How comfortable are you with “dirty” BJJ moves? Personally, I love them. Dirty is just a thing of perception, if you ask me. There are moves that are effective and moves that are less effective, and while all of them carry some risk, certain moves don’t really deserve the outlaw status they have in Jiu-Jitsu. It is a subject that has been beaten to death, but I really do think there is a place for the BJJ can opener in every grappler’s toolbox.
The BJJ can opener is one of those moves that are like something out of Harry Potter. Horrible analogy, I know, but bear with me. New folks come in having seen something on YouTube and ask the people in the gym about it, and suddenly they’re told to shut up and leave it alone. It is one of the “unspeakable” moves that must never be mentioned, let alone done. Well, guess what? Demonizing moves actually makes them far more dangerous than teaching them.
What Is the BJJ Can Opener?
So, what is the BJJ can opener? It is a spinal lock, in essence. The way it is used, though, is to make someone open a closed guard as a result of pain. It is not really the most technical way to open guard, but it is effective nonetheless. However, it is the spinal-lock/neck-crank thing that usually makes people resent it. To be honest, I have no idea if it will work, or to what extent, at the highest levels. It is worth exploring, though.
How Does the Can Opener Work?
The way the can opener works is that you grab the back of an opponent’s head in what is basically a Thai clinch when you are the person caught in closed guard. Simply pulling from there would get your arm barred nine times out of ten.
However, if your elbows are glued to the opponent’s chest, you will be able to create quite a bit of pressure on the spine by pulling their chin toward their chest. In most cases, people simply open their legs and give up a pass. There are the few who think they can take it and end up tapping to the can opener, although it is not a submission per se.
How to Do the Can Opener
You can apply it either by pulling directly from a base on your knees or by stacking the opponent. Both have their merit, but the stacked version can be particularly uncomfortable. There is also the MMA/self-defense angle, where the move is a really no-nonsense way to get rid of a closed guard.
How to Defend the Can Opener
The first thing to keep in mind is that if someone catches you with a can opener and you feel pain in your neck, just tap. Tap early and tap often, no matter whether it is legal or not in your gym.
The reason for tapping is pretty simple: Neck cranks have a nasty habit of coming back to haunt you later.
There are three main defenses:
- Counter the can opener with an armbar. Trap one arm, put your other hand under your partner’s near leg, turn your hips, and go for the armbar.
- Take your opponent’s head with both arms and shove it below yours, then push.
- Open your guard. It is not a great option, since you will be open to other attacks, but it removes the leverage.
Is the BJJ Can Opener Legal? IBJJF, ADCC and More
The first thing you need to know is that you cannot use a BJJ can opener in an IBJJF match, Gi or No-Gi, regardless of belt. Well — you can, but it will get you disqualified. In a different ruleset, though, you might end up on the receiving end of one, and that will not end great for you. The fact remains that the move is a bit bully-ish and should be used with care — which is all the more reason to train it and understand it.
IBJJF. The current IBJJF rules identify neck and spinal-lock techniques among the prohibited or restricted techniques, so the can opener has no legal home there. If you are competing under IBJJF rules, treat it as off-limits and check the current IBJJF Rule Book and illegal-moves materials if you are unsure.
ADCC. The picture changes under ADCC’s professional rules. The ADCC World Championship rules list the can opener as a legal technique, so you will see it used at that level. That does not mean every neck crank is allowed: the same rules prohibit neck cranks that trap both shoulders and apply downward pressure on the neck, along with the full nelson and other banned actions. The ADCC World Championship rules are the reference for that event.
ADCC beginners and intermediates. Do not assume the pro rules carry down. ADCC’s separate rules for beginner and intermediate divisions list no neck cranks and no can opener at all. Check the ADCC Beginners and Intermediate rules before entering those divisions.
Other rulesets. Organisations such as UWW Grappling and Grappling Industries keep their own prohibited-technique tables and often split by age and skill, so a move that is legal in one No-Gi event can be illegal in the next. Read the current UWW Grappling rules or the specific promoter’s rulebook instead of relying on a general internet list.
Will the BJJ can opener ever work in a high-level black belt match in the Gi? Who knows? The reason we do not know is down to our approach: the IBJJF rules have prevented a lot of grappling moves from ever getting tested and improved through constant use in competition. Because the move is illegal there, we may never find out whether it is worth exploring. There are a few instances of it working — to an extent — in MMA, and people who train No-Gi use it from time to time.
What I think is that our whole approach to moves like the BJJ can opener is wrong. OK, they are illegal in some rulesets and potentially dangerous — I get that, and I agree. All the more reason to teach them properly, and yes, that does mean teaching them to new students as well. Feel free to outlaw the move in rolling, but give your students the chance to learn how to do it correctly and, more importantly, how to act if they ever get caught in it.
Training the Can Opener Safely
The can opener should only be trained with consent and control. Tell your partner what you are going to practise, agree on the intensity, and agree that a tap or a verbal “stop” ends the drill immediately. Apply it slowly, without jerking or stacking explosively, and have a coach supervise beginners. If you are on the receiving end and feel neck pain, sharp pressure, numbness, tingling, or dizziness, tap right away. Legality and safety are separate questions: a move being allowed in a given ruleset does not make the pressure harmless.
Thinking Outside the Box
There are two basic premises people use for not touching the BJJ can opener. One is that it will cause immediate, devastating damage to the spine every time it is applied. The other is that people will easily defend it by simply opening the guard. What most fail to grasp is that the can opener is primarily a way to open the closed guard rather than a conventional submission — it just happens to have neck-cranking properties as well.
The reason the can opener works is the Thai clinch position. At its core, the move is based on breaking posture, a fundamental Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu principle. The longer you can hold a broken posture, and the more you can bend the spine, the less an opponent can do. So how can you take that knowledge and combine it with the BJJ can opener to achieve goals other than opening the closed guard?
Here is a radical idea, courtesy of Priit Mihkelson: escape the mount. When you think about it, the mount is just a guard in reverse. Granted, the top person’s legs are not connected, so the can opener / Thai clinch will serve merely as a posture break. Here is another hint — it is not illegal. So the next time you are stuck in bottom mount and can catch a Thai clinch without giving up an armbar (you would be surprised how easy it is to get the clinch), do it. Get a strong posture break, and only then go for your bridge and roll. Suddenly, escaping the mount becomes a lot easier — not to mention you can pass the guard directly, since you have a can opener in place that will not allow your opponent to close the guard.
Conclusion
Demonizing moves is never a good idea. Of course, not every move from other grappling martial arts is a good fit for BJJ — but then again, neither were Judo and Sambo leg locks, until John Danaher modified them. That just means we can, and should, try to modify and play with as many techniques as possible before even thinking about discarding them. The BJJ can opener is a great one to have fun with, legal or not — just train it sensibly and tap early.
