If you’ve trained Brazilian Jiu Jitsu long enough, then you’ll be familiar with the phrase “It was more of a crank than a choke.” This is often said when someone taps to pain from neck pressure, as opposed to the threat of unconsciousness. Often, a neck crank is something that can end as a choke anyway, depending on the technique.
In this article, we shall go through the technicalities of what constitutes a neck crank in BJJ. Here, we shall discuss the rules, morals, and other interesting facts about neck cranks. This guide is especially useful for beginners who are still trying to understand what BJJ is about.
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Are neck cranks allowed in BJJ?
Technically, neck cranks are allowed in all BJJ competitions. However, spinal cranks are not. In terms of legalities, you could consider a twister submission as a neck crank and a spinal lock. This means it is banned in all IBJJF formats. However, under ADCC rules it is perfectly legal.
Similarly, the dragon sleeper submission is part neck crank, part choke, part spinal lock. Again, this is fine to perform in MMA or ADCC rules but is illegal in most other BJJ competitions. As for performing a rear naked choke that is on the face as opposed to under the neck, this is perfectly legal in all BJJ competitions. On a similar note, even if you crank a guillotine that isn’t a choke then this is also perfectly fine.
The reason being is that most places deem spinal locks as too dangerous whereas neck cranks are far safer in comparison. The likelihood is that you have more than enough time to tap to a neck crank if it’s nasty enough before any significant damage is done, whereas with a spinal lock it could cause severe damage instantly. Hence the reason for the discrepancy between the two.
What does a neck crank do?
A neck crank is designed to put pressure on the neck muscles, as opposed to choking someone. Imagine getting someone in a darce choke but having it locked around the back of their neck, as opposed to the carotid arteries. This would mean it would be difficult to choke them from this angle. However, if your squeeze is powerful enough and you’re strong then you can easily tap someone from this position due to the immense pain it causes their neck.
There is also a fine line between a neck crank hurting someone’s neck and actually causing significant damage. For instance, if someone did a neck crank badly enough then it could break their neck. Similarly, it could break the jaw if enough pressure was put on certain parts of the body.
Lastly, even if someone doesn’t tap to a neck crank out of resistance, it can still cause long-term muscle damage if it impacts the nerves badly enough. In other words, just because it’s not a choke, it doesn’t mean that it can’t badly hurt you. It is a submission after all and even the toughest MMA fighters in the world have often tapped to bad neck cranks.
Is a neck crank a choke?
As mentioned, neck cranks can be part choke, part crank. For instance, with a darce it could be half choke, half crank. If held for long enough, eventually the opponent would have to tap due to the threat of going to sleep. Sometimes though, an attack may be pure crank or pure choke – but sometimes it will hit the middle ground and combine a mixture of the two.
Commonly, a submission may start out as a crank before developing into a choke as it gets deeper. For instance, if you put a rear naked choke in line with someone’s chin, it can start as a crank on the jaw. However, as it’s sunk deeper, this can eventually push the chin into the throat and also act as a choke. Sometimes, people believe they’re safe whilst resisting a crank, only for a slight adjustment which leads to a choke. This is how some people go unconscious if they think they’re safe before things change.
Is a guillotine a neck crank?
One of the most commonly asked questions is whether a guillotine is a neck crank. Ideally, a guillotine should act as a blood choke. This is because it attacks both of the carotid arteries on either side. Here, your arms should block the sides of the neck and cut off the blood supply to the brain.
Having said this, the guillotine can easily act as a neck crank, especially when people aren’t using the correct technique or have poor finishing mechanics. This is because people see the guillotine and instantly think it’s easy as it looks simple. So, they squeeze hard without getting a choking grip. Perhaps their opponent taps if the crank is bad enough.
However, there’s a lot to learn about guillotines and it’s safe to say that they should be used as chokes. Nonetheless, because of the head placement, they can often act as bad neck cranks. As always, if done with enough force then a nasty guillotine crank can easily submit someone.
How to heal from a neck crank
The best way to not get hurt by a neck crank is to tap early. Of course, if you feel it’s not that bad and is worth escaping, then that’s your judgment call. However, if you’re caught in tight leg scissors with no escape in sight and it’s beginning to hurt, then there’s no shame in tapping. This may save you a lot of neck issues in the following years.
As for recovering from neck cranks, it also depends on how strong your neck muscles are. A beginner may have naturally weaker neck muscles that take longer to heal. However, if you’ve got a strong neck then this may take less time. Ideally, you should use ice on the pain in the following 24 hours after the crank. After that, the best thing to do is rest and even miss training if it’s that bad. In the long term, strengthening your neck is ideal as it will make you more resistant to neck cranks.
There are other ways too, such as using a massage gun to soften the muscles in your neck. With any luck, this should loosen any knots and help improve the movement in your neck.
Is a can opener legal in BJJ?
As seen here, the can opener has an interesting legal history when it comes to BJJ. In all IBJJF competitions, it’s illegal. However, in ADCC it’s legal. This is a strange one as it’s not a spinal lock but is still deemed illegal. In this case, its ban is quite unique and interesting compared to how and why other submissions are banned.
So, to be on the safe side, do not attempt a can opener in a competition if you don’t want to risk disqualification. In the training room, it will also create enemies due to being seen as a taboo move that may annoy training partners. This is particularly true if you’re strong, to begin with.
Summary
Overall, it’s fair to say that neck cranks can be legitimate submissions. A lot of the time, you may be able to escape them which is why they’re not deemed as effective compared to chokes. Still, they can easily cause lasting damage so it’s best to treat them with fear and respect. Remember, if you get caught with one then it’s a good lesson in head placement.
Just because it’s a crank as well, it doesn’t make it any less legitimate as a submission. It goes without saying that a tap is a tap and if it’s that bad then there’s no other solution. In summary, neck cranks are just another part of submission grappling that need to be trained – whether from an attacking or a defensive perspective.
