What is the optimal timing window to initiate the toreando pass against DLR guard?

The optimal timing window is immediately after successfully stripping the ankle grip and clearing the DLR hook, before the guard player can re-establish their control structure or transition to an alternative guard. This window typically lasts one to two seconds. Attempting the pass while the hook is still active invites sweeps, and waiting too long after clearing allows recovery.

What conditions must exist before you can safely attempt the toreando from DLR?

You need upright posture with hips behind your knees to resist forward sweeps, the DLR ankle grip must be broken or at least weakened, the DLR hook must be cleared or shallow enough to neutralize in one motion, and you must be able to establish bilateral grips on the opponent's pants or ankles. Attempting the pass without clearing these prerequisites creates high sweep vulnerability.

Why must you apply downward pressure when redirecting the opponent's legs during the toreando?

Downward pressure flattens the opponent's hips against the mat, eliminating their ability to track your lateral movement by rotating, maintain hip elevation for guard transitions to X-Guard or butterfly, or initiate inversions for berimbolo entries. Without this downward component, the force vector is purely lateral and the opponent retains hip mobility to counter the pass.

Your opponent re-establishes their DLR hook immediately after you strip their ankle grip. How do you adjust?

Do not force the pass through an active hook. Instead, restart the grip strip and hook removal sequence, recognizing that the opponent's re-hook was faster than your transition. Increase your tempo by combining the grip strip and hook clear into one flowing motion rather than treating them as separate steps. Consider changing to a backstep method for hook removal, as it physically removes your leg from the hook's reach rather than trying to collapse it in place.

What grip configuration provides the strongest control during the leg redirection phase?

Bilateral grips on both pants legs at the knee crease with thumbs inside the fabric and four fingers outside provide the strongest control. This grip placement offers maximum leverage for both the downward hip-flattening pressure and the lateral redirection force. Gripping too low at the ankles reduces control over hip movement, while gripping too high on the thighs lacks the mechanical advantage needed for explosive redirection.

In which direction should the primary force vector be applied when redirecting the opponent's legs?

The force should be applied diagonally: both laterally to one side and downward toward the mat. This diagonal vector simultaneously pins the opponent's hips flat while redirecting their legs away from your passing path. A purely lateral force allows the opponent to maintain hip elevation and track your movement. The ideal angle is approximately forty-five degrees between horizontal and vertical.

Toreando Pass from De La Riva Attacker | BJJ Technique Guide

The attacker in the Toreando Pass from De La Riva must execute a precise three-phase sequence: neutralize the DLR control structure, establish bilateral leg control, and complete the pass with explosive lateral movement. The critical insight is that DLR guard depends entirely on the hook-plus-grip system, so systematic dismantling of these controls renders the guard ineffective. The attacker must resist the temptation to rush past the hook removal phase, as attempting to toreando with an active DLR hook creates maximum sweep vulnerability. Instead, the pass should be thought of as a controlled demolition followed by an explosive finishing sprint. Once the grips and hook are cleared, commitment to the lateral passing arc must be total and immediate, as any hesitation allows the guard player to recover their control structure or transition to alternative guards like X-Guard, Single Leg X, or butterfly guard.

From Position: De La Riva Guard (Top)

Key Attacking Principles

What are the key principles for executing Toreando Pass from De La Riva?

Strip the ankle grip before addressing the DLR hook, as the grip powers the hook’s off-balancing capability and removing it first weakens the entire guard structure
Clear the DLR hook through positioning rather than force, using knee pressure, backstep motion, or hip angle changes that make the hook structurally unsound
Establish bilateral grips on opponent’s pants or ankles immediately after hook removal, as this window of vulnerability closes rapidly when the guard player begins recovery
Commit fully to the lateral passing direction once initiated, as half-committed toreando attempts are the primary failure point and create sweep vulnerability
Maintain upright posture and hips back throughout the hook removal phase to prevent forward sweeps that exploit your weight distribution
Pin opponent’s hips flat before or during the pass to eliminate their ability to create angles, invert, or transition to alternative guard positions

Prerequisites

What do you need before attempting Toreando Pass from De La Riva?

Stable base with weight distributed evenly and hips behind your knees, preventing forward off-balancing from the DLR hook
At least one hand free to begin grip fighting against the opponent’s ankle or pants grip that powers the DLR control system
Opponent’s DLR hook is shallow or weakened enough that it can be cleared through positioning within one to two movements
Opponent’s free leg is not actively framing on your hip or bicep, or you have a plan to address this frame during grip establishment
Mental commitment to complete the pass once the hook is cleared, as hesitation during the transition is the primary failure mechanism

Execution Steps

How do you execute Toreando Pass from De La Riva step by step?

