⚠️ SAFETY: Reverse Armbar targets the Elbow joint (hyperextension with reverse rotation). Risk: Elbow hyperextension with lateral stress. Release immediately upon tap.
The Reverse Armbar is an advanced elbow hyperextension technique distinguished by its inverted body positioning relative to the standard armbar. Unlike the traditional armbar where you face toward your opponent’s head, the reverse armbar requires you to rotate your body 180 degrees so your hips face toward their feet while maintaining control of their arm. This submission is particularly effective in scramble situations, failed standard armbar attempts, or when opponents defend the conventional armbar by turning their thumb down. The reverse mechanics create unexpected leverage angles that catch even experienced practitioners off-guard, as defensive instincts trained for standard armbars often fail against this variation. The technique demands precise hip positioning, tight arm isolation, and careful rotational control to prevent escape while maintaining submission pressure. Success hinges on understanding how the reversed body angle changes the leverage dynamics—your legs must control their shoulder and head differently, and your hip placement becomes critical for generating breaking force without losing control.
Category: Joint Lock Type: Arm Lock Target Area: Elbow joint (hyperextension with reverse rotation) Starting Position: Mount Success Rates: Beginner 35%, Intermediate 50%, Advanced 65%
Safety Guide
Injury Risks:
| Injury | Severity | Recovery Time |
|---|---|---|
| Elbow hyperextension with lateral stress | High | 4-8 weeks with potential ligament damage |
| Rotator cuff strain from shoulder torque during rotation | Medium | 2-4 weeks |
| Bicep tendon strain from improper angle | Medium | 2-3 weeks |
Application Speed: SLOW and progressive - 4-6 seconds minimum with constant communication
Tap Signals:
- Verbal tap (preferred during rotation)
- Physical hand tap on your body or mat
- Physical foot tap on mat
- Any distress vocalization or signal
Release Protocol:
- Immediately stop hip extension and rotation
- Lower hips away from elbow joint
- Release leg pressure on head and shoulder
- Return arm to neutral position before releasing grip
- Allow partner to extract arm at their pace
Training Restrictions:
- Never spike or jerk during the rotation phase
- Never complete the submission at competition speed in training
- Always maintain verbal communication during setup
- Never apply full extension until partner is completely controlled
- Prohibit this technique for beginners without supervision
- Always allow clear tap access throughout
Key Principles
- Hip rotation must precede extension to establish proper angle
- Arm isolation requires thumb-up positioning before rotation begins
- Head and shoulder control prevents rolling escapes during transition
- Your hips must stay high and tight to the arm throughout
- Rotational momentum must be controlled to maintain arm security
- Extension pressure comes from hip elevation, not pulling with hands
- Body weight distribution shifts toward opponent’s feet during finish
Prerequisites
- Secure two-on-one arm control with opponent’s arm fully extended
- Opponent’s thumb must be pointing up (supinated position)
- Clear space to rotate your body 180 degrees without obstruction
- Head and shoulder control established with your legs
- Hip positioning must be tight to their arm before rotation
- Balance maintained throughout rotational transition
- Opponent’s defensive frames must be cleared or controlled
Execution Steps
- Establish Standard Armbar Control: From mount or guard, secure traditional armbar position with both hands gripping opponent’s wrist and forearm. Ensure their arm is fully extended with thumb pointing upward. Your legs should control their head and far shoulder, with your near leg across their chest or face. This standard position serves as the foundation for the reversal. (Timing: 2-3 seconds to secure) [Pressure: Moderate]
- Pin Arm to Your Chest: Pull opponent’s arm tightly across your chest, pinning their tricep against your sternum with both hands maintaining wrist control. This pin is critical—any space between their arm and your body will allow escape during rotation. Your elbows should be tight to your sides, creating an unbreakable connection. Keep their elbow slightly bent to prevent them from pulling out. (Timing: 1-2 seconds) [Pressure: Firm]
- Initiate Hip Rotation: Begin rotating your entire body 180 degrees toward opponent’s feet while maintaining the arm pin to your chest. This rotation must be smooth and controlled—jerky movement will lose arm control. Your head should track toward their feet as your hips rotate over their arm. Keep your knees tight together during this phase to prevent their arm from slipping between your legs. The rotation happens around the axis of their trapped arm. (Timing: 2-3 seconds controlled rotation) [Pressure: Moderate]
- Reestablish Leg Control in Reverse: As you complete the 180-degree rotation, reposition your legs so your near leg crosses their head/neck area and your far leg pins their near shoulder. Your body is now inverted—your hips face their feet while controlling their arm. Squeeze your knees together to trap their arm between your thighs. Their arm should be deeply isolated with their elbow pointing upward and their wrist still secured at your chest. (Timing: 2-3 seconds to stabilize) [Pressure: Firm]
- Adjust Hip Positioning for Breaking Angle: Elevate your hips slightly and ensure their elbow is positioned just below your pubic bone. The breaking point of the elbow must align with your hip fulcrum for maximum leverage. Your lower back should be slightly arched, and your grip should shift to their wrist with thumbs on top. This position creates the mechanical advantage—their arm is isolated with no escape route, and your hip position generates all the breaking force. (Timing: 1-2 seconds) [Pressure: Firm]
- Apply Controlled Extension: Slowly elevate your hips upward while pulling their wrist toward your chest with both hands. The extension must be gradual and progressive—this is where injuries occur if rushed. Focus on hip elevation rather than wrist pulling. Maintain constant communication with your partner. Stop immediately at any tap signal. The submission pressure comes from your hips pressing down on their elbow while their wrist is pulled in the opposite direction, creating hyperextension in the reverse plane. (Timing: 3-5 seconds progressive pressure) [Pressure: Maximum]
Opponent Defenses
- Rolling toward you during rotation phase (Effectiveness: High) - Your Adjustment: Widen your base with legs spread, pin their head more aggressively with your leg, and accelerate through the rotation before they can build momentum. If they succeed in rolling, follow through to mount or side control.
