How to Granby Roll Effectively

Posted by Ismail Safi on March 19, 2019

One of the most important simple movements in Jiu Jitsu and wrestling is the granby roll. The granby roll, originally a wrestling technique, is essential in Jiu Jitsu for escaping inferior positions and defending various attacks. Although this technique is quite simple once mastered, it still eludes many grapplers, especially those that are larger and heavier.

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The first reason every grappler should learn the granby roll is that it can be vital when defending and retaining guard. When granby rolling to maintain the guard, it is commonly called inverting, but make no mistake, they are in fact the same. Inverting for guard retention is a skill all high level grapplers have mastered.

The other reason you should learn how to granby roll is for escaping the turtle position. Adding a strong granby roll to your turtle defense can frustrate your opponent’s dramatically as it is much more difficult to stop compared to traditional turtle position escapes.

Although this move is most popular among smaller grapplers, the granby roll can be used effectively and should be used by every single grappler. There is a common yet false believe about the granby roll that it requires a lot of flexibility. Although flexibility helps, especially when using some sort of inverted guard, it is not necessary for developing a good granby roll. In fact, lots of heavier big name grapplers like Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu use it well and are even known for it.

The key to an effective granby roll is not flexibility, but good mechanics. Inverting isn’t just flipping your body upside down. Inverting is using every part of your body to make space in a unique way. The biggest mistake people make when inverting is trying to roll on their neck or back of the head. Not only will this hurt, but it will make for a bad granby roll.

In the following video, Ricky Lundell will illustrate how to effectively perform the granby roll. Ricky is a black belt under Pedro Sauer and is a very skilled wrestler and Jiu Jitsu practitioner. In this video, Ricky provides all the necessary details for performing the granby roll that everyone, regardless of size, can use. See below:

After learning the right mechanics, there is only one way to get better at this technique. To become competent in it, you must drill it a lot and use it in practice. There may be a slight fear in using it early on, but there is really no danger to it.