Alias · Armbar
Bent armbar
Also known as 3/4 Armbar — the canonical term used on this site.
Training background: descriptive — named for the arm position
Descriptive — bent-arm angle variant of the standard armbar
Bent armbar is the descriptive name for the three-quarter armbar — a variant in which the target arm finishes with the elbow flexed rather than fully extended, loading the elbow joint at an angle distinct from the straight armbar.
Etymology. The “bent” descriptor flags the finishing angle: the arm is not fully extended at the moment of force application. The three-quarter naming convention captures the same idea — the arm sits at approximately three-quarters of its full extension range when the joint is loaded. Coach-specific shorthand for the variant exists across multiple no-gi instructional lineages; the descriptive “bent armbar” predominates in spoken vocabulary while “three-quarter armbar” appears in published instructional material.
Mechanics. The variant loads the elbow at the flexed angle by isolating the target arm and applying force at a different vector than the standard straight armbar. The fulcrum shifts away from the wrist toward the mid-forearm, and the angle of force changes the structural load on the elbow joint.
Cross-reference. The standard straight-arm finish remains the primary armbar reference; the bent-arm variant is the angle-shifted alternative when the opponent successfully blocks full extension. Full mechanical coverage on 3/4 Armbar.