Alias · Armbar
Kote gaeshi
Also known as Wristlock — the canonical term used on this site.
Training background: Japanese — judo-derived outside wrist turn
Japanese — 小手返 wrist reversal
Kote gaeshi is the Japanese name for the rotational wristlock — the joint submission that loads the wrist by rotating the hand against the natural axis of the forearm.
Etymology. Kote (小手) refers to the wrist or forearm region in classical Japanese martial vocabulary; gaeshi (返) means “reversal” or “turning back.” The technique sits in the Kodokan judo kansetsu-waza (joint-lock) catalogue and has a parallel position in aikido’s curriculum, where the rotational mechanic is the defining property of the technique. The name predates BJJ’s wristlock terminology by several decades and remains the primary search term among judo and aikido practitioners. The technique’s name describes the action — rotating, “reversing” the wrist — rather than the target joint.
Mechanics. The submission isolates the wrist by gripping the opponent’s hand and forearm independently, then rotates the wrist around its longitudinal axis past the joint’s natural range. Because the rotation occurs around a fixed forearm and the small wrist tendons cannot resist torque effectively, structural failure happens at a much lower load than the elbow or shoulder demand.
Cross-reference. English-speaking no-gi uses “wristlock” generally; Portuguese-language BJJ uses mão de vaca. Full mechanical coverage on Wristlock.