Strip the ankle or pants grip: Use your free hand to strip the opponent’s grip on your ankle or pants leg by peeling their fingers or circling your wrist against their thumb. This grip is the primary control mechanism powering the DLR hook’s off-balancing capability. Without it, the hook loses most of its sweeping threat and becomes purely a distance management tool.
Neutralize the DLR hook: Once the ankle grip is broken, address the DLR hook by driving your knee forward and down toward the mat, which collapses the hook’s leverage angle. Alternatively, take a small backstep with the hooked leg to extend the opponent’s hook beyond its effective range. The goal is to make the hook structurally unsound rather than forcefully ripping it free.
Establish bilateral pants grips: Immediately secure grips on both of the opponent’s pants at the knee or ankle level. Both hands must control the legs simultaneously to prevent the guard player from re-establishing hooks or frames. Grip firmly with thumbs inside the pants cuff and four fingers outside for maximum control during the redirection phase.
Flatten opponent’s hips: Drive both of the opponent’s legs toward the mat with downward pressure, forcing their hips flat and eliminating their ability to create angles or maintain hip mobility. This hip-flattening action neutralizes potential transitions to butterfly guard, X-Guard, or inversion entries that require the opponent to maintain hip elevation and mobility.
Redirect legs laterally: Push the opponent’s legs explosively to one side while simultaneously beginning your lateral arc in the opposite direction. The force should be applied diagonally, pressing the legs both to the side and slightly toward the mat. Your arms should fully extend to create maximum distance between your torso and the opponent’s legs during the passing arc.
Circle around the legs: Sprint laterally in the opposite direction from where you redirected the legs, using quick shuffling steps rather than large strides. Your inside foot leads the movement while your hips stay low to prevent the opponent from inserting a knee between your bodies. Maintain grip control throughout the arc to prevent the opponent from pulling their legs back to center.
Establish side control: As you clear the opponent’s legs, immediately drop your chest onto their torso with your hips low and perpendicular to their body. Establish a crossface with your nearside arm while your far arm controls their hip to prevent guard recovery. Release the pants grips only after chest-to-chest contact is secure to prevent last-moment reguarding attempts.

Possible Outcomes

Result	Position	Probability
Success	Side Control	55%
Failure	De La Riva Guard	30%
Counter	Half Guard	15%

Opponent Counters

How might your opponent counter Toreando Pass from De La Riva?

Opponent immediately re-establishes DLR hook after grip strip by re-threading their leg behind your knee (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Do not pause after stripping the grip. Immediately address the hook in the same motion by driving your knee forward or backstep clearing. If the hook is re-established, restart the grip strip sequence rather than forcing the pass. → Leads to De La Riva Guard
Opponent transitions to X-Guard or Single Leg X by threading their bottom hook as you clear the DLR hook (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Maintain downward hip pressure during hook removal to prevent the opponent from elevating their hips underneath you. If you feel them starting to thread a bottom hook, immediately backstep or sprawl your hips back to deny the entry angle. → Leads to De La Riva Guard
Opponent frames on your hips with both feet during the lateral redirection phase, preventing you from completing the arc (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Use a cross-grip switch during the redirection to create a twisting angle that bypasses the hip frames. Alternatively, change direction mid-pass and attack the opposite side where the frames are weaker, converting to a knee slice or leg drag. → Leads to De La Riva Guard
Opponent inverts and attempts berimbolo or kiss of the dragon as you commit to the lateral passing direction (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: If you see the opponent begin to invert, immediately stop lateral movement and drop your hips directly onto their inverted body to smash the inversion. Sprawl your weight onto their torso and re-establish grips to flatten them back out before restarting the pass. → Leads to Half Guard
Opponent hip escapes and inserts a knee shield as you settle into side control, recovering to half guard (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Secure the crossface before releasing pants grips during the consolidation phase. Drive your shoulder pressure across their jaw immediately to prevent them from turning and creating the space needed for knee insertion. → Leads to Half Guard

Common Attacking Mistakes

What mistakes should you avoid when executing Toreando Pass from De La Riva?

1. Attempting to toreando with an active DLR hook still engaged behind the knee

Consequence: The active hook provides the guard player with a direct mechanical connection to sweep you forward or sideways during the lateral movement, resulting in a high-percentage sweep or back take
Correction: Always clear the DLR hook completely before initiating the toreando. Verify the hook is cleared by feeling that your lead leg moves freely without resistance before establishing bilateral grips and starting the lateral pass.

2. Leaning forward with weight ahead of hips during the grip strip and hook removal phase

Consequence: Forward-weighted posture is exactly what DLR guard is designed to exploit. The hook and any remaining grips create maximum sweeping leverage when your center of gravity is ahead of your base, resulting in being pulled into a forward sweep or berimbolo entry.
Correction: Sit your hips back and keep your chest upright throughout the entire hook removal phase. Your weight should be slightly behind your knees with your core engaged to resist forward pulling forces.

