De La Riva Guard Top

De La Riva Guard Top position occurs when the top practitioner is facing an opponent playing De La Riva (DLR) guard, where the bottom player has their outside leg hooked behind the top player’s near leg while controlling the pants or ankle, with their other leg typically managing distance or controlling the opposite side. The top player’s goal is to neutralize the DLR hooks and leg controls, pass the guard, and establish a dominant position. This requires understanding DLR mechanics, applying appropriate pressure, and choosing the right passing strategy based on the bottom player’s grips and positioning.

De La Riva guard is one of the most popular and effective open guards in modern BJJ, making DLR passing a critical skill for any serious competitor. The position presents unique challenges because the DLR hook creates off-balancing and sweeping threats while the opponent maintains distance control. Top players must balance maintaining good posture and base while simultaneously dismantling the guard structure. Modern DLR passing has evolved to include pressure-based approaches, mobile passing strategies, and combination techniques that address multiple DLR variations. Success requires systematic understanding of hook mechanics, grip fighting expertise, and the ability to chain multiple passing sequences when the initial attack is defended.

Position Definition

• Bottom player has DLR hook active behind top player’s leg, creating off-balancing leverage with their shin or foot pressuring behind the knee or thigh, establishing the fundamental mechanical disadvantage for the top player
• Bottom player maintains distance control through legs or grips, typically controlling the top player’s ankle, pants, or belt with their hands while their free leg creates frames or distance management, preventing immediate passing pressure

Prerequisites

• Understanding of DLR guard mechanics and sweep threats including berimbolo, waiter sweep, and forward sweeps that exploit the hook’s off-balancing power
• Good base and balance to resist off-balancing, particularly against forward pressure from the DLR hook combined with ankle grip pulling force
• Grip fighting skills to strip or control the ankle or pants grip that powers DLR control, as this grip is essential to the guard’s effectiveness

Key Offensive Principles

• Posture Maintenance: Stay upright with chest elevated and hips back to prevent forward sweeps and maintain balance against the DLR hook’s off-balancing attempts
• Grip Fighting: Strip or control the ankle or pants grip that powers DLR control, as this grip combined with the hook creates the primary sweeping mechanism
• Hook Removal: Neutralize the DLR hook through pressure, leg positioning, or strategic movement to remove the bottom player’s primary control point
• Hip Control: Don’t allow bottom player to maintain optimal hip angle perpendicular to you, as this angle maximizes their sweeping power and berimbolo entries
• Pressure Application: Once hooks are neutralized, apply passing pressure immediately to prevent guard recovery

Available Attacks

Toreando Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

• Beginner: 35%
• Intermediate: 50%
• Advanced: 65%

Knee Slice Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

• Beginner: 30%
• Intermediate: 45%
• Advanced: 60%

X Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

• Beginner: 25%
• Intermediate: 40%
• Advanced: 55%

Leg Drag Pass → Leg Drag Position

Success Rates:

• Beginner: 30%
• Intermediate: 45%
• Advanced: 60%

Long Step Pass → Headquarters Position

Success Rates:

• Beginner: 28%
• Intermediate: 42%
• Advanced: 58%

Stack Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

• Beginner: 20%
• Intermediate: 35%
• Advanced: 50%

RDLR Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

• Beginner: 22%
• Intermediate: 38%
• Advanced: 52%

Smash Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

• Beginner: 25%
• Intermediate: 40%
• Advanced: 55%

Opponent Escapes

• De La Riva Sweep → Mount Top (Opponent Success: 45%)
• Berimbolo Entry → Back Control (Opponent Success: 35%)
• De La Riva to X-Guard Transition → X-Guard (Opponent Success: 40%)
• Single Leg X Entry → Single Leg X-Guard (Opponent Success: 38%)

Escape Counters

• Leg Drag Setup → Leg Drag Position
  • Bottom player attempts to square hips or recover DLR hook after initial removal
• Knee Slice from Half → Side Control
  • Bottom player transitions to half guard during passing sequence as defensive recovery
• Saddle Entry from Top → Saddle
  • Bottom player exposes leg during berimbolo attempt or DLR recovery, creating leg entanglement opportunity

Decision Making from This Position

If opponent maintains strong DLR hook with ankle grip and perpendicular hip angle:

• Execute Toreando Pass → Side Control (Probability: 50%)
• Execute X Pass → Side Control (Probability: 45%)

If opponent’s DLR hook is shallow or ankle grip is broken:

• Execute Knee Slice Pass → Side Control (Probability: 55%)
• Execute Leg Drag Pass → Leg Drag Position (Probability: 50%)

If opponent attempts to transition to reverse DLR or X-guard:

• Execute Long Step Pass → Headquarters Position (Probability: 48%)
• Execute Leg Drag Setup → Leg Drag Position (Probability: 52%)

Common Offensive Mistakes

1. Leaning forward over opponent with poor posture and head position ahead of hips

• ❌ Consequence: DLR guard’s primary threat is off-balancing you forward using the hook and grip combination. Poor posture makes these sweeps high-percentage, resulting in you being swept and guard player achieving top position or back take
• ✅ Correction: Maintain upright posture with chest up and hips back. Your head should be over or slightly behind your hips, not leaning forward. Think about sitting back into their guard rather than leaning over them. Strong core engagement prevents being pulled forward

2. Allowing opponent to maintain perpendicular hip angle throughout passing sequence

• ❌ Consequence: DLR guard is most effective when bottom player’s hips are angled perpendicular to you. This angle creates maximum sweep leverage and berimbolo entry opportunities. Allowing them to maintain it makes passing extremely difficult
• ✅ Correction: Flatten their hips by pressuring their non-hooked leg toward the mat, or control their hips directly with hand grips. Force them to face you more squarely, which nullifies much of DLR’s sweeping power. Their hips should be flat or at least not perfectly angled

3. Ignoring grip fighting and allowing opponent to maintain strong ankle or pants grips

• ❌ Consequence: The ankle or pants grip combined with the DLR hook creates a powerful control system. Without addressing grips, even perfect posture won’t prevent sweeps or off-balancing
• ✅ Correction: Immediately strip the ankle grip using your free hand, or secure a counter-grip on their collar or lapel to break their posture. If you can’t strip it immediately, use your grips to control their upper body and limit their ability to use the ankle grip effectively

4. Standing too close to opponent and allowing them to maintain compact guard structure

• ❌ Consequence: DLR is most dangerous at mid-range where the hook and grips create optimal leverage. Standing too close allows them to maintain this ideal distance while limiting your passing options
• ✅ Correction: Create distance first by backing away and extending their legs, or close distance completely by smashing into them. Avoid the mid-range danger zone where DLR thrives. Either make them extend (weakening their structure) or collapse the space entirely (removing hook effectiveness)

5. Using tentative, half-committed passing attempts without full commitment to direction

• ❌ Consequence: DLR rewards patient guard players who can read telegraphed movements. Tentative passing gives them time to adjust, reset grips, and execute sweeps or transitions
• ✅ Correction: Once you’ve chosen a passing direction, commit fully with explosive movement and proper grips. If you’re going to pass right, drive hard right. If you’re going to backstep, backstep decisively. Hesitation in the middle of a pass is when you’re most vulnerable

Training Drills for Attacks

DLR Hook Removal Drill

Partner establishes DLR hook with ankle grip. Top player practices three different hook removal methods: backstep to remove hook, pressure non-hooked leg across body while circling away from hook, and forward pressure to flatten hips and strip hook. Focus on maintaining posture throughout. Reset after each successful removal.

Duration: 5 minutes per method

Grip Fighting Flow Drill

Bottom player establishes DLR with various grips (ankle, pants, belt, collar). Top player drills grip strips, counter-grips, and grip-fighting sequences while maintaining good posture and base. Bottom player actively fights to maintain grips. Practice transitions from successful grip breaks into passing entries.

Duration: 6 minutes

DLR Passing Chains Drill

Partner plays active DLR guard with full resistance. Top player drills passing chains: start with toreando, if blocked flow to knee slice, if blocked flow to leg drag, if blocked flow to X-pass. Focus on reading bottom player’s defensive reactions and smoothly chaining between passing options without resetting.

Duration: 7 minutes

Optimal Submission Paths

Leg Lock Path via Saddle

De La Riva Guard Top → Saddle Entry from Top → Saddle → Heel Hook

Standard Passing to Submission Path

De La Riva Guard Top → Knee Slice Pass → Side Control → Americana from Side Control

High-Percentage Passing to Back Attack

De La Riva Guard Top → Leg Drag Pass → Leg Drag Position → Rolling Back Take → Back Control → Rear Naked Choke

Success Rates and Statistics

Skill Level	Retention Rate	Advancement Probability	Submission Probability
Beginner	30%	35%	18%
Intermediate	50%	52%	32%
Advanced	70%	68%	48%

Average Time in Position: 45-90 seconds before pass or sweep

Related Positions and Techniques

• De La Riva Guard - The guard position being faced from top - direct counterpart position
• Reverse De La Riva Guard - Common transition target for bottom player during DLR passing attempts
• X-Guard - Common transition target for bottom player from DLR when hook is threatened
• Single Leg X-Guard - Transition option for bottom player when DLR hook is threatened or removed
• Side Control - Primary target position after successful DLR pass completion