John Danaher Standing2Ground, Vol 6: Single Leg Finishes

Getting to a single is easy; finishing it is not. Three finishing directions (forward, backward, sideways), plus the dump, five-price, thigh pry, and single-to-double when he squares. From John Danaher's Standing2Ground instructional.

Flow outline

  1. Single Leg: Three Finish Directions

    • Getting to a single is the easy part. Finishing is the problem.
    • Three general finish directions cover almost every situation:
    • Forward: run the pipe, drive him down.
    • Backward: cut back, roll his base away.
    • Sideways: dump, foot-sweep, lift-and-place.
    • Read: what is his post leg doing?
    • Post leg stiff, chest forward: cut back.
    • Post leg passive, upright: run the pipe.
    • Light and hopping: dump or five-price.

  2. Cut Back

    • Danaher's favourite single-leg finish. Uses the opponent's own posting against him.
    • Single leg captured, opponent posts hard on his free leg to stop your forward drive.
    • Drop your level slightly and switch hip.
    • Your shoulder drives back the way you came, not forward.
    • His hips rotate before his post foot can adjust.
    • He lands flat on his side.
    • Why it works: his post leg is designed to stop forward pressure. The instant you reverse direction, the post leg is redundant and his balance is already committed forward.

  3. Run The Pipe

    • Walk him down with the captured leg.
    • Captured leg squeezed against your chest, elbow hooked.
    • Head positioned on his chest or near shoulder.
    • Walk forward in short steps, driving his free leg backward.
    • His post leg runs out of space. He drops.
    • When: he is passive or flat-footed. Running the pipe against a strong post-leg opponent gets countered by a cut-back from his side (limp-leg).

  4. The Dump

    • Sideways finish. Works when the opponent is lighter, or when his post leg has been shaken.
    • From the single, lift the captured leg to hip height or higher.
    • Step sideways toward his post leg.
    • Pull the captured leg across your body.
    • His base collapses laterally; he lands on his side.
    • The dump is the cheapest finish of the three when the leverage is there. It requires less ground travel than the cut-back and less forward pressure than the pipe.

  5. Five Price

    • A variant dump where the finishing hand hooks behind the opponent's free knee, not his near knee.
    • Single leg held high.
    • Free hand reaches across to the far knee.
    • Pull in on the far knee while pushing with the shoulder.
    • His free leg buckles. He drops.
    • Sits between a dump and a double leg. Safer than a committed double, faster than a long walk-forward pipe.

  6. Thigh Pry

    • When he's post-strong and limp-legging, pry the thigh.
    • Single held at the hip level.
    • Free hand forces his thigh outward, as if opening a door.
    • His hip opens; the post leg loses structure.
    • Walk forward: now the pipe is available.
    • Use: unlocks the pipe against an opponent who has been blocking it with a planted post leg.

  7. Single to Double

    • He defends the single by squaring up and denying the finishing angle. Take the second leg.
    • Single leg controlled, free hand reaches to his far knee.
    • Level change, head past the far hip.
    • Now you have a double. Finish with a classic corner turn.
    • Key: don't give up the first leg. The single keeps him pinned while the second hand drops. If you release the single to chase the double, his base recovers.

  8. Immediate Finish

    • Sometimes you can end it the moment the single lands. When the opponent is still off-balance from the entry, no tie-up required.
    • Single captured mid-entry, before he squares.
    • Drive chest into his chest.
    • Post outside knee, turn corner immediately.
    • Window: one beat. Hesitation and he squares up, forcing you into the four finish options above.

  9. Reverse / Back-Side Double

    • Rare entry, heavily used in submission grappling. Attacking the back leg from behind.
    • Upper-body tie-up that rotates him past 90°.
    • Drop level, hands to the back of both knees from behind.
    • Lift his feet off the mat and drive him forward onto his face.
    • Why: the back leg is not defended. He can't see you. Cheap takedown when the preliminary work put him sideways.

  10. Score + top control

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