Granby Roll

Escape

The Granby Roll is an inversion-based escape where you roll over your shoulders to recompose guard or create distance from bad positions. It is used when an opponent is heavy on top or behind you, exploiting the brief moment of space created by the rolling motion to recover a defensive or guard position.

Quick Reference

Key principles

  • · Tuck your chin and roll diagonally over the back of your shoulder, not straight over your spine.
  • · Use your legs as pendulums—kicking them over generates the rotational momentum needed to complete the roll.
  • · Frame or post on the mat to create the initial space required to initiate the inversion.
  • · Time the roll when the opponent commits weight forward or attempts to advance position, using their pressure as fuel.
  • · Keep elbows tight during the roll to prevent arm isolation and to protect your neck.

Execution

  1. 1 Create initial space with a frame, hip escape, or by posting on the mat to get your hips slightly elevated.
  2. 2 Tuck your chin to one side, turn your head away from the rolling direction, and begin inverting over the opposite shoulder.
  3. 3 Kick your legs overhead in an arc, using momentum to rotate your hips over your shoulders and past the opponent's control.
  4. 4 As you complete the rotation, immediately face your opponent, insert your legs as hooks or frames, and establish guard or a defensive position.
  5. 5 If the roll stalls partway, transition to turtle and reattempt or use other escapes from there.

Common mistakes

  • × Rolling straight backward instead of diagonally over the shoulder, which stalls the roll and exposes the neck to chokes.
  • × Initiating the roll without creating any initial space first, resulting in getting flattened and smashed mid-inversion.
  • × Failing to immediately recompose guard after completing the roll, allowing the opponent to re-establish a dominant position on the now-exposed back.

Do it from

Positions and situations where the Granby Roll shows up.

100 Kilos Body Triangle Crab Ride Cross Body Ride D'arce Control Double Unders Front Headlock Harness Inverted Guard Kuzure Kesa Gatame Leg Drag Position Reverse Side Control Rodeo Ride Standing Back Control

Chains into

Where to go next when the Granby Roll lands, or gets defended.

Guard Recovery escape

Where it lands

The position you end up in.

Defensive Position Half Guard Bottom Open Guard Bottom Turtle Bottom

Use it against

The Granby Roll is an answer to these.

Turtle Top