All-fours recovery

All-fours recovery is a descriptive label for the bottom-player defensive sequence in which the bottom player establishes a four-point base — both knees and both hands or elbows on the floor — and uses that base to deny the attacker back exposure while working back to a more neutral position.

Etymology. “All fours” is the everyday English descriptor for the four-point posture (hands and knees on the ground); “recovery” specifies the defensive intent — to recover from a compromised bottom position rather than to attack from it. The compound phrase is a coaching-vocabulary alternative to “turtle base” and “turtle recovery,” with the labels mutually intelligible across most no-gi contexts. The “all-fours” form is more common in wrestling-derived vocabulary; “turtle” is more common in BJJ-derived vocabulary.

Mechanics. The four-point base denies the attacker hip access — the bottom player’s hipline is shielded by floor contact — and the recovery sequence works from that base to either stand up, granby roll out, or fight back to a guard configuration without exposing the back.

Cross-reference. “Turtle base,” “turtle recovery,” and “four-point base” all reference the same defensive posture. Full mechanical coverage on Back Defence — Turtle Recovery.