What is the Neck Crank?
A neck crank is a submission that forces the neck past its normal range by flexing it, rotating it or bending it to the side. It gets the tap through pain and load on the cervical spine, where a choke works by cutting off the blood or air supply. A neck crank is illegal in every IBJJF division: the IBJJF illegal-moves table has no neck-crank row, so Open BJJ reads it under “Spinal lock without choke”, the same row as the can opener and the twister. Other rulesets differ by age and level, and the table below gives each verdict. Many common attacks are cranks or turn into one when the choke is not there, so it pays to recognize the pressure, tap early and know what your event allows.
Setup
- Isolate the head from the shoulders: a clasp behind the head, a forearm across the jaw, or a headlock with the hips or legs controlling the body.
- Fix the torso so it cannot follow the head. Elbows on the chest (can opener), a trapped leg (twister) or chest pressure from the top do this.
- In a choke the same grips aim at the sides of the neck. A crank aims at the head and jaw instead.
Execution
- Flexion: pull the head forward so the chin drives toward the chest, as in the can opener.
- Rotation and side bending: turn the head away from a fixed torso, as in the twister or a face crank from the back.
- Any of these loads the cervical spine. Slow, gradual pressure gives the partner time to tap, and a jerk does not.
Finishing
- Where a ruleset allows cranks, apply pressure slowly and release the moment they tap or say so.
- Where cranks are illegal, use the grip to pass, take the back or switch to a legal choke instead of finishing.
- If a choke turns into a crank because the arm is on the jaw, readjust the grip rather than squeezing harder.
Safety Warning
Neck crank legality by ruleset
Generated from the Open BJJ legality matrix. The general neck-crank row is next to the two cranks some rulebooks name.
| Ruleset and division | Neck crank | Can opener | Twister |
|---|---|---|---|
| IBJJF, every age and belt, gi and no-gi | illegal | illegal | illegal |
| ADCC World Championship and Trials | legal with conditions | legal | legal |
| ADCC Opens, kids and teens (under 18) | illegal | illegal | illegal |
| ADCC Opens, adults and masters | legal with conditions | legal | legal |
| NAGA no-gi, kids and teens (17 and under) | illegal | illegal | illegal |
| NAGA no-gi, adults 18+ | legal | legal | legal |
| NAGA gi, every division | illegal | illegal | illegal |
| Grappling Industries, under 18 to blue belt (purple in the gi) | illegal | illegal | illegal |
| Grappling Industries, purple no-gi and brown or black belt | legal | legal | legal |
Primary Targets
- Cervical spine
- Neck muscles
- Jaw
Key Concepts
- A choke works by cutting off blood or air. A crank works through pain and load on the cervical spine.
- Cranks come in three directions: flexion (chin to chest), rotation and side bending. Many real cranks mix them.
- The condition at ADCC Worlds and Trials is the rule text itself: no neck cranks that trap both shoulders and put downward pressure on the neck, such as a full nelson. The same rules name the can opener and the twister as allowed.
- IBJJF has a separate row for a crank that comes with a choke, “Choke with spinal lock”, with its own age and belt limits. See the Japanese necktie for one example.
- Ruleset verdicts change by age and level, so check the legality matrix and the event rules before you compete.
Primary Entries
- Can opener: from inside closed guard, both hands behind the head and the elbows on the chest, pulling the chin toward the sternum.
- Twister: from the truck, turning the upper body and head against a trapped leg.
- Guillotine cranks: a guillotine or high-elbow guillotine that pulls the head up and back instead of closing on the throat. The choke version is a different ruling.
- Face cranks: a forearm or wrist across the jaw or face from the back or the top, turning the head away. Open BJJ has no separate page for it yet.
- Front headlock and side control: chin straps and head pulls that load the neck when the choke grip is missing.
Defenses & Counters
- Tap early. A crank gives little warning, and you can always restart a round.
- Against a can opener, open your guard or sit up. Against a twister, fight the trapped leg before the head is controlled.
- Clear the hands or forearm from your head and jaw first. Push their arm off your face before it settles.
- Once a crank is locked, tap instead of bridging, spinning or exploding out of it.
Follow-Ups
- Pass the guard when a can opener forces the legs open.
- Take the back from the truck instead of finishing the twister where it is illegal.
- Reset the grip into a clean choke (guillotine or rear naked choke) when the forearm slides onto the jaw.
Training Drills
- Coach-led recognition rounds: partners call out “crank” or “choke” as the grip changes, and nobody finishes.
- Agree before rounds whether cranks are on. If they are, apply slow pressure only and stop at the first tap or word.
- Defense reps against the can opener and front headlock at slow speed, working posture and hand fighting.
- For IBJJF competitors, positional rounds from the truck and closed guard top where any neck crank ends the round.
Related Techniques
Deepen your study with complementary positions and attacks.
Summary
A neck crank loads the cervical spine through flexion, rotation or side bending, and gets the tap through pain, not by cutting off blood or air. It is illegal in every IBJJF division. At ADCC Worlds and Trials it is legal with conditions, and NAGA and Grappling Industries split by age, belt and gi or no-gi, as the table shows. Recognize the pressure, tap early and train cranks only under clear gym rules.
Sources
Common grappling submissions: anatomic structures at risk (Hasegawa et al., 2026)
Hawaiʻi Journal of Health & Social Welfare 85(6):132–141. Describes how neck cranks differ from chokes and which structures are at risk.
Cervical spine flexion-distraction fracture in a BJJ athlete (Ifrach et al., 2022)
Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery 30:101640. Case report and literature review. Cervical injuries are a small share of BJJ injuries, most BJJ injuries are minor, and serious ones are rarely reported.
IBJJF Books and Videos (Rule Book and Illegal Moves table)
Official IBJJF Rule Book with the Technical Fouls and Illegal Moves table.
ADCC Rules and Regulations
The neck-crank ban (both shoulders trapped, downward pressure) and the named can opener and twister.
ADCC Opens legal techniques grid
The Opens row “Neck Crank (Except Cervical) Can Opener” by division.
NAGA Rules
No-gi and gi charts with the “Neck Cranks (Any form of Neck Crank)” row.
Grappling Industries Rulebook
Legal Techniques chart with the “Neck/Spinal Crank” row.