Topic

Open Guard.

Open guard systems: De La Riva, lasso, spider, single-leg X, and the retention that keeps them alive. How to pick one, build it, and route between them mid-round.

2 posts on this topic.

September 15, 2026 3 min read

Lasso Guard vs. Spider Guard: When to Use Which (With Flowchart)

Spider keeps opponents out; lasso ties them up. I played spider for two years against bodies it didn't fit — here's the routing logic for choosing between them mid-round.

A flowchart of De La Riva guard decisions

August 4, 2026 3 min read

The De La Riva Guard Decision Tree: Where Most White Belts Get Lost

I spent a year treating my DLR problem as a technique gap and drilling new sweeps that never landed. The actual problem was routing. Here's the four-branch map.