Wristlock
- BJJ
- Submissions
- intermediate
- Mount / top
- 3 steps
Trap their hand flat against your body and bend the wrist forward to load the small joint. Also known as the Mão de vaca or the Flexion wristlock. Here is the exact breakdown from the DARCE app: 3 steps, the details that make it work, and the mistakes to avoid.
When to use it
Use the wristlock from mount or top position when the opponent pushes on your chest with a bent wrist or posts a hand flat. Pin the hand to your body or the mat first. Apply it only where your rules and training partners allow it.
Step by step
- 01
Trap the hand
Pin their hand flat against your chest or the mat so the palm cannot rotate away.
- 02
Stack your grips
Cup over the back of their hand with both of yours, keeping their forearm fixed.
- 03
Bend the wrist
Curl the knuckles toward the inner forearm to flex the wrist joint. A small, slow movement finishes it.
Key details
- Keep their forearm pinned and immobile. Only the wrist should move.
- Bend toward the inside of the forearm; the joint has almost no range there.
- It takes millimetres, not muscle. Finish gently.
Common mistakes
- Letting the forearm rotate so the pressure escapes the joint.
- Trying to muscle it with a big motion instead of a precise flex.
- Cranking. The wrist is a small joint and tweaks instantly.
Common counters
Opponents rotate the forearm, pull the hand free, or straighten the wrist before you flex it. A loose pin lets the pressure escape out of the joint. Keep the forearm pinned so only the wrist can move.
How to drill it
From mount, pin your partner’s hand to your chest and flex slowly while they tap early, five reps on each side. Then do two rounds of one minute where your partner frames and you look for the pin.
Related techniques
- Triangle ChokeBJJTrap the head and one arm and strangle with your legs in a figure-four around the neck.
- Armbar from GuardBJJIsolate an arm, swing a leg over the head and extend the hips to attack the elbow.
- Cross-Collar ChokeBJJFeed both hands deep into the collars and flare the elbows to strangle from guard.
- Kimura from GuardBJJTrap a posted arm, figure-four the wrist and rotate the shoulder to finish.
Train it with the AI coach