- Grabbing their own gi/body to create defensive frame (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Adjustment: Break the grip immediately by pulling their arm deeper across your chest before rotating. Use your leg pressure on their head to disrupt their grip attempt. Once rotation begins, their ability to grip decreases significantly.
- Pulling elbow back to create bend during rotation (Effectiveness: High) - Your Adjustment: Keep the arm pinned extremely tight to your chest throughout the entire rotation. If they create any bend, pause the rotation and re-extend the arm fully before continuing. Never attempt to finish with a bent arm.
- Stacking pressure by driving forward during setup (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Adjustment: Use their forward pressure to facilitate your rotation by timing the reversal as they press. Their momentum helps your rotation. Alternatively, abandon the reverse armbar and transition to triangle or omoplata.
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: What is the most critical safety consideration when applying extension pressure in the reverse armbar? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: Never apply extension pressure while still rotating or before completely securing the reversed position. The extension must be slow and progressive (3-5 seconds minimum) and only applied after the 180-degree rotation is complete and legs are repositioned. Applying pressure during rotation creates unpredictable angles that can cause serious ligament damage to the elbow.
Q2: Why must the opponent’s arm be pinned tightly to your chest before initiating rotation? A: The arm pin to chest is the foundational control that prevents escape during the vulnerable rotation phase. Any space between their arm and your chest allows them to bend their elbow or pull free during rotation. The pin transforms their arm and your torso into a single unit that rotates together, making escape nearly impossible. Without this pin, the rotation will fail and you’ll lose both the submission and positional control.
Q3: How does the reverse armbar’s leverage mechanics differ from a standard armbar? A: The reverse armbar creates a different plane of pressure on the elbow joint. In standard armbar, extension force is applied with your body facing their head, creating straight hyperextension. In reverse armbar, your body faces their feet, which adds a rotational component to the hyperextension stress. This combined rotation and extension catches opponents off-guard because their defensive instincts are trained for straight pressure. The hip positioning and breaking angle are also inverted, requiring different body mechanics to generate force.
Q4: What are the three acceptable tap signals that must be immediately honored during a reverse armbar? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: Verbal tap (any vocalization indicating submission), physical hand tap on your body or the mat (at least two deliberate taps), and physical foot tap on the mat. Because the reverse armbar involves rotation and inverted positioning, verbal taps are especially important as the opponent’s hands may be trapped or difficult to maneuver during the technique. Any distress signal must be treated as a tap and requires immediate release protocol.
Q5: What is the correct release protocol if your opponent taps during the extension phase? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: Immediately stop hip extension and rotation, lower your hips away from their elbow joint to remove breaking pressure, release leg pressure on their head and shoulder, return their arm to a neutral position before releasing your grip, and allow them to extract their arm at their own pace without rushing. Never release grip before lowering hips, as this can cause the arm to snap back under tension. The release must be as controlled as the application.
Q6: Why is the reverse armbar considered more effective against experienced grapplers than beginners? A: Experienced grapplers have developed strong defensive instincts and muscle memory for defending standard armbars—turning thumb down, grabbing gi, creating frames. These trained defenses often fail against the reverse armbar because the mechanics are inverted. Their defensive movement actually helps facilitate your rotation. Beginners lack these trained responses, so they’re equally vulnerable to both standard and reverse variations. The reverse armbar exploits learned defensive patterns, making it a high-level counter technique against sophisticated opponents.
