Jiu jitsu takedowns – controlling the aftermath of the takedown: A a very distinctive feature of the Jiu jitsu standing game that separates it from many other forms of grappling is THE THREE SECOND RULE which states that takedown points will not be awarded unless the athlete performing the takedown can demonstrate control after the takedown for three seconds where control is understood as the ability to hold an opponents hips, shoulder, side or one knee to the mat for the full three seconds. This is actually extremely difficult. In combat sports THREE SECONDS IS AN AWFULLY LONG TIME. The effect of this rule is that the takedown itself is not really what is valued in Jiu jitsu, rather, what is valued is the AFTERMATH of the takedown – THAT is what you get scored for. In practice your opponent will typically fight to keep his butt/side/shoulder/one knee off the mat. This means the points you score usually come from the scramble AFTER the takedown (rear mount is the most common). As Jiu jitsu students you must pay particular attention to controlling this crucial post takedown phase – very often this is the difference between a winning score versus a tiring scramble that ends with nothing.
