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Reverse De La Riva Guard

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

Reverse De La Riva Guard (RDLR) is an open guard configuration where you hook your inside leg around the opponent's leg from the opposite side, enabling dynamic control and off-balancing against standing or kneeling opponents. It is a foundational guard for modern sweeping and back-taking sequences, especially effective against opponents attempting to pass on the outside.

Start
Seated vs standing/kneeling opponent
End
Reverse DLR
Prerequisites: Hip escape · Seated guard entry · Shin-shin guard retention · Inside leg hook mechanics

Steps

  1. 1
    Establish Seated Guard
    Sit facing your opponent with your feet in front, knees bent, and hands ready to post or grip. Keep your hips mobile and posture upright to react to their movement.
  2. 2
    Identify Near Leg
    As your opponent steps forward, target their lead leg with your inside leg (the leg closest to their leg).
  3. 3
    Insert Reverse Hook
    Thread your inside leg between their legs and hook your instep around the back of their far thigh, just above their knee, with your knee pointing outward and your toes flexed for strong engagement.
  4. 4
    Anchor with Far Hand Grip
    Use your far-side hand to grip their ankle, heel, or pants (gi) just above the foot of the leg you are hooking. In no-gi, use a C-grip at the ankle or heel.
  5. 5
    Frame with Near Hand
    Place your near-side hand on their far shin or knee cap to frame and maintain distance, preventing them from collapsing your guard.
  6. 6
    Angle Your Hips
    Scoot your hips outward at a 45° angle from their base, so your body is perpendicular to their lead leg. This angle maximizes your ability to off-balance and prevents direct knee-cut passes.
  7. 7
    Engage Secondary Hook (Optional)
    If needed, use your free leg to post on their hip or thigh, or to create a lasso for additional control and retention, especially if they attempt to circle away.
  8. 8
    Maintain Tension and Distance
    Keep your reverse hook active by flexing your toes and pulling with your hamstring, while your grips and frames maintain a constant push-pull tension to disrupt their balance.

Key details most people miss

  • The reverse hook should be deep enough that your instep is behind their knee, but not so deep that your knee collapses inward—keep your knee flared out for maximum control.
  • Angle your hips so your centerline is perpendicular to their shin, which makes it nearly impossible for them to knee-cut directly.
  • The far ankle grip is essential for controlling their ability to backstep or circle away; without it, your guard can be easily passed.
  • Maintain active tension in your hook and frame—passivity allows the opponent to staple your leg or crush your knee line.

Common mistakes

  • If you allow your knee to collapse inward, the opponent can easily smash your guard and knee-cut.
  • Failing to grip the far ankle allows the opponent to backstep or spin out, breaking your control.
  • Letting your hips square up to their leg gives them direct access to pressure passing and leg drags.
  • Neglecting to frame with your near hand lets the opponent close distance and flatten you, nullifying the guard.

Counters & responses

They try: Opponent backsteps over your hook
You do: Release the ankle grip and invert or transition to a crab ride to follow their movement and retain guard.
They try: Opponent staples your reverse hook with their free leg
You do: Quickly hip escape away and re-flare your knee, using your near hand to frame and create space to recover the hook.
They try: Opponent grabs your knee and drives it to the mat
You do: Switch to a shin-shin guard or use your free leg to post on their hip and recompose the angle.
They try: Opponent attempts a knee-cut pass
You do: Angle your hips further out and reinforce your frame on their shin, elevating their knee with your hook to disrupt their base.

Drill prescription

6 rounds × 2 min; partner attempts to pass with knee-cut or backstep at 50% resistance; goal: maintain RDLR control and recover guard at least 4 times per round.

How the masters teach it

Videos are still being curated for this technique. AI suggests these instructors:
Lucas Lepri — Emphasizes precise hip angling and far ankle control to shut down knee-cut passes from RDLR.Rafael Mendes — Integrates RDLR as a primary entry to berimbolo and back takes, with seamless transitions to crab ride.Leandro Lo — Combines RDLR with dynamic off-balancing and technical stand-ups to initiate sweeps against standing opponents.Lachlan Giles — Focuses on RDLR retention and leg entanglement entries, especially in no-gi contexts.
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