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De La Riva Guard Establishment

ControlOpen-guard controlBelt: white+Risk: lowIBJJFADCCNo-GiSub-OnlyMMA

The De La Riva (DLR) guard is a fundamental open guard used to control a standing opponent, enabling sweeps and back takes. Mastering the establishment phase is crucial for effective open guard retention and attack initiation, especially in gi competition.

Start
Seated open guard vs standing
End
DLR guard
Prerequisites: Basic seated guard posture · Shin-to-shin entry · Collar-and-sleeve grip · Hip escape · Technical stand-up

Steps

  1. 1
    Initiate Seated Open Guard Engagement
    From a seated position, maintain an upright torso with your feet active, knees bent, and hands ready to establish grips as your opponent stands in front of you.
  2. 2
    Control the Near-Side Ankle
    Use your far-side hand to establish a C-grip around your opponent's near-side ankle, keeping your elbow tight to your knee to prevent them from breaking the grip.
  3. 3
    Insert De La Riva Hook
    Thread your outside leg (the one farthest from their body) around the opponent's near-side leg, hooking your instep behind their knee with your toes flexed and knee pointing outward at approximately 45°.
  4. 4
    Establish Secondary Grip
    With your near-side hand, grip either the opponent’s far-side sleeve (gi), wrist (no-gi), or pant leg, ensuring your elbow is bent and your arm is not extended for safety.
  5. 5
    Angle Your Hips
    Shift your hips outward by posting briefly on your free foot, creating a diagonal angle so your hips are perpendicular to the opponent’s lead leg, maximizing the hook’s control.
  6. 6
    Anchor with the Free Foot
    Place your free foot either on the opponent’s far-side hip or thigh, or post it on the mat to adjust distance and maintain tension in the guard.
  7. 7
    Maintain Upright Posture and Tension
    Keep your head above your hips, chest forward, and maintain tension in your grips and hooks to prevent the opponent from stepping out or pressuring in.

Key details most people miss

  • The DLR hook must be active, with your toes flexed and knee flared outward to prevent easy leg drags.
  • Your hips should be angled so your belt line faces the opponent’s far hip, not square to their chest.
  • The ankle grip should be reinforced by pinching your elbow to your own knee, making it difficult for the opponent to break.
  • If your free foot is on the hip, keep your knee slightly bent to absorb pressure and adjust distance dynamically.

Common mistakes

  • If you allow your DLR hook knee to collapse inward, the opponent can easily leg drag and pass.
  • If your hips are square to the opponent, you lose leverage and the hook becomes ineffective.
  • If you extend your secondary grip arm, the opponent can break the grip and attack submissions.
  • If you sit too flat or lean back, you become vulnerable to toriando and long-step passes.

Counters & responses

They try: Opponent steps back to clear the DLR hook
You do: Follow with your hips, re-insert the hook quickly, or transition to shin-to-shin guard if they retract their leg.
They try: Opponent attempts a leg drag by smashing the DLR hook across
You do: Flare your knee outward and use your free foot to frame on their bicep or hip, recovering your angle.
They try: Opponent grips your pant leg and tries to staple your DLR hook to the mat
You do: Switch to a lasso or spider guard on the same side, or invert to recover guard.
They try: Opponent pressures forward to force headquarters position
You do: Use your free foot to push on their far hip or thigh, creating space and off-balancing them to re-establish distance.

Drill prescription

6 rounds × 2 minutes; partner provides 50% resistance by trying to step out or leg drag; goal: establish and maintain DLR guard with correct grips and angle for 10 seconds per rep, minimum 5 reps per round.

How the masters teach it

Videos are still being curated for this technique. AI suggests these instructors:
Ricardo de la Riva — Originator of the guard, emphasizes deep hook and sleeve control for sweep initiation.Lucas Lepri — Known for precise grip fighting and angle management, especially for guard retention.Rafael Mendes — Focuses on dynamic transitions from DLR to berimbolo and back takes.Leandro Lo — Utilizes aggressive grip switching and off-balancing from DLR to set up sweeps.
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