Alias · Guard Passing
Neck crank
Also known as Can Opener — the canonical term used on this site.
Training background: Broader category name — the can opener is a specific cervical flexion neck crank
Submission-family name for the can opener
Neck crank is a general name for the can opener — classing the technique by its submission family, a crank applied to the cervical spine from inside the guard.
Etymology. “Neck crank” names the broad category of cervical-spine submissions; the can opener is one specific member, applied by drawing the head toward the chest from inside closed guard. The generic term is sometimes used loosely where the specific name is meant.
Mechanics. Pulling the head forward flexes the neck past its natural range, reaching the cervical spine’s structural limit quickly — the danger comes from the angle of forced flexion, not from any compression of the airway.
Cross-reference. “Head crank” is a colloquial sibling. Full mechanical coverage on Can Opener.