, never under their armpit.
2. Hold the leg high on your chest with the knee pinched between your thighs.
3. "Run the pipe": circle toward the trapped leg while driving your head down and across.

Where it goes wrong

• Letting the leg drift low near your hips, where whizzers and kicks free it.
• Standing still with the leg — a static single is a stalemate; a moving one is a takedown.

How opponents counter it

• Whizzer + hip re-square
• Kick the knee down and sprawl the free leg back
• Guillotine over the exposed neck

Is the Single Leg Takedown legal in competition?

Legal in all major rulesets at all levels (IBJJF, ADCC, sub-only). Rules change — always confirm against the current official rulebook for your event.

Related techniques

• Double Leg Takedown
• Ankle Pick
• Sprawl

All moves from Standing · Back to Grapplepedia