Can Opener defense?

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aaron_mag

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Can Opener is when you have your opponent in your guard and they grab the back of your head with both hands and crank your neck forward, correct?

Had this happen to me this weekend. Never had that move pulled on me before, even though I'd seen the guy pull it on other people. We were running stairs, then grappling, then running stairs again while other grappled. After the first round, I made sure to always control at least one arm when he was in my guard and I didn't get cranked again. Is this the defense, or is there something else I should be doing?

Thanks for the help.

edited post, to have correct name. Thanks for the help...
 
open up your guard he will try to pass and then you can close it again if your quick or let him slip into half guard, thats when you move your hips and postion yourself into butterfly guard and sweep him. then you show his ass the key to bjj (keylock)
 
Try arching your neck backwards and fighting off the grip. If this doesn't work, tap. Neck injuries suck, they rate 5th worst after: death, paralyzation, amputation, acl/mcl, broken ribs and then neck.
 
Worse comes to worse, if he has it locked in, you open your guard. However, before it comes to this point you can try to control at least one of his arms (as you've already mentioned) and you can also frame your arms against his face (neutralizes his leverage to complete neck crank but basically stalesmate both of you).
 
Thanks for the help. And I tapped pretty quick. I have no desire to be looking at my toes for a month straight.

Not really a move I'd choose to use in practice. Doesn't appeal to my sense of finesse or style. But it was good to be exposed to it so I know what to watch out for. So many darn things to watch out for. I've been choked out when I had the sidemount because I was just resting and not making sure to control at least one arm.

Ah well. Live and learn.
 
just open your guard. pummel for inside control if he's a fucking beast or something
 
Push on his face, and if possible stick your finger UP his nose. No kidding. This worked wonders for me once. I don't think the guy ever tried another can opener in his life.

I have had great success in putting my feet on thier hips and pushing away while double stiffarming thier face at the chin. I have often thought of kicking them straight in the nuts and calling it a sweep but the second my feet get on the groin they let go almost instinctively.

You might be able to tell that I am not kind to those who crank on my neck. Too many sleepless nights because of some ape trying to twist or crank my head off.
 
In competition IM a liitle puzzled by this too. Your idea of fending it off before he gets there is as good as I have come up with. I also lock my hands under his triceps and pull up. Your pretty strong that way and it will still be uncomfortable but he will get tired of getting no results after a while. I also push their face like Stoic. Opening the guard is too late many times and if they know they have it locked in they wont pass theyll just keep the canopener and sheer your head off. I had a 6ft 5 and 260 guy do this to me and it sucked. He was a newb, but with that much strength it was still hard to defend. Didn't tap to him but honestly I should have, my neck has never been the same.
 
I asked my instructor how to defend against that dirty move. One way I can remember was to put the outside blade of your hand against the guy's thoat. The harder he tries to pull the more the blade pushes into his throat.

I'm sure there are better ways.
 
open your guard and pull his head down or grap his leg and spin for the armbar.
 
arm bar, open your gaurd, repummel inside,or push on his chin with both hands
 
An armbar, huh? I'll have to try to drill that with a partner. I certainly don't want to be caught in the damn thing and trying to figure out how to transition. I'm a pretty big guy (six foot and 200 pounds) so I could probably resist for a bit. That was the reason I'd never seen it before. Not used to rolling with a guy who can outmuscle me.

I don't want to try dirty tricks myself. No reason to bring hard feelings on the mat. He got me. I tapped. I learned to try and not give someone that opportunity again.

The guy is coming back from a long hiatus to get in shape to compete in some grappling tournament. I even offered to roll with him after class whenever he wants to help him get into shape. I've got no hard feelings against the guy.

I did take some solace that he stopped running stairs between rounds. At least I'm in better shape at the moment...
 
zaner said:
In competition IM a liitle puzzled by this too. Your idea of fending it off before he gets there is as good as I have come up with. I also lock my hands under his triceps and pull up. Your pretty strong that way and it will still be uncomfortable but he will get tired of getting no results after a while. I also push their face like Stoic. Opening the guard is too late many times and if they know they have it locked in they wont pass theyll just keep the canopener and sheer your head off. I had a 6ft 5 and 260 guy do this to me and it sucked. He was a newb, but with that much strength it was still hard to defend. Didn't tap to him but honestly I should have, my neck has never been the same.
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Hands under triceps and pull up. I think I can remember that and I'll have decent leverage. I'll try it.
 
Worked for me even against really strong guys like I said. Not exsactly an explosive and fantastic escape tho, is it?
 
In theory the armbar should work. The problem comes when you realize he is based out wide, and you cannot move your hips perpendicular because your neck hurts so fucking bad from the crank it becomes compounded when you try to turn for the right angle on the armbar.
 
I really don't understand the tough guy attitude in training btw (the refusal to tap).

I've had a back injury in the past. I had to have surgery due to a fricken stupid accident I had in the past (fell off a trampoline). I'm pretty much at 100 percent now. But after dealing with insurance companies, surgery, rehab and all the rest of that crap I promised myself I'd never be that stupid ever again.

I got a guy in a kimura a while back and he would not tap. I had it locked in and outweighed him by like 40 pounds. There was no way he was getting out. So after like a minute of him continuing to struggle and me worrying that he'd injure his shoulder if I continued to crank it, I just let it go. I wasn't learning anything, he wasn't learning anything, it was just a stupid ego thing. We shouldn't have to go through a major injury to learn it just isn't worth it.

My thought on it anyway.
 
when me and my brother wrestle i always go for the canopener. He realizes it and like stiffens his body. He basically just makes his body straight and i cant even reach the back of his head. Probably not a real good method but i can never use it anymore.
 
aaron_mag said:
I really don't understand the tough guy attitude in training btw (the refusal to tap).

I've had a back injury in the past. I had to have surgery due to a fricken stupid accident I had in the past (fell off a trampoline). I'm pretty much at 100 percent now. But after dealing with insurance companies, surgery, rehab and all the rest of that crap I promised myself I'd never be that stupid ever again.

I got a guy in a kimura a while back and he would not tap. I had it locked in and outweighed him by like 40 pounds. There was no way he was getting out. So after like a minute of him continuing to struggle and me worrying that he'd injure his shoulder if I continued to crank it, I just let it go. I wasn't learning anything, he wasn't learning anything, it was just a stupid ego thing. We shouldn't have to go through a major injury to learn it just isn't worth it.

My thought on it anyway.
Click to expand...


I've never been afraid to tap but honestly at the same time I like to find out how much I can take/do if my life was on the line. You're exsactly right though. It wasn't so much stubborness as it was I just didn't think it was doing damage. It was injurious but not painful enough to tap. Problem is I didn't know I was getting injured, that's whare I draw the line usually.
 
The can opener and neck cranks are great, I use them all the time.
 
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