RDLR Pass

Play as Attacker Play as Defender

The Reverse De La Riva (RDLR) Pass is an essential technique for neutralizing one of modern BJJ’s most dynamic guard systems. The RDLR guard creates powerful off-balancing angles and back-take opportunities, making it a favorite among competition grapplers. Successfully passing this guard requires understanding the mechanical structure of the position, controlling the key points of contact, and systematically dismantling the guard player’s hooks and grips. This pass emphasizes pressure, balance, and timing to transition from a contested guard position into dominant side control. The technique involves clearing the RDLR hook, establishing strong base and pressure, and circling around the guard player’s leg frame to achieve side control or other passing positions.

The RDLR pass is particularly relevant in modern no-gi competition, where the absence of gi grips makes the RDLR hook-based control even more prevalent. Understanding this pass provides strategic advantages against players who rely heavily on RDLR entries from seated guard, standing guard, or during guard retention sequences. The technique requires excellent balance, hip pressure, and the ability to read your opponent’s reactions to capitalize on their defensive adjustments. Mastery of this pass opens up opportunities for multiple passing variations and positions, making it a cornerstone technique for competitive grapplers.

This passing sequence integrates seamlessly with other modern passing systems, including the long step pass, knee slice, and leg drag. The RDLR pass often serves as an entry point into these complementary techniques, creating a comprehensive passing game that keeps opponents constantly defending multiple threats.

From Position: Reverse De La Riva Guard (Top) Success Rate: 55%

Possible Outcomes

Result	Position	Probability
Success	Side Control	55%
Failure	Reverse De La Riva Guard	25%
Counter	Back Control	20%

Attacker vs Defender

	Attacker	Defender
Focus	Execute technique	Prevent or counter
Key Principles	Control the opponent’s far hip to prevent back exposure and …	Maintain the ankle grip as the primary steering mechanism—th…
Options	8 execution steps	4 defensive options

Playing as Attacker

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Key Principles

• Control the opponent’s far hip to prevent back exposure and maintain forward pressure throughout the passing sequence

• Clear the RDLR hook methodically by controlling the knee line and creating separation before extracting the leg

• Maintain strong base with wide stance to resist off-balancing attempts from the inverted hook structure

• Use chest pressure on the opponent’s inside thigh to flatten their guard structure and remove elevation capacity

• Circle around the legs rather than stepping over to minimize exposure to sweeps and leg entanglements

• Keep your hips heavy and low to prevent your opponent from getting underneath your center of gravity

• Connect hook clearing to knee shield establishment as one continuous motion without pause

Execution Steps

• Establish grip control: Secure a strong grip on the opponent’s far hip or belt with your lead hand, anchoring your base and …

• Widen your base: Step your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, creating a stable platform that resists the rotation…

• Drive chest pressure onto inside thigh: Lower your chest onto the opponent’s inside thigh (the non-hooking leg), using your upper body weigh…

• Break the ankle grip: Before attempting to clear the hook itself, address the ankle grip that acts as the steering mechani…

• Clear the RDLR hook: With the ankle grip broken, turn their hips slightly away using your far hip grip while simultaneous…

• Establish knee control across their legs: The instant the hook clears, drive your lead knee across their bottom leg to create a barrier that p…

• Circle to side control: Maintaining heavy chest pressure, circle your hips around toward their head using small controlled s…

• Secure side control: As you complete the circle, drop your hips to the mat and establish full side control with your ches…

Common Mistakes

• Standing too upright when attempting to clear the RDLR hook

  • Consequence: Allows the opponent to extend the hook fully, creating powerful off-balancing leverage that can lead to sweeps or back takes via kiss of the dragon
  • Correction: Maintain low chest pressure on their inside thigh throughout the pass, keeping your center of gravity forward and your base wide to resist elevation attempts

• Attempting to step over the legs instead of circling around

  • Consequence: Exposes you to leg entanglements, triangle attempts, and omoplata attacks while making you vulnerable to sweeps during the step-over transition
  • Correction: Always circle around the legs with small controlled steps while maintaining pressure. The path around is safer and more controlling than the path over

• Neglecting to control the far hip during the pass

  • Consequence: Allows the opponent to rotate away, re-establish guards, or create angles for back takes through berimbolo or kiss of the dragon entries
  • Correction: Maintain constant connection to the far hip throughout the entire passing sequence, using this grip as a steering wheel to control their body orientation and prevent rotation

Playing as Defender

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Key Principles

• Maintain the ankle grip as the primary steering mechanism—this grip controls the direction and effectiveness of the entire RDLR hook structure

• Keep hips elevated off the mat through active core engagement to preserve dynamic mobility and sweep/back take capacity

• Use the far leg actively as a frame, posting on the passer’s hip or bicep to control distance and prevent smash passing pressure

• Threaten offensive techniques constantly so the passer must defend rather than freely executing the clearing sequence

