Cow hand

Cow hand is the literal English translation of the Portuguese mão de vaca — a wristlock variant common in Brazilian grappling contexts and named for the visual resemblance to the hand position used in milking.

Etymology. Mão de vaca translates directly: mão (“hand”) + de vaca (“of cow”). The phrase entered Brazilian jiu-jitsu vocabulary as a descriptive label for the gripping hand position the attacker uses to apply force — fingers curled around the opponent’s wrist in a configuration reminiscent of how a hand wraps around a cow’s teat. The literal English rendering “cow hand” appears in translated instructional material and English-language BJJ coverage when the writer wants to convey the original Portuguese imagery without using a foreign-language term untranslated.

Mechanics. The wristlock attacks the radiocarpal joint by loading it against its natural range — typically a combination of hyperflexion and radial or ulnar deviation — and isolates the wrist from any forearm-driven defence.

Cross-reference. Brazilian contexts retain mão de vaca; broader English no-gi vocabulary uses wristlock without the imagery. Full mechanical coverage on Wristlock.