Imanari Roll

Last updated: May 31, 2026

What is the imanari roll?

The Imanari roll is one of the flashiest ways to begin a leg lock attack in grappling and MMA. Rather than taking an opponent down first and then working toward the legs, a grappler drops low and rolls directly at the opponent’s lower body, wrapping up a leg on the way through. The roll does two jobs at once. It carries the attacker into a leg entanglement, and the momentum usually trips the opponent to the mat.

It gets its name from Masakazu Imanari, the Japanese fighter who built a career around lower-body submissions. He used the movement to skip the usual wrestling exchange and get straight to the legs, which is why it spread once leg locks became central to modern grappling.

The term describes an entry, not a submission. The roll finishes nobody on its own. It delivers the attacker into a controlling leg position, almost always some form of ashi garami (a leg entanglement that traps and isolates one of the opponent’s legs), from which a hook/" data-glossary-id="4052">heel hook, kneebar, or ankle lock becomes available. Commentators tend to shout “Imanari roll” the instant they see a grappler spin toward a leg, well before any submission appears.

How the imanari roll works

The movement usually opens with a level change that looks like the start of a wrestling takedown. That resemblance is the whole idea. The opponent reads it as a shot and braces to defend a takedown, while the attacker is setting up to spin underneath and around the lead leg.

From there, it blends a back roll with a Granby roll, an inversion drill that BJJ students practice from the knees and from standing. The attacker grips near the target leg, rolls over the shoulder on the gripping side, and swings the legs around to land on either side of the opponent’s leg. Done cleanly, the only points touching the mat through the spin are the shoulders and upper back.

What makes it recognizable from the outside is the speed and the angle of attack. A grappler appears to throw themselves sideways to the ground, orbiting one of the opponent’s feet instead of diving straight in. The leg gets wrapped during the spin, so the attacker comes out of the roll already attached to the limb. Speed matters more than strength, because the entry depends on reaching the entanglement before the opponent can rip the leg free or flatten the attacker out.

Where the imanari roll leads

The point of the roll is the position it produces. The attacker finishes the spin already tangled up with a leg and ready to hunt a submission. Which position and which finish depend on where the legs land.

Position	What it is	Common finish
Saddle (411 / inside sankaku / honey hole)	A cross leg entanglement that pins the trapped knee; widely regarded as the strongest leg-lock position in grappling	Inside heel hook
50/50	A symmetrical entanglement where both grapplers have a leg wrapped the same way; legal under IBJJF rules for certain finishes	Ankle lock, or heel hook depending on ruleset
Straight ashi garami	A more basic single-leg entanglement	Straight ankle lock, kneebar

The saddle is the prize. It gives the attacker so much control over the trapped leg that the opponent struggles to spin out, which is why the John Danaher-led wave of leg lockers built much of their game around it. The 50/50 finish shows up most in rule-restricted competition, since an ankle lock from there stays inside IBJJF limits.

Imanari roll vs berimbolo

Newer grapplers often confuse the Imanari roll with the berimbolo, since both involve inverting and rolling underneath an opponent. On video, the two look related. The goal of each, though, is completely different.

	Imanari roll	Berimbolo
Target	The opponent’s legs	The opponent’s back
Outcome	A leg entanglement and a leg lock	Back control and a choke or sweep
Typical setup	Standing or seated, often disguised as a takedown	From De La Riva or open guard, more common in the gi
Risk	High, since it exposes the attacker’s own legs	Lower, more about position than submission

Put simply, a berimbolo is a way to take the back, while the Imanari roll is a way to take a leg. Both reward flexibility and inversion practice, which is part of why people mix them up.

Where the Imanari roll gets its name

Masakazu Imanari is a Japanese fighter, born in 1976, known across grappling and MMA for his obsession with leg attacks. His nickname “Ashikan Judan” roughly translates to “the great master of leg submissions,” earned by hunting heel hooks and other lower-body finishes long before they became fashionable. He developed the rolling entry that carries his name in the early 2000s. For years, he was nearly the only fighter using it.

The move reached a much wider audience in 2018. Ryan Hall used a modified version of it to heel hook BJ Penn at UFC 232, becoming the first fighter ever to submit Penn, who tapped at 2:46 of the opening round. That finish, on a major UFC card, put the Imanari roll in front of a mainstream audience. Imanari himself has kept competing into his later years, including a grappling run in ONE Championship.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Imanari roll legal in BJJ?

The roll itself is legal everywhere. The submission it leads to is what can be banned. Heel hooks and reaping are not allowed in many IBJJF gi divisions, while no-gi and submission-only rulesets tend to be far more permissive.

Is the Imanari roll only used in no-gi?

No. It works in the gi and no-gi, though it appears far more in no-gi and MMA, where heel hooks are legal, and the faster pace suits a quick entry.

Do you need to know leg locks to use it?

In practice, yes. The roll only delivers a position. Without a heel hook, ankle lock, or kneebar to finish, landing in the entanglement accomplishes little.

Is the Imanari roll risky?

It can be. Spinning toward an opponent’s legs exposes the attacker’s own legs and back, and a missed entry can hand over top position or a counter leg lock.

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Sources

1. Evolve MMA. “How To Perfect The Imanari Roll In BJJ.” Accessed May 2026.
2. BJJ World. “Imanari Roll Breakdown.” Accessed May 2026.
3. LowkickMMA. “Imanari Roll.” Accessed May 2026.
4. Grapplearts. “411 Position.” Accessed May 2026.
5. Elite Sports. “Learning the Art of BJJ Backstep Honey Hole Position.” Accessed May 2026.
6. CBS Sports. “UFC 232 Results and Highlights.” Accessed May 2026.
7. Sportskeeda. “Ryan Hall Looks Back on His Heel Hook Victory Over BJ Penn.” Accessed May 2026.

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