3. Half-committing to the lateral passing direction by taking slow or tentative steps

Consequence: Slow lateral movement gives the guard player time to recover their hooks, re-establish grips, or transition to an alternative guard position. The toreando’s effectiveness depends entirely on speed differential between your movement and their recovery.
Correction: Once grips are established and legs are redirected, commit explosively to the full lateral arc. The pass should feel like a sprint, not a walk. Practice the footwork until the lateral movement is automatic and explosive.

4. Releasing one pant grip prematurely during the lateral arc before chest contact is established

Consequence: The opponent pulls their free leg back to center and inserts a knee between your bodies, recovering to half guard or butterfly guard and negating the entire passing sequence.
Correction: Maintain bilateral grip control on both legs until your chest makes contact with the opponent’s torso. Only release grips to establish crossface and hip control after your body weight is committed to the pin.

5. Directing force purely laterally without any downward pressure to flatten opponent’s hips

Consequence: The opponent retains hip mobility and elevation, allowing them to track your movement by rotating their hips, re-establishing frames, or transitioning to butterfly guard during the pass.
Correction: Apply a diagonal force vector that is both lateral and downward when redirecting the legs. Press the opponent’s knees toward the mat first to flatten their hips, then redirect laterally. Think of pressing down then sweeping sideways in one fluid motion.

6. Standing too tall during the consolidation phase after clearing the legs

Consequence: Creates space between your body and the opponent’s torso that allows them to insert a knee, turn to turtle, or frame and shrimp before you can establish chest-to-chest pressure.
Correction: Drop your hips and chest low immediately as you clear the legs. Your transition from lateral movement to chest contact should be a controlled drop, not a gradual descent. Aim to land heavy on their torso as part of the passing momentum.

Training Progressions

How do you train Toreando Pass from De La Riva (Attacker)?

Phase 1: Grip Strip and Hook Removal Mechanics - Isolated repetition of the grip strip and DLR hook neutralization sequence Partner establishes full DLR guard with ankle grip and active hook. Practice stripping the ankle grip and clearing the hook using three methods: knee drive, backstep, and hip angle change. No passing attempt yet. Focus solely on clean, efficient control removal. 20 repetitions each method with partner providing moderate grip resistance.

Phase 2: Toreando Footwork and Leg Redirection - Bilateral grip establishment and explosive lateral passing arc Starting from a position where the DLR hook has already been cleared, practice establishing bilateral pants grips, flattening opponent’s hips, and executing the lateral passing arc to side control. Partner provides minimal resistance to legs being redirected. Emphasis on footwork speed, grip maintenance throughout the arc, and proper chest-to-chest landing at the completion of the pass. 15 repetitions each side.

Phase 3: Complete Sequence Integration - Connecting grip strip, hook removal, and toreando into one fluid sequence Execute the complete technique from initial DLR guard to side control consolidation against progressive resistance. Partner starts at 40% resistance and increases to 70% over the session. Focus on smooth transitions between the three phases without pausing or resetting between grip strip, hook clear, and pass execution. Drill both left and right DLR configurations.

Phase 4: Chain Passing Integration - Linking toreando with knee slice, leg drag, and backstep when initial pass is defended Partner defends the toreando with realistic reactions including hip framing, knee insertion, and guard transitions. Practice reading the defensive response and flowing to the appropriate secondary pass: knee slice when opponent blocks laterally, leg drag when legs separate, backstep when opponent inverts. Develop automatic reaction chains that punish every defensive choice.

Phase 5: Live Application and Timing - Applying the toreando system in live positional sparring from DLR guard Positional sparring rounds starting from DLR guard. Top player’s goal is to pass using toreando as the primary weapon with chain passing options. Bottom player uses full resistance. Track pass completion rate and identify which defensive reactions give you the most trouble to refine counter-responses. Three-minute rounds with full reset after pass or sweep.

Safety Considerations

What are the safety concerns for Toreando Pass from De La Riva?

The Toreando Pass from De La Riva is a relatively low-risk technique for both practitioners. The primary safety concern for the passer involves knee strain during explosive direction changes, particularly on soft or uneven training surfaces. For the guard player, rapid leg redirections should be performed with control during drilling to avoid applying excessive torque to the knee or hip joints. Both practitioners should communicate immediately if the DLR hook position creates uncomfortable pressure behind the knee. During live training, the passer should avoid violently yanking the opponent’s legs in ways that could strain hip flexors or adductors, and should release pants grips if the opponent verbally taps or signals discomfort during the redirection phase.

Toreando Pass from De La Riva Attacker

Outcomes