Sprawl

Also known as: Sprawl Defense · Hip Sprawl · Sprawl and Spin

The universal answer to a takedown shot: throw your legs back, drop your hips onto their head and shoulders, and come out on top with a front headlock.

Escape · Gi & No-gi · Difficulty 1/5 · Usually learned at White belt

Starts from Standing as the either grappler → lands in Front Headlock.

The details that make it work

1. Hips down, not chest down — the pressure comes from your pelvis on their upper back.
2. Kick the attacked leg back FIRST and square off; a half-sprawl leaves them attached to a leg.
3. Immediately convert: chin strap and arm control, then attack or spin behind.

Where it goes wrong

• Sprawling and resting — a sprawl is the start of the front headlock cycle, not the end of the exchange.

How opponents counter it

• Re-shoot off the second effort as they rise
• Sit-out as their weight over-commits

Is the Sprawl 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

• Snap Down
• Front Headlock Go-Behind
• D’Arce Choke
• Double Leg Takedown

All moves from Standing · Back to Grapplepedia