MMA Drop step or straight shoot
 

In MMA what would be the more suitable takedown cause my training partner only uses the drop step on both double and single but personally I dont like it. I think its too easy to see, counter and get finished from a knee. I know its illegal to knee when they have a knee down but its just easily telegraphed and slower compared to combination and just dropping level straight in what are you opinions?

There's a million approaches to this. Ima take it you're a new practitioner and just started watching. I could tell you that I'm going to shoot in and you won't be able to do anything. I'll land a 1 and 2 then drop. Easy right. I can also swing for the fences ala Fedor style then shoot. Or I can clinch you and Judo throw you.

Then there's the Georges technique where he leap frogs into you. You can not stop it. After watching his resistance training he's got major quad,gluts, and calf power just like a frog. He powers into a takedown with so much momentum that you're already flying halfway through the Octagon.

Knees are not as easy as you think. You're coming from a stationary position where you already know your partner is trying to shoot.

After watching hundreds of successful takedowns I can only think of a few instances where elite fighters were able to land the knee or a strike successfully to stifle the takedown.

Anderson vs Carlos Newton
GSP vs Matt Hughes II (looked like Hughes was looking to grab GSP's leg, but ran into a kick. Similar.)
*Anderson tried a flying knee against Lutter and got taken down.
JDS vs Werdum (Werdum has the tendency to look down because he's always looking to grapple. JDS capitalized on this and gave em a Shoryuken uppercut. To me an uppercut and knee is similar as you're going from down to up.)
There's a few others, can't remember atm.

Point is I could probably name a hundred more instances where the takedowns were successful.

PS: There's the ankle pick too.

Thanks dude I have done MMA for a while like but usually I just change level without drop step but lately I've just started training more on my doubles and singles was just wondering on what people think cause my new training partner just does it but its just a lot more easier to see cause the knee drops and i just wait for it

If it were only that easy...hehe. Is he a BJJ grappler.

No offense to your partner but if he telegraphs that easily he's not a good wrestler. By the time you see a good wrestlers shot, you're halfway on your back!

So true... I mean I don't have very good takedown defense, so I guess it doesn't mean much coming from me, but when it's a good wrestler I barely have time to blink. Timing a knee would be pretty damn tricky.

As for the actual topic, I am a big advocate of dropping a knee. You get so much more penetration (tee hee)on top of the added power and versatility for the finish.

I've never liked blast doubles. I prefer to turn the corner and lift. When your knee is on the ground you can stand up into the finish and run with it. You essentially have the power of your squat backing your finish. If your posture won't be as good if you didnt drop a knee, so you'll be using more back and less legs. This also makes doubles that came from a drop step harder to sprawl on, since the guy's back is straight and his base is sturdy.

But even more importantly, there's the versatility factor! From the knee you can do your typical lift finish, but its also incredibly easy to transition into an outside trip or to take his back as the situation requires.

Kin, remind me to hire you as a trainer if I decide to open up a gym down the line.

What do you think about GSP's takedowns. He leap frogs right into his opponents. All those box jumps and resistance excercises paid off.

Well, dont hire me as a wrestling trainer because I'm not very good at that. I might talk a good game, and maybe even seem decent at NAGA against guys who are more jiujitsu-y, but put a real wrestler in front of me and I get rag-dolled.

As for GSP's takedowns, obviously he's the man! He hides them so well with his punches and his timing is excellent.

Forgive me for asking, but what do you mean by 'leap frog?'

I can relate. I roll with a couple of D1 caliber wrestlers and two things are certain - I'm going to get taken down and I will wind up on my back. I don't even waste energy trying to fight it, just spend a lot of time working from my guard.