--- title: Knee slide takedown (trilemma prong 3) description: When partner pulls back and reapplies whizzer, rise and attack with a knee slide to bring them down. section: body tags: [bjj, move, half-guard-bottom, top-position, knee-slide, takedown, trilemma] genre: reference stability: developing lastUpdated: 2026-04-26 url: https://fardiniqbal.com/docs/body/mat/moves/knee-slide-takedown --- **Source:** Volume 02, §4.3 —   ([full transcript](/docs/body/mat/sources/only-way-out/volume-02#43-prong-3--knee-slide--single-leg-style-takedown)) *** ## Purpose [#purpose] Third option when partner resists both sweep and back take — come up and attack the legs. ## Entry condition [#entry-condition] Half guard. Partner pulls back and reapplies whizzer. You're propped on elbow, lower-leg shift in. ## Mechanics [#mechanics] The third situation. We're in half guard, go to tilt our partner — he pulls back. As we go to come up, **he puts the whizzer back on**. It's not going to be possible for us to take his back. Whenever we feel this — propped on our elbow, lower-leg shift in, partner's knees on the inside — **now's the time to come up and look to attack either single or double leg.** **Best method from here:** 1. **Scissor the legs** and rise to the top position. 2. Take your **hand down low, below your partner's buttocks**. 3. Even as he goes to take his legs out and away, **widen your base**. 4. From here we can always hit a **knee slide**. Grab your partner's heel on the far side. If you can't get that, no problem — put your hand on the mat. 5. **Step your outside leg up.** 6. **Sweep your left knee toward your right knee.** This **torques his knee**. 7. From this position he's either going to **release** (in which case shell the leg and chase it / come back), or as we go to tilt, he keeps that knee on the floor — which puts him **down on his hip**. 8. **Gather the leg, lock your hands, put partner's shoulders flat on the floor, go to work to pass.** ## Key details [#key-details] 1. **Scissor legs, rise to top** — the transition from half guard to attacking position. 2. **Hand below partner's buttocks** — same low-grip principle as the scoop sweep. Control from below, not around the waist. 3. **Widen base** — even as partner tries to take legs out and away, a wide base keeps you stable. 4. **Grab far heel or hand on mat** — either grip works for the knee slide. If you can't reach the heel, the mat is fine. 5. **Step outside leg up.** 6. **Sweep left knee toward right — torques partner's knee.** This is the finishing mechanic. The torque on the knee either forces a release or puts partner down on their hip. 7. **Gather leg, lock hands, shoulders flat** — once partner is down, secure the position and work to pass. ## Common failures [#common-failures] * **Trying to take the back when the whizzer is back on.** If partner pulled back and reapplied the whizzer, the back take is dead. Switch to the knee slide. * **Not widening the base.** If your base stays narrow, partner can take their legs out and away and you lose position. * **Sweeping the knee without stepping the outside leg up first.** The outside leg needs to be posted before you can generate the torque with the knee sweep. * **Not gathering the leg after the takedown.** Once partner is on their hip, you need to lock hands and secure before passing. Letting the leg go means they can recover guard. ## Connections [#connections] * **From:** Half guard (bottom) → **To:** Top position * **Principles:** [Inside position](/docs/body/mat/principles/inside-position) * **Skills:** [Grip fighting](/docs/body/mat/skills/grip-fighting) * **Part of:** [Trilemma system](/docs/body/mat/sources/only-way-out/volume-02#4-the-trilemma--from-half-guard-three-outcomes) * **When partner keeps whizzer in (doesn't pull back):** switch to [Scoop sweep (prong 1)](/docs/body/mat/moves/scoop-sweep) * **When partner removes whizzer and posts:** switch to [Back take from half guard (prong 2)](/docs/body/mat/moves/half-guard-back-take)