Q7: At what point during the technique should you pause if you feel your control deteriorating? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: Immediately pause at any point where the arm pin separates from your chest or the opponent creates bend in their elbow. Do not proceed with rotation if arm control is compromised. Similarly, if during rotation you feel their body starting to roll with you, stop and reestablish base. Finally, never apply extension if your hips are not properly positioned with their elbow at your pubic bone. Safety and control trump submission attempts—releasing and resetting is always better than forcing a compromised position.
From Which Positions?
Expert Insights
- Danaher System: The reverse armbar represents a sophisticated understanding of leverage planes and opponent psychology. What makes this technique systematically valuable is not its difficulty, but rather how it exploits learned defensive patterns. When an opponent has trained extensively to defend standard armbars—turning their thumb down, creating frames, grabbing fabric—they develop automatic responses that actually facilitate the reverse variation. The biomechanics are crucial: the 180-degree rotation changes the stress vector on the elbow joint, creating both hyperextension and rotational force simultaneously. This combined force is harder to resist and more difficult to defend because it attacks from an unexpected plane. From a safety perspective, this technique demands absolute control during the rotation phase. The moment of transition, when you’re rotating from standard to reverse position, is when control is most vulnerable and injury risk highest. Never rush through this vulnerable window—take the extra second to verify arm security before completing rotation. The submission itself requires precision hip positioning. Your pubic bone becomes the fulcrum, and any deviation of more than a few centimeters dramatically reduces your leverage efficiency. Train this position until you can feel the exact alignment without visual confirmation. The reverse armbar is not for beginners because it combines rotational dynamics, precise control maintenance through movement, and inverted leverage application—three complex elements that each require independent mastery before combination.
- Gordon Ryan: I use the reverse armbar primarily as a counter-attack rather than a primary submission. In competition, when someone successfully defends my standard armbar by turning their thumb down or breaking my leg positioning, the reverse armbar becomes immediately available because they’ve already committed to defending the wrong attack. This is why it’s so effective at high levels—you’re attacking people while they’re mentally celebrating their defensive success. The timing is everything. You need to rotate the moment you feel their defense solidify, not after. If you hesitate, they’ll pull their arm free. But if you commit to the rotation immediately as they turn their thumb, you’re using their defensive momentum to facilitate your attack. That’s high-level timing. From mount specifically, I’ll often threaten the standard armbar knowing they’ll defend it, which sets up the reverse perfectly. It’s a deliberate trap. Show them something they know how to defend, let them commit to that defense, then attack the opening their defense creates. That’s the competition mindset—you’re not hoping techniques work, you’re creating situations where they must work. One critical detail: in competition I’ll rotate faster than in training, but the extension is still controlled. You need the tap, not the injury. Injured opponents can’t finish matches, and DQ losses are the worst kind of loss. Fast rotation, controlled finish—that’s the balance. Also, be ready to abandon this if they start rolling with your rotation. Don’t force it. The reverse armbar works beautifully when it’s available, but trying to force it when they’re countering will just burn your arms and lose you the position. Have your follow-up ready—usually I’ll transition to mount retention or triangle if the reverse armbar isn’t there within two seconds of initiating.
- Eddie Bravo: The reverse armbar is perfect for the no-gi game because it doesn’t rely on gi grips and it catches people in those scramble moments when everything’s fluid. I teach this as part of the system—it’s not an isolated move, it’s what happens when your standard attacks meet sophisticated defense. In 10th Planet we’re always looking for those unconventional angles, and the reverse armbar is exactly that kind of technique. People don’t see it coming because their brains are wired for defending traditional mechanics. Here’s where it gets really interesting: you can hit this from so many weird positions—rolling entries, from failed triangles, even from bottom when you’re sweeping. Any time you’ve got an arm and space to rotate, this technique is live. That’s the beauty of understanding the principle versus memorizing the technique. Once you understand that it’s about arm isolation plus inverted body position, you start seeing opportunities everywhere. Safety-wise, this is one where you need to really respect your training partners. The rotation adds complexity, and complexity adds danger. We drill this slow, and I mean really slow, for months before anyone’s allowed to hit it at speed. At higher belts we’ll start flowing with it, but even then there’s this culture of control. You don’t spike your teammates in training, period. That’s not tough, that’s stupid. The gym is where you perfect technique, competition is where you finish fast. Keep those contexts separate. One variation I love is what I call the ‘question mark’ entry—you’re in standard armbar, they defend, you roll your whole body in a curved path like a question mark while maintaining arm control. It’s flashy but functional. The curved path generates momentum that helps break their defensive grip. But you’ve got to practice that hundreds of times before trying it live because the control windows are tiny. Bottom line: the reverse armbar is an advanced technique that requires solid fundamentals first. Get really good at standard armbars, then add this to create a two-layered attack system where their defense for one creates vulnerability to the other. That’s systematic submission thinking.