Hantaisankaku

Hantaisankaku is the judo name for the reverse triangle — the triangle choke applied with the figure-four leg lock running in the opposite direction to the standard triangle, with the attacker’s body rotated relative to the opponent’s centreline.

Etymology. Hantai (反対) means “opposite” or “reverse”; sankaku (三角) means “triangle.” The combined term — opposite triangle — distinguishes the technique from the standard sankaku jime by the direction of the leg-lock figure-four and the resulting body orientation. The technique appears in legacy judo literature and remains in active submission-grappling vocabulary, where it complements the standard triangle and side-triangle entries by attacking from a body angle the defender cannot easily anticipate from inside the standard triangle setup.

Mechanics. The configuration locks the figure-four leg triangle around the opponent’s neck and one arm in the opposite rotational direction from the standard triangle — the attacker’s body is rotated relative to the opponent’s centreline, which changes the angle of the choking pressure and the carotid compression vector. The reversed direction can be more effective against opponents skilled at defending the standard triangle entries, as the entry pathway and finishing angle are different enough to bypass the standard defensive frames.

Cross-reference. English-speaking no-gi and BJJ use “reverse triangle” or “opposite triangle.” Full mechanical coverage on Reverse Triangle.