• Transition proactively to secondary guards when the RDLR hook is being compromised rather than fighting a losing grip battle

• Read the passer’s weight distribution to time counter-attacks during their committed movements when their base is momentarily compromised

Recognition Cues

• Passer establishes a strong grip on your far hip or belt and begins widening their stance, indicating they are building the base structure for the passing sequence

• Passer lowers their chest toward your inside thigh with increasing pressure, signaling the start of the guard-flattening phase that precedes hook clearing

• Passer’s trailing hand begins attacking your ankle grip through wrist control or grip breaking, indicating they are addressing the steering mechanism before clearing the hook

• Passer begins stepping their hooked leg backward or laterally while maintaining chest pressure, showing they are initiating the hook extraction phase

• Passer’s knee drives across your bottom leg immediately after hook clearance, indicating they are establishing the barrier that prevents re-hooking

Defensive Options

• Reinforce the ankle grip and elevate hips to threaten waiter sweep or kiss of the dragon entry - When: Early in the passing sequence when the passer begins establishing grips and widening their base but has not yet committed chest pressure

• Transition proactively to X-Guard or Single Leg X as the passer begins clearing the hook - When: When you feel the RDLR hook being stripped and cannot maintain the original guard structure—convert the clearing motion into a guard transition rather than fighting a losing battle

• Invert underneath the passer and attempt berimbolo rotation to take the back - When: When the passer stands tall or shifts weight backward during the clearing attempt, creating space underneath their hips for inversion

Variations

Knee Slice RDLR Pass: After clearing the RDLR hook, instead of establishing a knee barrier and circling, immediately drive your knee across both of the opponent’s legs into a knee slice position. This variation is faster but requires excellent timing and pressure to prevent re-guarding. (When to use: Use this when the opponent’s bottom leg is relatively straight and they are slow to establish defensive frames. Particularly effective in no-gi where the lack of gi friction allows for quicker sliding movements.)

Leg Drag RDLR Pass: From RDLR top position, instead of clearing the hook backward, step laterally to drag the RDLR hooking leg across your body while controlling their far hip. This converts the RDLR pass directly into a leg drag position, maintaining continuous pressure throughout the transition. (When to use: Ideal when the opponent has a strong RDLR hook that is difficult to clear directly. The leg drag approach uses their hook tension against them, converting their control into your passing leverage.)

Long Step RDLR Pass: After clearing the initial RDLR hook, take a large step with your lead leg past the opponent’s head while maintaining chest pressure on their bottom leg. This creates a long step passing position where you can control both their legs from an advantageous angle behind their hip line. (When to use: Most effective when opponents follow with their hips as you circle. The long step commits to a specific direction but provides excellent control and multiple finishing options including back exposure if they turn into you.)

Smash Pass from RDLR: Drive forward pressure while clearing the RDLR hook, using your shoulder or chest to pin the opponent’s inside knee toward their chest. This flattens their guard structure entirely and allows you to establish a smash passing position with heavy shoulder pressure that eliminates their hip mobility. (When to use: Particularly effective against opponents who play inverted or flexible guards. The smash variation limits their ability to create angles and forces them into a compressed defensive position where inversion is impossible.)

Position Integration

The RDLR pass is a crucial component of modern guard passing systems, serving as both a standalone technique and an entry point into multiple passing chains. This pass connects directly to the leg drag, knee slice, long step, and smash passing systems, allowing skilled passers to flow between these options based on opponent reactions. Understanding the RDLR pass is essential for developing a comprehensive approach to open guard passing, as the RDLR guard itself is one of the most common contemporary guard positions encountered in both gi and no-gi competition. The technique integrates with the broader concept of pressure passing while also requiring elements of speed and timing when opponents attempt to retain guard through inversions or transitions. Mastery of this pass enhances your ability to deal with dynamic guard players who use movement and off-balancing to create attacking opportunities. The RDLR pass also develops fundamental skills applicable to other passing situations, including hip control, base management, pressure application, and reading opponent reactions during transitions.

Related Techniques

• Reverse De La Riva Guard - Starting position - understanding RDLR structure from bottom perspective

• Toreando Pass - Complementary pass - alternative when RDLR hook is difficult to clear

• Leg Drag Pass - Follow-up technique - natural continuation when dragging the hooking leg

• Knee Slice Pass - Variation - alternative finishing sequence after clearing RDLR hook

• Long Step Pass - Variation - directional passing option from RDLR clearing position

• X-Guard - Common counter - opponent’s defensive transition during the pass

• Single Leg X-Guard - Common counter - guard retention option opponents use when hook is cleared

• Side Control - Ending position - primary destination after successful pass completion

• Back Control - Counter outcome - position opponent achieves if back take succeeds during pass

• Grip Fighting - Prerequisite concept - essential for establishing passing grips

• Back Step - Complementary technique - used to counter inversions and berimbolo attempts during pass