Takedown Tips?

Anyone know of any good takedown instructional YouTube videos or DVDs? Maybe even some fighters to watch to pick up techniques?

darryl gholar -takedowns for valetudo ...i dont have it myself yet but seen some clips ...also take a look at budovideos.com they have tons to stuff

Takedowns are rough. They are more tactile then normal jiujitsu moves. Even with the instructionals I have they really don't give insight the way that jiujitsu instructionals do for ground moves. What helped me was just developing a go to move for each potential grip setup and just drilling that like a dumb lemming during live rolling without fear of screwing up.

Let's see if I can remember my go to ones..

Double Underhooks - slip to take their back
Over Under - Lateral drop
Double Over - turn and kimura lock defense
they grab my wrist - arm drag
thai clinch - whip down to single/double leg

Not all of these are ideal nor do they account for all the potential weight distributions of your opponent, but I'm just trying to give an example of my mental process.

Lateral drop is huge though.. if when you grip up, they are not blocking your hip with their hand, then it's pretty much there for the taking.

saulo riebero has some great stuff on takedowns definately worth checking out

Definitely second the Darrell Gholar dvd. It's a stripped-down approach to takedowns, both on the mat and up against the cage. For a more comprehensive dvd series on fundamentals, takedowns, takedown defense, tie-ups, and throws (might be some trips in there too, it's a lot of information on 6 dvds) check out Ultimate Takedowns with Mike VanArsdale and Kevin Jackson. It is such a great reference, but it can be a little overwhelming too. Just pick a handful of stuff you like and work on it. There's just too much info otherwise. That being said, it's more takedown and takedown defense heavy (2 dvds each), so there may be better dvds out there on fundamental techniques and principles.

I hate to take a turn away from the OP's question, but surely you have a friend who wrestled? Every single grappling gym/school I have ever been in had several good HS wrestlers in it, and most had College wrestlers in it. This, is the best way to get some takedowns, from the guys who have done em competively, so you can see set ups, drills, and most importantly have a guy watch you do them.