De La Riva Guard
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De La Riva (DLR) is an open guard where you wrap your leg around the outside of the opponent's lead leg and hook your foot inside their thigh, while you grip their ankle and a sleeve, collar, or arm. It's named for Ricardo de la Riva. The hook off-balances a standing passer and connects to the berimbolo, the back, single-leg X, X-guard and reverse De La Riva.
The De La Riva hook and grips
You need all of these at once. When one goes, the passer starts to move.
- The hook
- Your leg wraps the outside of their lead leg and your foot hooks the inside of their thigh, knee pointing out. The hook pulls their knee open and loads weight onto that leg.
- The ankle grip
- Same-side hand on their lead ankle or pants so they cannot step back out of the hook.
- The upper-body grip
- In the gi, the far sleeve, the collar, or the belt. In no-gi, the far wrist or an arm drag grip. It stops them leaning in to pass.
- The free foot
- On their far hip or biceps, keeping the distance so they can't smash the guard.
The De La Riva guard system
Each common reaction from the passer has an answer. Most lines end in a sweep, a back take or a reset.
- If they stand tall and heavy on the hooked leg
- Off-balance them backward with the hook and the far sleeve and come up for a sweep.
- If they turn their knee in to clear the hook
- Invert under them for the berimbolo and take the back.
- If they lean forward or kneel
- Slide underneath into X-guard or single-leg X and sweep them over their heel.
- If they drive their knee across to knee cut
- Switch the hook to the inside. Reverse De La Riva is made for that pass.
- If they step back out of the hook
- Follow the leg into single-leg X, or reset your grips and re-hook.
Keeping the guard when they pass
De La Riva guard retention is mostly about the knee line and the free foot. Keep your hooked knee pointing out so they cannot pin it, keep the free foot on the hip or biceps, and recover the hook whenever they clear it. The two passes that beat it most often are the leg drag, where they redirect your legs across, and the knee cut once the hook is cleared; turn in toward them as soon as either starts.
De La Riva vs reverse De La Riva
De La Riva hooks the outside of their lead leg. Reverse De La Riva hooks the inside, with your knee pointing across their body. Use DLR against a passer standing square and RDLR against one driving a knee cut, and switch as they move.
When to switch to reverse De La Riva →Community flows for De La Riva Guard
- Lachlan Giles Body Lock Pass, Vol 2: Setups & Entries — Every entry to Lachlan Giles' body lock: forcing them to sit up, grip breaks, and entries from butterfly, headquarters, Z-guard, reverse De La Riva. Includes a…
- Lazy Guard to Back Takes — Low-energy approach to BJJ built around back takes from various guard positions. What if your entire game is oriented toward getting behind your opponent from…
- De La Riva Attack Training — DLR guard attacks. Covers sweeps, submissions, & transitions. Adapts to opp reactions. Angle matters
- The Guard Retention and Attack Study — Includes guard retention & attack sequences from De La Riva & related positions
- De La Riva Control — De la riva guard through strategic grips & leg positioning. Transitioning btwn guard variations based on reactions & prioritizing dominant positions over…
- THE LEG ENTANGLEMENT LABORATORY: EXPLORING WHAT-IF SCENARIOS FROM STANDING TO SUBMISSION — How to explores the dynamic pathways from standing engagements into leg entanglement positions, examining what happens when opponents react differently to…
- Deep De La Riva Guard — Deep de la riva as a connection point. Entanglement as a conversation, not a trap.
- De La Riva Attacks — Controlling distance, breaking posture, & chaining sweeps, submissions, & transitions from de la riva based on opponent responses.
- Inverted Guard Game — De la riva into inverted guards, back takes, and leg entanglements. Flowing between positions and capitalizing on reactions.
- Sit Up Guard Game — A look at Sit Up Guard entries and attacks. Covers entries from seated, DLR, RDLR, and half guard. Includes sweeps, transitions, and counters to common passes
- Berimbolo Back Takes — No-gi back hunting from de la riva via berimbolo. Forcing your opponent into vulnerable positions & capitalizing on every reaction to get behind them.
- Modern Guard Flow — X-guard, single leg X, & de la riva. Transitions between them w/ clear sequences to sweep, take the back, & advance to mount or side control
Frequently asked questions
What is the De La Riva hook?
Your leg wrapped around the outside of the opponent's lead leg with your foot hooked behind or inside their thigh. It is the defining grip of De La Riva guard and is used to off-balance a standing passer.
Is De La Riva guard good for beginners?
It is a good second open guard once closed guard and basic retention make sense. The grips are simple, but it needs the passer standing, so beginners who mostly get passed from their knees learn it faster with a coach.
Does De La Riva work in no-gi?
Yes. Without sleeve and collar grips it relies more on the ankle grip, wrist control, and transitions into single-leg X and the leg lock positions, so many no-gi players use it to get somewhere rather than to stay.
What does De La Riva guard lead to?
Backward and tripod sweeps, the berimbolo and the back take, X-guard and single-leg X, and reverse De La Riva when the passer knee-cuts.
Who invented De La Riva guard?
Ricardo de la Riva, a Carlson Gracie black belt, made it famous in the 1980s, including a win over Royler Gracie.
From the blog
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