Granby Roll

Last updated: May 29, 2026

What is a Granby roll?

A Granby roll is a lateral shoulder roll performed from a losing position, usually when an opponent is controlling you from the top or working to take your back. Instead of rolling straight forward over the head, the bottom grappler rolls across one shoulder, the shoulder blades, and the trap muscles, turning the body at an angle to slip free of the control.

What makes the move useful is that it does not rely on muscling out of a bad spot. A smaller athlete can use the roll to redirect an opponent’s pressure and create space, which is why it shows up in wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and MMA alike. Depending on the position, the roll ends in a clean escape, a reversal that puts the bottom athlete on top, or a recovery back to a defensive position, such as guard.

For someone watching a match, the giveaway is the angle. A Granby roll travels sideways and slightly backward, with the head staying mostly off the mat, rather than tipping forward like a gymnastics roll.

Why it’s called the Granby roll

The move takes its name from Granby High School in Norfolk, Virginia, where coach Billy Martin Sr. popularized it. Martin is remembered as one of the most successful American high school wrestling coaches, and the shoulder-roll series he built at Granby spread through the sport as his wrestlers carried it into college and international competition. According to a history of the technique written by Sheldon Zablow, MD, who learned it from Martin and his senior wrestlers in the mid-1960s, the move started as a simple forward roll to escape from the bottom and was refined over the years as opponents found ways to counter it.

How the Granby roll works

The roll begins from a bottom or pinned position. The grappler lowers a shoulder, then rolls laterally along the shoulder blades and across the back, swinging the legs over to carry the body around. Done correctly, little weight ever lands on the head, which is the part that scares newcomers off the technique.

The lateral path is the whole point. Rolling flat across the back, rather than forward, keeps the opponent from simply following the motion and recapturing the position, and it opens an angle to come out facing the opponent. In wrestling, that angle is what turns a defensive scramble into an escape or a reversal. The momentum often comes from the opponent: when the top wrestler drives forward to break the bottom man down, that forward force is exactly what feeds the roll.

The Granby roll in wrestling and BJJ

The technique crosses between grappling styles, but how it scores and what it sets up changes with the rules. In folkstyle wrestling, it is a tool for escaping a ride or back control and can produce an escape or a reversal, with the chance of near-fall points if the opponent’s shoulders end up exposed during the scramble. It appears far less often in freestyle wrestling, because rolling across the shoulders risks giving the opponent exposure points under international rules.

In Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestlers brought the move over as a way to escape the turtle position and recover guard. BJJ practitioners often call the same motion “inverting,” and it has become a building block for modern techniques, including the berimbolo, the tornado guard, and the Imanari roll used to enter leg locks.

Aspect	Folkstyle / scholastic wrestling	Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Main use	Escape a ride or back control	Recover guard, escape the turtle
Typical result	Escape or reversal	Back to guard or an attacking angle
Common name	Granby roll	Granby roll, or “inverting”
Sets up	Back points, top position	Berimbolo, tornado guard, Imanari roll
Freestyle note	Rare, risks exposure points	Not rule-restricted the same way

Granby roll vs the sit-out

The Granby roll and the sit-out both escape from the bottom, and the two are related closely enough that some coaches describe the roll as an extension of the sit-out. The difference is in the path the body takes. A sit-out stays grounded: the bottom grappler kicks a leg through and turns to face the opponent while keeping a base on the mat. A Granby roll commits to rolling over the shoulders instead, trading that grounded base for the space and angle the rotation creates.

	Sit-out	Granby roll
Body path	Turns in place, stays based	Rolls laterally over the shoulders
Contact with mat	Hips and hands stay down	Shoulders and upper back
Best when	Opponent is light on the hips	Opponent’s drive opens space to roll

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Granby roll legal in wrestling?

Yes. It is a legal and common escape in folkstyle and scholastic wrestling. It is simply used less in freestyle, where rolling across the shoulders can hand the opponent exposure points.

Do you roll on your head during a Granby roll?

No. The roll travels across the shoulders and upper back, and when it is done correctly, almost no weight rests on the head.

Is the Granby roll the same as inverting in BJJ?

In practice, yes. Jiu-jitsu practitioners often use “inverting” to describe the same shoulder-rolling motion, especially when it is used to retain or recover guard.

Who invented the Granby roll?

It was popularized by coach Billy Martin Sr. at Granby High School in Norfolk, Virginia, which is how it got its name.

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Sources

1. Wikipedia. “Granby roll.” Accessed May 2026.
2. Zablow, Sheldon, MD. “The Granby Roll.” Wrestling USA Magazine. Accessed May 2026.
3. Cejudo, Henry. Wrestling For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons, 2012.
4. Evolve MMA. “How To Use The Granby Roll For BJJ.” Accessed May 2026.
5. BJJ Fanatics. “How to Granby Roll Effectively.” Accessed May 2026.
6. Fanatic Wrestling. “Granby Roll to Freedom with Hudson Taylor.” Accessed May 2026.

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