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Techniques, Tutorials and Gear for BJJ, MMA and Submission Grappling

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Home » Neck Cranks

Neck Cranks

The BJJ Crucifix Position and Your Best Submission Options From There

May 11, 2019 by Stephan Kesting

11 - bjj crucifix - armbar 1 - legs back and hips forward to apply

The crucifix is a very important position in BJJ and No Gi grappling. Like the rearmount the crucifix puts you behind your opponent where all your weapons are pointed at him and he's essentially unable to launch any offense against you. Unlike the rearmount, however, the crucifix ties up both of his arms so that defending your choke and armlock attacks becomes even harder for him. So it’s … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Grappling Techniques Tagged With: Armlocks, Chokes, Crucifix Position, Marcelo Garcia, Neck Cranks, Techniques, Thomas Lisboa, Turtle Position, Video

How to Train BJJ with an Injured Neck

January 11, 2018 by Stephan Kesting

How to train BJJ with a sore neck

Necks are delicate things.  Seven small stacked cervical vertebrae protecting all the nerves in your spinal cord and held together with a multitude of flimsy ligaments and muscles. Yet in BJJ we stress the neck continuously. We attack it with chokes, crucifixes, and cranks.  We stack our opponents, turn their heads with crossfaces, and scissor his head with our legs.  We also use our head … [Read more...]

Filed Under: For Beginners, Health & Nutrition Tagged With: BJJ, Butterfly Guard, Chokes, Closed Guard, Deep Half Guard, Guard Passes, Injuries, Neck Cranks, Rubber Guard, Spider Guard

Three Powerful Neck Crank Defenses

November 8, 2017 by Stephan Kesting

can opener neck crank

Neck cranks are undeniably powerful submissions often used in submission grappling. Rather than constricting the trachea and arteries at the front and sides of the neck like most chokes, a neck crank typically attacks the cervical spine itself. The trouble is, if you're on the receiving end of one of these attacks and don't tap out fast enough then you can sustain a long-lasting or even … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Grappling Techniques, Health & Nutrition, Mixed Martial Arts Tagged With: Closed Guard, Escapes, Georges St Pierre, Guard Retention, MMA, Neck Cranks, No Gi, Submission, Submission Grappling

How To Do the Twister the Easiest Way

March 14, 2015 by Stephan Kesting

The Twister is a flashy and hellishly effective submission made famous by Eddie Bravo. It's now illegal in IBJJF competition, but it shows up sometimes in submission grappling and you're even starting to see it in MMA! If you catch your training partners in it - carefully and gently of course - then you get major bragging rights and some instant 'mat cred.' There are lots of advanced ways … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Grappling Techniques Tagged With: Eddie Bravo, MMA, Neck Cranks, Rear Mount, Submission, Submission Grappling, Techniques, Twister, Video

Marcus Soares technique 3: Half Guard Pass and Cervical Choke

April 22, 2012 by Stephan Kesting

Marcus Soares and Denis Kang demonstrate a Half Guard Pass and a Cervical Choke. (1) To avoid getting swept in Denis Kang's half-guard, Marcus keeps Denis flat on his back and pins his face with his shoulder. One arm (left) hooks his head and grips the collar, and the other comes through Denis's legs and grips his belt. (2) By kicking his trapped leg backwards and keeping his weight … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Grappling Techniques Tagged With: Denis Kang, Guard Passes, Half Guard, Marcus Soares, Neck Cranks, Submission, Techniques

Cattle Catch Neck Crank

April 15, 2012 by Stephan Kesting

Thanks to Eduardo de Lima for demonstrating this technique, and to Matt Kirtley for taking the photos and writing the descriptions. For more information, or to contact either person, please visit the Gracie Barra Tampa - Stephan Kesting. The cattle catch is a neck crank (cervical lock) that’s illegal in almost all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, but still great for no-gi, submission wrestling … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Grappling Techniques Tagged With: Crucifix Position, Eduardo de Lima, Matt Kirtley, Neck Cranks, Submission, Techniques, Turtle Position

A Confusion of Crucifixes

April 15, 2012 by Stephan Kesting

  With the addition of the Crucifix Series, I felt I should address a common confusion people have when they try to discuss the crucifix. The root of the problem is that two different positions share the same name. One is legal at all levels of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and judo competition, while the other is a neck crank that is only legal in no-gi submission wrestling and mixed martial … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Grappling Techniques Tagged With: Chokes, Crucifix Position, Eduardo de Lima, Matt Kirtley, Neck Cranks, Submission, Techniques, Turtle Position

Emergency Rx for Cranked Necks and Strained Backs

March 27, 2009 by Stephan Kesting

Yesterday I was training my side mount escapes. My partner and I repeatedly started with me pinned, and then we worked until I got out or until someone tapped. Well I got sloppy and ended up on the receiving end of this rather horrendous armlock/choke/neck crank technique that's one of Marcus Soares's signature moves. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition Tagged With: Chokes, Injuries, Neck Cranks

Denis Kang: Double Leg Tackle Counter to Neck Lock

February 12, 2009 by Stephan Kesting

This may seem like a flashy technique, but it definitely works.  It can be used standing or on the knees to get to a match-ending neck lock submission. As his opponent shoots in to take him down Denis secures a front head lock, trapping the opponent’s head and left arm with his own arms Denis drops to the mat, making sure he is off to one side Continuing the momentum he … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Grappling Techniques, Mixed Martial Arts Tagged With: Denis Kang, MMA, Neck Cranks, Submission, Submission Grappling, Takedowns, Techniques

Catch and Release – What to do if your opponent just won’t tap?

October 18, 2008 by Stephan Kesting

Back when I was mostly training in Judo I heard that there were some traditional dojos in Japan where tapping out to a choke was frowned upon - even in club sparring sessions you were supposed to fight the choke right to the bitter end, and your opponent would release the hold only AFTER you passed out. I thought that this was pretty hardcore, and felt lucky that the Judo club I trained at … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition, Training Tagged With: Armlocks, Chokes, Injuries, Judo, Leglocks, Neck Cranks, Submission, Training

How to Train Dangerous Submissions

April 9, 2007 by Stephan Kesting

In the previous article we discussed some of the most dangerous submissions in grappling, and ended with the question of how one can train these submissions realistically... The easy answer "slowly, gently, and with control". But even with this advice people still get hurt, so obviously more explanation is required. Below are some solutions used by different schools to solve the problem. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Training Tagged With: Injuries, Leglocks, Neck Cranks, Sparring, Submission, Training

The Dangerous Locks

March 27, 2007 by Stephan Kesting

Not all submissions are created equal: some cause pain, some put you to sleep, and some do a lot of damage. Today I want to talk about the latter category, those submissions most likely to send you to the orthopedic surgeon. Knowing which locks are dangerous is important for at least two reasons: first, you need to know which submissions to tap out early to if you are caught in one yourself, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Nutrition, Training Tagged With: Injuries, Kimura, Leglocks, Neck Cranks, Shoulders, Sparring, Submission, Wrists

Neck Cranks

November 30, 2006 by Stephan Kesting

A Grapplearts reader writes: Q: "What are the true dangers of neck cranks?" A: It is funny how many clubs ban leg locks but allow neck cranks. Necks are under a lot of stress in grappling, even under 'normal' conditions: throw in a couple of uncontrolled neck cranks and you are looking at herniated disks, osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis and a whole host of other painful degenerative … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Grappling Techniques, Health & Nutrition Tagged With: Injuries, Neck Cranks, Sparring, Submission, Training

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