スタンダードインバージョンリカバリー(Sutandādo Inbājon Rikabarī)
TransliterationTranslation: standard inversion recovery
The Standard Inversion Recovery executes the fundamental guard recovery inversion where the defender rolls onto the upper back, elevates the hips overhead, and uses the momentum to bring the legs back between themselves and the opponent. [1] The movement begins with a shoulder bridge that elevates the hips, followed by a backward roll that brings the legs over the body and back to the opponent's front, re-establishing an open guard or half guard. [1],[2] Proper execution requires the defender to time the inversion when the opponent commits to a passing direction, using the opponent's momentum to facilitate the recovery. [2],[3]
The inversion is an advanced guard recovery technique effective against standing passers, allowing the guard player to re-establish guard by inverting and re-inserting the legs. [1] Its effectiveness is highest in no-gi and competition-focused BJJ, but it carries injury risk to the cervical spine if performed improperly. [2]
The inversion became prominent in competition BJJ through the berimbolo system popularised by the Mendes brothers (Rafael and Guilherme) and further developed by the Miyao brothers at the highest levels of sport BJJ. [1]
The Mendes brothers' use of inversions as both guard recovery and offensive tools was central to their combined 6 IBJJF World Championship gold medals. [1]
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Standard Inversion Recovery refers to a defensive guard retention technique executed when a guard player's legs are displaced laterally during a passing attempt. Northwest Fighting Arts demonstrates the foundational mechanics: when an opponent throws the legs to one side while passing, the defender frames off the opponent's shin or leg with both hands, creates space through stripping or bumping motions, and recovers by placing one or both feet into the opponent's hip or knee area while reestablishing guard position. The technique scales across multiple passing depths—from early-stage passes where the opponent has barely committed, to advanced positions like north-south, where the defender must bump the opponent's chest to create sufficient space before inverting and spinning back through to guard. Less Impressed More Involved BJJ contextualizes recovery within broader guard retention principles: maintaining a structured frame with the far arm while establishing initial connection with the near arm allows the defender to manage distance and destabilize the passer before needing to recover. Brian Glick's content addresses submissions from top position rather than recoveries, providing context for why recovery timing matters. Northwest Fighting Arts emphasizes drill progression and multiple variations based on opponent hand placement and positioning depth, while Less Impressed More Involved BJJ stresses the conceptual framework of framing and connection that underpins successful recovery execution.
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Risk of injury to the person this technique is applied to
Guard retention uses frames and hip movement; minimal direct injury risk
Skill level needed to execute this technique reliably
Whether this technique is allowed under major competition rule sets
Boxing (Edwin Haislet, 1940)
Alias sources — [1] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008) [2] Fundamentals of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Danaher, 2012) [3] Wrestling Coaching Manual (USA Wrestling, 2015)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Fundamentals of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Danaher, 2012) [2] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Standard katakana transliteration of Western martial arts terminology (外来語) — used in Japanese MMA, boxing, and BJJ communities
Alias sources — [1] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008) [2] Fundamentals of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Danaher, 2012) [3] Wrestling Coaching Manual (USA Wrestling, 2015)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Fundamentals of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Danaher, 2012) [2] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
reaction speed, structural body mechanics, defensive awareness
quick reflexes and conditioned defensive surfaces
varies — forearms (blocking), legs (movement), core (stability)
According to Less Impressed More Involved BJJ, your far arm's primary responsibility is framing to prevent your opponent from pinning you flat, while your near arm focuses on establishing an initial connection with your opponent.
Instead of framing against your opponent, frame against yourself by using your outside arm to support the structure of your own legs, making it difficult for your opponent to flatten you out and pass your guard.
According to Northwest Fighting Arts, wrap the opponent's wrist and pull it tight into your body so they can't easily pull their hand out, then place your foot in their hip—this creates opportunities for sweeps, submissions like triangles, or transitioning to the back.
Northwest Fighting Arts recommends going with your opponent's momentum by coming up and pushing with your palm, then breaking free and grabbing them so you can establish guard or move to any position you want.
The Standard Inversion Recovery executes the fundamental guard recovery inversion where the defender rolls onto the upper back, elevates the hips overhead, and uses the momentum to bring the legs back between themselves and the opponent. The movement begins with a shoulder bridge that elevates the hips, followed by a backward roll that brings the legs over the body and back to the opponent's front, re-establishing an open guard or half guard.
The standard inversion recovery became a fundamental technique in modern BJJ competition, refined through the sport's evolution toward increasingly dynamic guard retention methods. It is now taught as a standard guard retention tool in BJJ academies worldwide.
Unified MMA: legal — Legal defensive technique; IBJJF: legal — Legal; IJF: legal — Legal defensive action; WBC/Boxing: legal — Legal; WKF: legal — Legal; WT: legal — Legal
Danger rating 2/10. Low — guard retention uses frames and hip movement; minimal direct injury risk
The standard setup chain: Anticipate the Attack → Execute Defence → Recover Stance → Counter or Disengage.
Standard counters include: Timing — attack when the defence is recovering or between movements / Feint — use deception to create openings in the defensive structure / Angle Change — attack from an unexpected angle that the defence does not cover.
Common variants: Standard defence (primary defensive technique from the most common position); Reactive defence (triggered by the opponent's attack, minimal movement for …); Proactive defence (anticipating the attack and positioning to neutralise it …); Counter defence (using the defensive movement to create an immediate count…).
The Mendes brothers' use of inversions as both guard recovery and offensive tools was central to their combined 6 IBJJF World Championship gold medals.
Top errors to watch for: Inverting over the wrong shoulder — always invert over the shoulder closest to the opponent / Rolling too slowly — the inversion must be faster than the opponent's pass / Not controlling the leg placement after the roll — your legs must end up between you and the opponent / Over-rotating and ending up back in a bad position — stop the roll when your hips face the opponent.
The Standard Inversion Recovery is also known as Sutandādo Inbājon Rikabarī, Basic Inversion, Granby Roll, Shoulder Roll Recovery.
