Knee Tap

Last updated: June 2, 2026

What is a knee tap takedown?

The knee tap is a close-range takedown borrowed from wrestling and widely used in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and MMA. It happens from a tie-up rather than from a long shot across open space. Instead of diving at the legs the way a double leg does, the attacker stays chest to chest, gets the opponent leaning onto one foot, then taps the back or side of that knee so the leg folds while their own weight carries the opponent down.

What makes the move recognisable is its economy. There is no level change deep under the hips and no sprawl risk if it stalls, which is why coaches often hand it to beginners as a first reliable takedown. The same low-commitment quality keeps it in the toolbox of high-level grapplers who want to score without opening themselves up to a counter.

Georges St-Pierre is the fighter most associated with the knee tap in MMA. He leaned on it throughout his welterweight title run, using strikes to set up the clinch before tripping opponents to the mat, and his version is frequently held up as a model for how the technique looks at the elite level.

How the knee tap works

Every knee tap starts from contact. The most common entries are a collar tie, where one hand controls the neck, and an over-under clinch, where each grappler has one underhook and one overhook. From either grip, the goal is the same: getting the opponent’s weight committed to the targeted leg.

Once that leg is loaded, the hand on the same side reaches down to the back or outside of the knee. The hand does not need to pull hard. It blocks the joint from straightening or stepping while the upper-body control drives the opponent over that fixed point. The leg cannot post, so the body falls.

It works on balance, not strength. A standing person stays upright only by constantly shuffling their feet under their centre of mass, so pin one knee in place and take that option away, and even a much heavier opponent has nowhere to go but down. This is why the technique carries over so cleanly between wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and MMA.

How the knee tap differs from similar takedowns

Most people searching for the knee tap are trying to place it next to moves that look almost identical from the clinch. The closest relative is the ankle pick, and the two get mixed up often because both target a single point on one leg from an upper-body tie.

Takedown	What it attacks	Typical entry	Key difference
Knee tap	Back or side of the knee	Collar tie or over-under clinch	Stays upright, drives the opponent over a blocked knee
Ankle pick	The ankle or heel	Collar tie, often with a level change	Drops lower and pulls the foot out from under the opponent
Double leg	Both legs at the thigh	Penetration step from range	Needs a committed shot and a deeper level change
Single leg	One leg at the thigh or knee	Penetration step or clinch	Lifts or runs the leg rather than folding the knee

The pattern across that table is depth. A knee tap is the shallowest of the group, which is what gives it the low risk and quick recovery that beginners and cautious competitors both value.

Where the knee tap shows up

In wrestling, the knee tap lives in the same family as other leg attacks, and leg attacks dominate scoring. One catalog of NCAA Division I national finals found that single legs, double legs, and ankle picks together account for roughly 70 percent of scoring takedowns at the lighter weight classes, according to Fight Encyclopedia. The knee tap fits this group as a low-commitment finish from the clinch.

In jiu-jitsu, the move is popular because it sets up a clean pass to side control or mount the moment the opponent lands. In MMA, it carries a second advantage: because the grappler stays tall instead of shooting, the position keeps striking options open and limits the counters a defender can throw.

The knee tap is also a legal technique across wrestling, IBJJF jiu-jitsu, and MMA rulesets, since it attacks the leg with a hand rather than twisting the joint. Pushing on the knee is not the same as a banned knee reap or leg lock, which apply rotational pressure to the joint itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the knee tap a wrestling or a jiu-jitsu move?

Both. It originated in wrestling and was later adopted into Brazilian jiu-jitsu and MMA, where it remains one of the more common clinch takedowns.

Is the knee tap good for beginners?

Yes. Because it starts from a tie-up and needs no deep shot, it carries low risk and is often taught as an early, reliable takedown.

Is the knee tap legal in competition?

In most rulesets, yes. It pushes the knee rather than twisting it, so it avoids the joint-reaping rules that restrict leg locks in jiu-jitsu.

What is the difference between a knee tap and an ankle pick?

Both attack one leg from a clinch, but the knee tap blocks the knee while the attacker stays upright, and the ankle pick drops lower to pull the foot away.

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Sources

1. Jiu Jitsu Legacy. “The Unstoppable Knee Tap Takedown.” Accessed June 2026.
2. BJJ Fanatics. “The Knee Tap Takedown.” Accessed June 2026.
3. Submission Searcher. “Knee Tap.” Accessed June 2026.
4. Evolve MMA. “Here’s How To Utilize Ankle Picks For BJJ.” Accessed June 2026.
5. Fight Encyclopedia. “Wrestling Moves: The Complete Catalog of Takedowns, Throws, and Pins.” Accessed June 2026.

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