Imanari Roll

Also known as: Imanari Entry · Rolling Leg Entry · Kani Basami Roll (adjacent)

A rolling entry underneath a standing opponent that ends wrapped around their legs in the saddle — grappling’s most famous ambush.

Transition · No-gi · Difficulty 5/5 · Usually learned at Purple belt

Starts from Standing as the either grappler → lands in Saddle.

The details that make it work

1. Roll across your shoulder toward their far leg, not at their knees head-first.
2. Your legs swing through to hook their near leg mid-roll; you should ARRIVE already entangled.
3. Connect immediately: knee line control before they can limp-leg out.

Where it goes wrong

• Rolling with no setup or misdirection — a telegraphed Imanari is a free sprawl-and-pass.
• Arriving at the ankle instead of the knee line, which lets them simply pull the foot free.

How opponents counter it

• Sprawl the legs back and stuff the roll
• Boot over the hooking leg before the triangle closes

Is the Imanari Roll legal in competition?

Fine in ADCC and sub-only. In IBJJF the resulting reaping configuration is legal only in no-gi at brown/black; illegal in the gi.

History & naming

Named for Masakazu Imanari, the Japanese MMA leg-lock pioneer who made it famous in the 2000s.

Related techniques

• Inside Heel Hook from the Saddle
• K-Guard Roll to Saddle
• Kneebar

All moves from Standing · Back to Grapplepedia