Reverse Triangle

What This Is

The reverse triangle — gyaku sankaku in Japanese — is the inverted-orientation triangle in the five-triangle classification standard in modern no-gi. The figure-four closes around the head and one arm exactly as in the standard triangle, but the attacker faces the opposite direction to a front triangle — the lock is caught when the opponent is turned away, or when the attacker is inverted relative to them.

The structure: the outside leg swings over the opponent’s shoulder while the inside leg tucks underneath, and the figure-four locks around the head and one arm. The choke works by forcing the opponent’s own trapped shoulder into their neck — the closing lock drives shoulder and arm across one carotid while the attacker’s legs close the other side (strangle both sides simultaneously applies).

The reverse triangle’s value is where it appears. It lives in inferior positions — underneath pins, in scrambles — as a surprise counterattack: an opponent concentrating on holding a pin drops their head into range, the legs swing up over the shoulder line, and the lock closes before the position registers as dangerous. And when the strangle stalls, the trapped arm is already isolated for armlock follow-ups.

Safety First

The Invariant in Action

The reverse triangle achieves the bilateral requirement through the opponent’s own structure. The lock drives the trapped shoulder and arm into one carotid; the legs close the other. Squeezing the figure-four without the shoulder seated across the neck produces pressure on the skull and jaw — painful but survivable. Confirm the shoulder-side compression before treating the lock as a finishing threat.

The trapped arm in the reverse triangle is the far-side compression surface — the lock drives it, with the shoulder, into the neck. When the figure-four lands low on the shoulder, the same structure pads the neck instead of compressing it, and the choke stalls. The compensation is to pull the lock higher and tighter until the pressure turns vascular.

The finishing force in the reverse triangle is a squeeze: the knees close, the hips extend, and the lock is pulled higher and tighter on the shoulder line. Pushing or driving from the inverted orientation applies force on the wrong axis. When the choke is not arriving, the adjustment is to migrate the lock higher, not to press harder.

Entering This Position

From Underneath a Pin — The Signature Counter

The signature context, and ★ bottom side control is the canonical place to learn it — the sources behind this page name it as the easiest entry, with the back and scrambles as the other contexts. From underneath a pin the top player’s head drops beside the defender’s body as they work to hold it. The defender’s legs swing up over the shoulder line — the outside leg over the opponent’s shoulder, the inside leg tucking underneath — and the figure-four closes around the head and one arm from below. The counter succeeds on timing: the legs lock while the top player’s attention is on the pin, and the position inverts from defended to attacking in one movement. Control of the exchange is kept throughout — the lock closes before the top player can withdraw.

Finishing Mechanics

Knee Squeeze and Hip Extension

The finish is a squeeze. The knees draw together as the hips extend, tightening the loop around the head and shoulder. The force runs along the line of the legs — there is no drive into the mat.

Pull the Lock Higher

A reverse triangle that is locked but not choking is almost always locked too low. Migrate the figure-four up the shoulder line — pull the lock higher and tighter so the trapped shoulder is forced into the neck rather than padding it.

Control the Trapped Arm

The trapped arm and shoulder are the choking surface. Keep them fixed across the neck line as the squeeze arrives. A shoulder that slips down and away releases the far-side compression and turns the lock into head control alone.

From This Position

Strangle Finish

The primary outcome. With the lock high on the shoulder line, the knees squeezing, and the hips extending, the trapped shoulder closes the carotid line and the choke arrives. Release immediately on the tap.

Armlock Follow-Ups

When the strangle stalls, the trapped arm is already isolated inside the lock. Straight armlocks and shoulder locks on the trapped arm are direct continuations — the legs keep the head and shoulder controlled while the hands attack the arm. This is the reverse triangle’s second layer: a lock that fails as a choke still holds an isolated arm.

See: Armbar

Defence and Escape

Deny the Leg Swing

From top pins — north-south especially — the counter begins with the defender’s legs swinging up over the shoulder line. Keeping the hips back and the head off the defender’s body line denies the swing. A top player whose posture keeps their shoulders above the arc of the legs cannot be caught.

Extract the Arm Early

Before the figure-four is tight, withdrawing the arm collapses the choke. Without the trapped arm and shoulder, the lock holds the head alone and the bilateral compression never forms.

Do Not Turn Away

Turning away from the attacker feeds the trapped shoulder deeper across the neck and tightens the choke. Working the trapped shoulder back toward the attacker’s hips changes the angle of shoulder against neck and can create the space to begin sliding the head free.

Common Errors — and Why They Fail

Error: Locking low and squeezing. Why it fails: strangle both sides simultaneously fails. A figure-four locked low on the shoulder leaves the shoulder padding the neck rather than compressing it — the squeeze produces head pressure, not a blood choke. Correction: Migrate the lock higher and tighter up the shoulder line before committing to the finish.

Error: Driving instead of squeezing. Why it fails: force angle fails. The inverted orientation puts the finishing force along the line of the legs — pushing or driving from this geometry loads the wrong axis and bleeds compression. Correction: Squeeze the knees, extend the hips, pull the lock higher and tighter.

Error: Losing the trapped arm during the swing. Why it fails: A figure-four closed around the head alone has no far-side compression surface — there is no choke and only weak control. Correction: Capture the head and one arm together before committing the lock; if the arm escapes mid-entry, adjust before closing the figure-four.

Drilling Notes

• Underneath counter drill. Partner holds north-south with moderate pressure. The bottom player practises reading the moment the head drops into range and swinging the legs up over the shoulder line — outside leg over the shoulder, inside leg tucking underneath — to close the figure-four around head and arm. Timing is the skill being trained.
• North-south top capture drill. From north-south top, practise feeding the outside leg over the shoulder and tucking the inside leg beneath the head, closing the lock without surrendering the top position. Partner offers passive resistance initially.
• Finish calibration. From an established reverse triangle with a cooperative partner, practise the finishing sequence — knee squeeze, hip extension, lock migration up the shoulder line. Partner confirms whether the compression is vascular (blood choke feeling) or pressure (crank feeling). Adjust the lock height until the compression is vascular.

Ability Level Guidance

Ruleset Context

Legal in every major ruleset. Neither a spinal lock nor a compression lock, so none of the belt-graduated restrictions reach it. Verify current ruleset versions before competing.

Also Known As

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