Knee Tap

According to Gracie Schwarzwald Jiu-Jitsu, the critical error is stopping after the initial block instead of continuing to move. The instructor emphasizes: don't stop after you step and block—keep running past your opponent to achieve a control position, as stopping requires more effort even if they fall.

You need to put weight on the leg you're about to block while controlling it with your hand, which prevents your opponent from being able to pick it up or shoot underneath you, according to Gracie Schwarzwald Jiu-Jitsu.

Lift the arm toward the ceiling rather than pushing outward, says Gracie Schwarzwald Jiu-Jitsu. This positioning, combined with maintaining your head in contact with their jaw, keeps them controlled while you move through.

The Knee Tap is a sweep single genus where the attacker pushes the opponent's weight to one side using upper body control, then taps or blocks the loaded knee from the outside, collapsing the leg and causing the opponent to fall. The attacker uses a collar tie, post, or push to shift the opponent's weight onto one leg, then reaches down and taps the outside of that knee while simultaneously pushing the opponent over the collapsing leg.

The knee tap has roots in various folk wrestling traditions and was refined as a standard technique in both wrestling and judo (similar to kibisu-gaeshi concepts). Its minimal energy expenditure and high success rate from the clinch made it popular in MMA.

IJF: запрещён — Banned since 2010 leg grab prohibition — direct hansoku-make for touching opp…; IBJJF: разрешён — Legal at all belt levels, scored as takedown (2 points); UWW: ограничен — Legal in freestyle (2-4 points), banned in Greco-Roman (no attacks below waist); Unified MMA: разрешён — Legal takedown technique; ADCC: разрешён — Legal, scored 2-4 points in second half of match; FIAS Sport Sambo: разрешён — Legal — all takedowns permitted; FIAS Combat Sambo: разрешён — Legal; NCAA Folkstyle: разрешён — Legal, scored as takedown (2 points)

Оценка опасности 3/10. Moderate — single leg is one of the safest takedowns; controlled descent (John Smith methodology)

Стандартная цепочка подготовки: Establish Contact → Create Off-Balance → Execute the Takedown → Follow to Ground.

Стандартные контрприёмы: Sprawl — drop hips back and drive weight down to stuff the takedown attempt / Underhook — establish inside position to control distance and prevent the takedown entry / Post and Circle — post on the attacker's head and circle away to break their angle / Level Change Defence — recognize the shot early and react with appropriate hip defence.

Распространённые варианты: Inside single (shooting to the inside of the lead leg, head inside position); Outside single (attacking from the outside of the lead leg); High crotch (securing the thigh above the knee with head in the hip); Low single (attacking the ankle from outside range without deep penet…).

Georges St-Pierre frequently employed knee taps in UFC competition, using the technique as part of his takedown-heavy game plan during his welterweight championship reign (2006-2013). The knee tap is widely used in collegiate wrestling as both a primary attack and a secondary finish from single-leg and tie-up positions.

Основные ошибки, на которые стоит обратить внимание: Tapping the knee without first loading weight onto it — the tap alone has no effect on an unloaded leg / Pushing and tapping at the same time instead of push first, then tap / Bending over to reach the knee instead of squatting — exposes the neck / Tapping the inside of the knee (pushing it outward) when the tap should go outside-in.

Knee Tap также известен как Nī Tappu, Knee Pick, Knee Tap Takedown, Hiza Guruma (knee).