About the research
Sources and editorial notes
Official event reports, publicly available instruction, and the rules published by organizers form the basis of this guide.
What the sources support
Official reports support dates, results, and an organizer's description of an entry. Instructional demonstrations help explain the movement. A report that says heel hook does not, by itself, identify the preceding leg position.
The guide separates competition footage, instructional breakdowns, and related bouts. Garcia vs Imanari is related submission grappling footage, rather than an Imanari-roll success example.
What changed in the guide
The previous standard/variant split was replaced by an explanation of entries and the positions that follow. The former URLs still lead to the corresponding parts of the movement guide.
Free public instruction is the main starting point. Paid courses are optional further resources; their public chapter lists are not treated as evidence of having watched the entire course.
Limits of the history and terminology
The guide does not establish an invention year or the first use across all competitions. Names such as saddle and backside 50/50 should be matched to the actual leg configuration in the footage.
Rules are dated reference material. Check the current regulations adopted by your event before relying on them for competition.
References and original sources
Technical and rules references follow the Japanese edition’s review of October 19–20, 2026. Video language and availability depend on the publisher.
- BJJ Fanatics: free demonstration by Masakazu Imanari ↗
- Stephan Kesting: How to Do the Imanari Roll ↗
- Grapplearts: Modern Leglock Position Cheatsheets (2017) ↗
- ONE: Imanari's 53-second win over Kwon ↗
- ONE: Kwon vs Imanari highlight ↗
- FloGrappling: Marvin Castelle at Fight To Win Pro 24 ↗
- ONE: Imanari vs Belingon — 2012 fight archive ↗
- ONE: Imanari roll finish against Belingon ↗
- UFC 232: official prelims report ↗
- UFC: retrospective identifying Hall's entry ↗
- ZombieProofBJJ: The Ryan Hall Roll ↗
- ONE 170: official results ↗
- ONE 170: Garcia vs Imanari full fight ↗
- IBJJF: Books and Videos ↗
- IBJJF: Rule Book v6.1 (2024) ↗
- IBJJF: January 2021 rules update ↗
- ADCC Opens: official rules ↗
- ADCC: permitted-techniques chart, July 20, 2026 ↗
- BJJ Fanatics: Imanari's paid course ↗
- QUEST: Leg Lock Master — paid instruction ↗