As the passing player facing a De La Riva hook, you are the defender when the bottom player tries to invert into Grasshopper Guard. The inversion is their response to your attempt to disengage - back-step, leg-drag, or circle - so the defensive battle is about denying them a clean roll, stripping their anchor before they commit, and recognizing that their rolling motion is itself an opportunity to take the back or finish a pass.
The critical window opens the instant the bottom player drops their head beneath your hip and starts to roll. Before that, strong base management and hook clearance prevent the inversion entirely. Once they commit, you have a choice: ride the roll to a back take while they are momentarily turned away, or step over and stack to flatten them before their hips elevate. The worst response is to chase the disengage carelessly and feed your weight into the very leg connection that powers their inversion.
Advanced defense centers on hook removal and back exposure. The De La Riva hook is their anchor; if you strip it before they roll, the inversion collapses back to upright guard. If they keep the hook and commit, ride their rotation and pursue the back rather than trying to out-muscle the leg entanglement they are building.
Opponent’s Starting Position: De La Riva Guard (Bottom)
How to Recognize This Attack
How do you know when someone is attempting De La Riva to Grasshopper Guard?
- The bottom player keeps a live De La Riva hook on your near leg and grips your far leg or ankle even as you try to step away
- The bottom player suddenly tucks their chin and drops their head down and underneath your near hip, looking back toward their own seat
- The bottom player’s shoulders settle to the mat and their hips begin to rotate upward as they initiate a granby-style roll under your base
- You feel your near leg being followed and tethered through your back-step rather than coming free as expected
Key Defensive Principles
What are the key principles for defending De La Riva to Grasshopper Guard?
- Strip the De La Riva hook before you disengage - without the anchor the inversion cannot land cleanly
- Recognize the head-drop beneath your hip as the commit signal for the inversion
- Do not feed your weight into the hooked leg as you back-step; lighten and clear the leg instead
- Their rolling motion exposes their back - ride the roll and hunt back control rather than resisting the leg
- Stack and step over early to flatten them before their hips can elevate into the Grasshopper platform
- Keep your free leg back and mobile so it cannot be threaded into a leg entanglement on the way down
- Stay patient against a static De La Riva - only disengage on your terms, not theirs
Defensive Options
What can you do to defend against De La Riva to Grasshopper Guard?
1. Strip the De La Riva hook by circling your knee out and clearing the foot before you disengage
- When to use: Preventive - the moment you decide to back-step or circle away, before the bottom player drops their head to invert
- Targets: De La Riva Guard
- If successful: Without the hook the bottom player has no anchor; their inversion stalls and they are forced back to upright De La Riva while you continue your pass
- Risk: Reaching to clear the hook can momentarily lower your posture, giving them a window to off-balance you or attack the leg if you are slow
2. Ride the rolling motion and chase an inside hook to take the back
- When to use: When the bottom player has already committed to the inversion and their back is momentarily turned toward you mid-roll
- Targets: Back Control
- If successful: You convert their committed inversion into a back take, arriving in back control as they expose their spine during the roll
- Risk: If you over-commit to the back before securing a hook, they can complete the inversion and entangle your chasing leg instead
3. Stack forward and step over to flatten them before their hips elevate
- When to use: When you read the head-drop early and can drive forward before they surface from the roll
- Targets: De La Riva Guard
- If successful: Your forward pressure crushes the inversion before the Grasshopper platform forms, keeping them flattened and stalling their attack
- Risk: Driving forward feeds your weight toward their legs; if mistimed they redirect your pressure into an elevation sweep or inside ashi entry
4. Keep your free leg retracted and pommel it back as they reach to thread it
- When to use: Throughout the disengage and roll, whenever the bottom player’s legs seek your free leg for entanglement
- Targets: De La Riva Guard
- If successful: Denying the second leg connection prevents them from building a leg entanglement and keeps your passing options open as their inversion stalls
- Risk: Constantly retracting the leg can narrow your base and make you easier to off-balance if you neglect your overall posture
Best-Case Outcomes for Defender
What is the best outcome when defending De La Riva to Grasshopper Guard?
→ Back Control
When the bottom player commits to the inversion and turns their back during the granby roll, ride their rotation rather than fighting the leg. Chase an inside hook and chest connection as their spine exposes, arriving in back control as they roll under you.
→ De La Riva Guard
Strip the De La Riva hook before disengaging and keep your free leg retracted. Without the anchor and without a second leg to thread, the inversion stalls and the bottom player is forced back to upright De La Riva, where you can continue your pass on your terms.