Reverse De La Riva
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Reverse De La Riva (RDLR) is an open guard where you hook the inside of the opponent's lead leg with your shin and foot, your knee pointing across their body. It mirrors De La Riva, stops knee-cut and pressure passers, and is a common way into single-leg X, the saddle and the back.
The hook and grips
Your shin sits across the inside of their lead leg with your foot hooked behind the knee or thigh. In the gi, grip their sleeve or collar and the pants; in no-gi, the ankle and a wrist or underhook. Your other foot frames on their far hip or knee.
Built to stop the knee cut
When a passer drives their knee across your thigh, the inside hook jams that knee and stalls the pass. Then it depends on what they do.
- If they keep driving forward
- Spin underneath them, kiss of the dragon or a berimbolo, and come out on the back.
- If they pull the leg back
- Follow it into single-leg X and stand up or enter the leg lock positions.
- If they back step
- Their leg comes to you. Swing your leg through into the saddle or 50/50.
- If they square up and stand tall
- Switch the hook to the outside and play De La Riva.
Into leg locks and the back
Reverse De La Riva leads straight into single-leg X and the saddle, so many players use it to start their leg lock game. It also opens the back when the passer turns to drive forward.
When to go back to De La Riva →Community flows for Reverse De La Riva
- 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…
- The Fundamental Guard Techniques — The foundational principles of guard retention & offense from the bottom position. It details the essential pathways from closed guard, half guard, & reverse…
- 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
- Float Passing to Knee-on-belly Training — A float passing system that TRANSITIONS from reverse de la Riva to headquarters position & then to knee-on-belly, hand weight distribution & leg mechanics.
Frequently asked questions
What is reverse De La Riva guard?
An open guard where your shin hooks the inside of the opponent's lead leg, with your knee across their body. It mirrors De La Riva and works well against knee-cut passers.
What does reverse De La Riva lead to?
Backward off-balancing sweeps, single-leg X and saddle leg entanglements, and back exposures when the passer drives forward to escape the hook.
Is reverse De La Riva good for no-gi?
Yes. Because it relies on a shin hook and leg position more than sleeve grips, it works well in no-gi and pairs well with leg locks.
From the blog
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