Top 10 Effective Reversals Every BJJ Practitioner Should Know

Creating ways to get out of bad positions is a critical skill that a BJJ practitioner should have. Usually, an escape from an inferior position results in two: it puts you back in a neutral position or a dominant one right away. While it is not a simple task, it is a skill every grappler must develop. In this article, we will talk about some of the most effective reversals every BJJ practitioner should know.

What Is A BJJ Reversal?

In grappling, a reversal is an escape from an inferior position both in stand-up and on the ground. It allows the bottom player to reverse their position against the opponent to land on top and secure a dominant position. Generally, reversals can be challenging when performed against stronger or heavier opponents.

The Difference Between Reversals And Sweeps

In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the first thing that comes to mind when reversing the opponent from the bottom position to take the top position is the sweep. While it is one of the specialties of BJJ compared to other forms of grappling, sweeps are similar but not the same as reversals.

There are numerous ways practitioners perform reversals in BJJ, especially when defending against takedowns or escaping positions. As mentioned above, a reversal is a form of escape from an inferior position using momentum through rolling, bridging, or kipping movements. In contrast, a sweep comes from a more advantageous position, such as the guard. In this regard, reversals can be more challenging to perform regardless of how big the opponent is.

Fundamentally, the two are the same: To sweep or reverse the opponent, you have to block two adjacent limbs and control them (opponent’s head and arm, both legs, right arm/right leg, etc.). This keeps the opponent from posting on the mat when you attack, and you must push them in the direction of the limbs so that they may fall into that direction.

Top 10 Reversals For BJJ

Setting up reversals requires proper timing, using the opponent’s momentum and body weight most of the time. Below are ten reversals from the common positional scenarios in BJJ.

1) Basic Reversal From Side Control

There are different ways to reverse your opponents, and the common position to do it is from side control. From side control, ensure that the opponent doesn’t control or isolate your near arm like in a kesa gatame. Your far arm controls the opponent’s far tricep. Slowly walk your feet to the side to lay perpendicular to the opponent. Push the opponent down and sit them over to land on top side control.

2) Far Side Bridge Side Control Reversal

Assuming that the opponent has the classic side mount with their knees near your shoulder and hips, the more they try to keep the position tight, the closer the opponent’s hip is to your chest. This means that the more the opponent’s weight is on the far side, they are overextending their position forward.

When this happens, cup the opponent’s near shoulder with your near hand while your far hand cups their head down. Do a bridge facing on your far side as the opponent’s center of gravity is near your chest. This will reverse the position, and you will end up in top-side control.

3) Basic Turtle Reversal

If the opponent is in the side turtle position with a seatbelt grip, shoot your near elbow down the opponent’s near knee (the knee between your knee and elbow) and move your body back to create space with your legs. Grab the opponent’s shin and knee and swiftly spin your way to their back as you grab their far hip with your near hand.

4) Side Turtle Position Reversal

If you’re in a turtle position and the opponent is on top of you with a seatbelt, control the arm that’s controlling your far hip. From here, the opponent is anticipating you to roll, which is why they control your far hip. Roll down the mat anyway while holding the arm controlling your far hip.

As the opponent posts their near arm on the mat, you cannot roll them anymore. Instead of rolling, go under their armpit as you come out, pinning the opponent’s shoulder down the mat and possibly submitting them with the “Turtleplata.”

5) Sit Out From The Front Headlock In Turtle Position

From the turtle position, when the opponent has a front headlock (head and arm control) in, use your free hand to grab and pull the opponent’s tricep (their arm that’s wrapped around your neck) down. Step up your leg on the same side and slide your far knee through as you use your head to posture up to finish the sit-out. Complete your roll facing the opponent to reverse the front headlock.

6) Front Headlock Reversal

If you fail a takedown and the opponent manages to sprawl and get a front headlock, control the opponent’s wrist. Once they take your back, use your free hand (palm up) and grab their near leg as you roll forward while controlling the opponent’s wrist. Come up to land in reverse kesa gatame or side control.

7) Double Leg Takedown Reversal

You can do this reversal when the opponent is already deep on your legs with the double-leg takedown and is difficult to sprawl. This is when the opponent is already grabbing behind your knees with their head on the outside of your hip and their feet behind your heel, which makes it easy for them to drive forward or cut an angle.

You can gather your hands and form an S-grip, wrapping it around their ribs as you maintain your base. Straighten your back as if you’re performing a deadlift and sit back to make the opponent feel like they’re hitting a wall. Use the opponent’s forward momentum to lift them as you sit back. Finish the reversal as you roll on top for the mount and possibly transition to a guillotine.

8) Single-Leg Takedown Reversal

When the opponent shoots for a single-leg takedown (driving with their head), push their head down and step your far leg out as you drop your weight to make it difficult for them to move you around. Push the opponent’s head outside and post on their head down. Shoot your near hand between the opponent’s leg and grab behind their far leg’s knee.

Circle towards that direction as you lift their leg. From here, you can finish by driving forward, or if the opponent is heavier, you can drop your trapped leg forward from the opponent’s single-leg takedown attempt and use it as an inside trip as you drive forward and land on top.

9) Sumi Gaeshi Against Single-Leg Reversal

The sumi gaeshi is one of the simplest ways to counter the single-leg takedown in grappling. When your opponent grabs a deep single leg, making it hard to sprawl or lower your weight, grab behind their far knee and step your free leg between their legs to disrupt their center of gravity. Roll on your back as you flip the opponent over, and ensure that you follow them as you roll to land on the mount.

10) Back Take Reversal From The Truck Position

The truck is a tricky position, especially for grapplers who don’t know how to defend it. Assuming that the opponent is in the 3/4 mount and is planning to enter the truck position or take your back with a samurai roll, use your free hand (top arm) to grab their hip while your bottom arm controls their knee. As the opponent rolls down, push their legs down with your bottom hand and secure the lockdown as you roll with them to take their back.

Conclusion

While some grappling competitions don’t reward points for reversals, it is an absolutely essential tool to add to your grappling arsenal. See how you can incorporate the different reversals in your game and combine them with your submissions to make up for a lethal combination.

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