Offwidth: Too big for fist but too small for knee crack size

Does anybody have any technique recommendations for climbing cracks that are bigger than fist but not quite big enough to knee lock? I was trying an offwidth that is gently overhanging tight 5s. I couldn’t get my knee in so I was doing a combination of  butterfly stacks and arm bars. The crack is a little too tight for proper chicken wings though. It felt very desperate to stay in the crack whenever I didn’t have a stack. Is there a better way? 

Scott E wrote: Does anybody have any technique recommendations for climbing cracks that are bigger than fist but not quite big enough to knee lock? I was trying an offwidth that is gently overhanging tight 5s. I couldn’t get my knee in so I was doing a combination of  butterfly stacks and arm bars. The crack is a little too tight for proper chicken wings though. It felt very desperate to stay in the crack whenever I didn’t have a stack. Is there a better way? 

How about calf locks and butterflies? It's a tricky size, especially if it's overhanging.

Layback? :p

This is literally the very definition of a hard OW size.  As others have said, you need to work for the calf/shin locks with your legs that will allow you to move whatever type of hand/fist stacks you've got. Think about how you would hang your body from a foot cam on a horizontal roof crack and try to apply those same principles.  It's tough to explain; I know that highaltitudeflatulantexplosion has a photo of himself getting a no-hands rest on precisely this size on a section of Big Baby at the Creek.  Maybe he'll respond?

Calf locks for the uninitiated: https://www.climbing.com/skills/the-calf-lock/

If you're leading it's pretty easy to block your upward progress with your gear. Bonus style points if you can reach down to place a piece below your upper foot.

Calf locks are hard to develop but once you get them they're amazing. Make sure you're flexible enough to get your calf directly in front of your hips while being able to engage your core. If your right leg is the high calf locking leg, lean a bit left and pull out with your knee. In sizes that your calf is too big, keep this same positioning and quark your foot outward (pointing your toe) to get that to lock instead. If all else fails, go for elbow locks. :)

I have a horizontal butterfly crack in my backyard that's wide butterflies for me/stacks for smaller hand people. Haven't sent yet, but if you're having trouble with the calf locks try jamming the toe of your other foot in between your calf and the rock. Definitely haven't perfected it yet, but can almost leavitate like that.