To all the jiujitsu athletes out there starting to learn wrestling...ignore the penetration step.
At least for your first few wrestling classes.
Your focus should be learning effective takedowns that give you confidence in your stand up game.
Not a skill that's hard on your knees and difficult to execute.
Don't take it from me. Here's what people have to say about it on my Low Risk Takedowns Without Hitting Your Knees video.
"I'm almost 40 and have just never felt comfortable going to the knee. This will be very helpful. Thank you!"
"This is exactly what I need. I'm 6'5, 36 yrs old, with bad knees and a questionable lower back lol. Thank you"
"I developed chronic toe pain from trying to learn the penetration step."
It doesn't have to be this way. There are several takedowns you can learn without using the penetration step
- The snatch single
- Ankle picks/Knee picks
- Throw-bys/Slide-bys
- Russian tie series (aka 2-on-1)
- Sprawl/Snap down Go Behinds
to name a few.
This realization came while coaching at Theory Jiujitsu Studio.
I walk into Theory a year ago ready to teach the same skills I show beginner wrestlers.
One of the first skills wrestlers learn is the penetration step.
This makes sense because most wrestlers
- Are young (Think college or younger)
- Have good knees
- Have low stances
It's easier to learn new skills while you're young. Your brain is a sponge.
It's easier to do the movement while you have pain-free knees.
And the skill is more of a necessity in wrestling. It's effective at getting takedowns against athletes with low stances.
Jiujitsu is the opposite of that...
A majority of the grapplers I coach
- Are adults (college grads or older)
- Their knees ache
- Their stance is almost non-existent
Learning the penetration step is a bit more challenging for them because they are more set in their ways.
They are hobbyists. They don't want to learn something that's so unnatural. They want to learn one or two takedowns that gives them confidence in their stand up game.
Their knees have been through life and seen some things. Especially the knees of my older grapplers (Late 30s & 40s).
They have no stance because they don't know what a wrestling stance is. They're borderline standing up.
If they do have a stance, they're worried about their neck being open to a choke.
With that being said...the wrestling playbook isn't working well
My grapplers are struggling with penetration steps and slowly stop showing up to class.
I realize this and shift my focus to something easier – sprawls and go behinds.
This resonates with my students and they start defending my leg attacks! Boom. I find some success.
I decide to teach handfighting and snatch singles...and people eat it up. It's simple, intuitive, and easy to learn.
It's amazing to see it click for everyone. People with zero wrestling experience have a decent snatch single after one day of practice!
I know I know...crazy stuff.
We move on from the snatch single to other knee-less techniques and the rest is history.
I'm not saying you should never do the penetration step
Please do. But, keep in mind
- It's rough on the knees
- It doesn't instill confidence
- It's unnatural and awkward
Save it for after you gain confidence in your stand up game. I recommend you start with
- Handfighting
- Snatch singles
- Standing double legs
- Sprawl and go behinds
Start learning more takedowns without the penetration step below and on my youtube channel.
For a deep dive on effective, low-risk takedowns without the penetration step, I recommend my instructional – No Penetration Step, No Problem: Low Risk Takedowns Without Hitting Your Knees
For those with knee pain
Don't blame it on getting older and previous injuries.
Take accountability. You're neglecting your knees.
I've been doing knee over toe exercises by Athletic Truth Group (ATG) for a couple years now and my knees feel better than ever.
I couldn't do 16 pistol squats on each leg a few years ago. Now I can.
ATG is all about helping you breakthrough knee pain and bulletproof your body. Their youtube channel shows you how.
They also have an app with a program – Untapped – that is specifically for jiujitsu practitioners. It helps you strengthen your body in all of the positions we tend to find ourselves in during a roll.
You can use my affiliate link below to support me and start your journey with them.
P.S. ATG is only one tool I use to improve my grappling and quality of life. Here's plenty more fuel for your journey.
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