Only if you have the wrestling / clinch skills to capitalise on the position - otherwise underhooks are a good way to get elbowed or head butted.
there is a counter to everything... going for an armbar is bad if you don't have the control, balance and mehcanics to pull it off, you can end up on your back losing a dominant position.
The Takedown is just for control and positioning You need to do somthing when you get there. Don't know if I had this problem but when traching a takedown people tend to grab me then stop for a split second and then try a takedown. Its the timing and delivery of motion that makes it work. A takedown is never pretty but its a job done manover - a pretty takedown is a throw or sweep. A takedown is as it says baby. YOUR GOING DOWN! Just get in, protect your head from strikes and watch the knee/choke, good balance and then drive em down. Practice is a major player in this as many takedowns are so obvious!
hit or fake then shoot for the waist of the opponent and pull him in while hooking out his leg. While in by his waist its very hard for him to attack you.
Tell them they are fat, and no woman would ever find them adequate in bed. I know that'd bring ME down.
To 1ONEfighting: "You are fat and no woman will ever find you adequate in bed!" Sorry, couldn't resist! Col
Hmm. Nope, doesn't do a thing for me. The first part is just plain ridiculous, and the second part I couldn't care less about. No, for me you'd need a slightly different approach... ...like hiding the remote to the TV just before Sailor Moon is about to come on. Er, no, wait...that'd just make me angry. Nevermind!
My favorite takedown is actually a simple front foot hook sweep. It works best on those "look how impressive my horse stance is" fighters. Just get close enough to sneak your foot behind your opponent's leading foot, and "swoosh!" Such fun! If you want to add injury to insult, follow up with a roundhouse kick as soon as they're off balance. I have landed many a point with this little gem. You have to be careful with this too. It's a lot like "fool's mate" in chess. You may trick someone with it once, but chances are they'll catch on fast and be ready the next time. This can backfire and leave you really vulnerable, so watch out!
My experience has always been that a takedown on its own is only effective if you get lucky-- I don't like to rely on my opponent not paying attention to what I'm about to do. I want to seriously encourage his attention to be elsewhere-- like on that really painful spot I just put on his jaw, or on his broken ribs, or whatever-- then I can move in and apply a takedown much more effectively. As for favorite takedowns, I prefer things that don't require a great deal of strength, such as knee-throws or chin/head throws. Anything that pits my strength against the other guy's is gonna be a bad idea, as I am tall, but not extremely bulky or powerful. Incidentally, sweeps are great, but best if you can keep your opponent from getting planted. The number of times I've successfully taken down a bruiser with a sweep is pretty low, because I just end up bouncing off. A solid knee or foot in one of the nerve trunks in the thigh can pretty much fix that problem, though. Final thought for the day-- unless you are significantly bigger than your opponent, plan to keep yourself upright. Grappling on the ground with a bigger guy is just a long way of saying suicide, to me. Once you put the guy down, think scuff kicks, joint locks (if you have ahold of an arm), dropping-heel (axe) kicks, or running away and grabbing a weapon. Don't follow the sod to the ground unless you are very sure of yourself there.
The best take down for me would be a one hit wonder right cross. If you're lucky you knock out your opponent, put him down without the need for grappling.
I would add to this that if there is no particular reason to subdue or disable him, just run and keep running until you are someplace safe. Sometimes all you need is a few seconds to get away. If you hurt your attacker enough, he'll think twice before pursuing. Grabbing a weapon is a really bad idea unless your attacker used a weapon first. If you escalate the level of violence, you can be legally charged for it. If you feel your life is threatened, however, then of course use all means you deem necessary to protect yourself. Having said all that, there's a really viscious "finishing blow" in my style where you leap over your downed opponent and drive a punch straight down into him. Nasty!
If you train against a resisting opponent - and PRACTICE takedowns, then you will see that they DO work without the need to distract them first with any sort of blow. Saying something doesn't work without actually being trained in it is a bit premature. I think the flying / leaping punch thing might be slightly 'telegraphed'