3/4 Armbar
The 3/4 armbar is the bent-arm counter to the standard armbar — entered when the opponent bends their arm to defend.
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The 3/4 armbar is a bent-arm elbow submission entered from the standard armbar position when the opponent bends their arm to defend. The name describes the arm position: the elbow is bent at approximately 90°, making the arm three-quarters of the way from fully extended (0°) to fully bent (180°).
The standard armbar’s weakness is the bent-arm defence: when the opponent pulls their arm into a bend, they remove the hyperextension threat because a bent arm cannot be hyperextended from the standard armbar finish direction. The 3/4 armbar exploits this bend — using the bent position to load the medial elbow structures through compression rather than the posterior capsule through extension.
The 3/4 armbar is not a standalone technique. It exists within the armbar hub as a response to the primary defence of the standard armbar. A practitioner who knows only the straight armbar will release when the opponent bends their arm; a practitioner who knows the 3/4 will convert.
Ruleset context This technique is legal in all major competitive formats.
Elevated Risk3/4 Armbar is an elevated risk technique. The 3/4 armbar compresses the medial elbow structures — specifically the ulnar collateral ligament and the medial epicondyle — through a bent-arm position. This is a different load direction from the standard armbar's posterior capsule extension. Medial elbow compression can cause UCL damage, which can be a long-recovery injury. The technique requires controlled application — the drive direction must be precise for the submission to load the correct structures. Serious injury can occur varies — medial elbow structures have less predictable warning than posterior capsule hyperextension.
If you are new to this technique: read this section before anything else. Understanding the danger is part of understanding the technique.
The person applying the technique is responsible for releasing immediately.