Arm triangle always cranks.

[rydam]

Additionally, it is my understanding that you are allowed to crank the neck in an arm triangle under IBJJF rules as long as it is a residual result of you putting a legitimate choke on, and not actually attempting to lever or crank the neck.

 

[blindgod]

The arm-triangle was my go-to move for a few years and I noticed that the reason a lot of people I trained with had problems with the amount of choke versus crank was because their angle wasn't right.

Imagine a line running between your opponent's shoulders. If your forearm is parallel to that line, the move tends to be more of a crank. If your opponent's carotid is in the bend of your elbow, then it tends to be more of a choke. This last method means that your forearm will not be parallel to the line mentioned above.

 

[Goat Meal]

Try this. It's almost like the north/south choke sprawl but opposite.

Get your gable grip. Keep your head on the mat. Get hip to hip. No need to walk in a circle or clock out on this one. Just stay hip to hip, and sprawl forward of that makes sense, while touching your choking elbow to the floor. That's the key is getting your own choking arm's elbow to the floor. If you can do that, and get your weight forward, on top of their neck, you should be able to get a tap while barely squeezing.

Good tips in this post.

Basically what helped me is getting ear-to-ear.

Also, play around with the grips because the optimal one for you could be different depending on the position.