Are Biceps Slicers legal in judo?

Question

There are a number of compression locks in grappling, which function with tori placing a limb (acting as a fulcrum) in the crook of one of uke's joints, and applying pressure to flex the joint over the limb, simultaneously crushing the muscles/ligaments either side of it and hyper-flexing the joint around it. While

• Achilles Locks (ashi-hishigi, targetting the ankle joint)
• Calf/Thigh Slicers (hiza-hishigi etc, targeting the knee joint)
• and even Neck Locks (kubi-hishigi etc)

are historic judo techniques (if banned in randori/competition for over a century), I have never seen the Biceps Slicer described as an explicit technique in any Kodokan material.^{1 2}

Is a biceps slicer a legal technique (since it is a joint lock targeting the elbow), and if not, was it ever taught in judo?

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1. Here it is being demonstrated in a Kosen Judo club however, using pressure from a leg triangle to apply the lock.
2. Here being demonstrated by John Anderson (Kodokan 8th Dan), using pressure from the other arm.

Answer 1

I was taught a compression armlock by a US national referee. I am not formally familiar with the term bicep slicer, but your description of the armlock matches exactly what I learned.

It's a joint lock on the elbow that can be performed in a controlled manner, so there is nothing to make it illegal. It's legal.

I don't recall whether I have seen this armlock in judo publications.

The compression armlock is not one of my competition techniques, so I have never tested whether it is allowed in competition. I personally find it only works roughly half the time, mostly based on the partner.

Answer 2

As always, it depends on the rule set your training is targeting; but with that being said...the bicep slicer is legal accoring to the current IJF, and Free-Style Judo competition rule-sets.