Defending the Toreando Pass from De La Riva Guard requires understanding the attacker’s three-phase sequence and developing specific countermeasures for each phase. The first defensive priority is grip retention: maintaining the ankle grip and DLR hook tension makes the toreando structurally impossible, so aggressive grip fighting to preserve these controls is the foundation of all defense. When grips are broken and the hook is cleared, the defender must transition immediately to secondary guard positions rather than attempting to re-establish DLR under compromised conditions. The most effective defenders treat the toreando attempt as an opportunity to transition to X-Guard, Single Leg X, or butterfly guard rather than fighting to maintain a weakened DLR structure. Understanding that the attacker’s commitment to lateral movement creates predictable angles allows the defender to time counter-sweeps and guard transitions that exploit the passer’s momentum.
Opponent’s Starting Position: De La Riva Guard (Top)
How to Recognize This Attack
- Passer strips or begins fighting your ankle or pants grip with their free hand while maintaining upright posture with hips back
- Passer drives their knee forward into your DLR hook or takes a backstep to collapse the hook’s leverage angle
- Passer establishes bilateral grips on both of your pants legs at the knees or ankles simultaneously
- Passer begins pressing your legs toward the mat with downward pressure to flatten your hips
- Passer initiates explosive lateral movement to one side while redirecting your legs to the opposite side
Key Defensive Principles
- Prioritize grip retention above all else, as the ankle grip combined with the DLR hook is your primary defensive structure and the toreando cannot be executed while both are intact
- Maintain constant hook tension by pulling your knee toward your chest and driving your foot actively into the back of the passer’s knee, making hook removal require significant effort
- Keep your free leg active on the passer’s hip or bicep as a secondary frame that prevents them from establishing bilateral grips even if the hook is cleared
- Transition to alternative guard positions immediately when DLR structure is compromised rather than fighting to re-establish controls under pressure
- Track the passer’s hips with your own hip rotation during the lateral arc to prevent them from clearing your legs and establishing chest contact
- Use the passer’s lateral momentum against them by timing sweep entries during their directional commitment when their base is most compromised
Defensive Options
1. Aggressive grip fighting to retain ankle grip and re-establish DLR hook before pass can be initiated
- When to use: As soon as you feel the passer begin stripping your ankle grip or pressuring your DLR hook. This is the first and most effective line of defense.
- Targets: De La Riva Guard
- If successful: DLR guard is fully retained with all controls intact, forcing the passer to restart their passing sequence from scratch
- Risk: If grip fighting fails, you may end up with both grips stripped and hook cleared simultaneously, leaving you in a worse position than transitioning proactively
2. Transition to X-Guard or Single Leg X by threading bottom hook as passer clears DLR hook
- When to use: When the DLR hook is being cleared but the passer has not yet established bilateral grips on your legs. Thread your bottom foot to the passer’s far hip while converting the DLR hook to an X-Guard hook.
- Targets: De La Riva Guard
- If successful: You establish a new guard position with strong sweeping mechanics that the passer did not anticipate, forcing them to address a completely different guard structure
- Risk: If the transition is too slow, the passer may establish grips and flatten your hips before you can complete the guard change, leaving you in open guard without hooks
3. Hip escape and insert knee shield as passer completes lateral arc to block side control consolidation
- When to use: When the toreando is already in progress and the passer has cleared your legs. Time the knee insertion as they transition from lateral movement to chest drop. This is a last-resort defense.
- Targets: Half Guard
- If successful: You recover to half guard or knee shield half guard, which while not ideal represents successful defense against the pass and provides a new offensive platform
- Risk: If the knee insertion is too late, the passer establishes crossface and hip control in full side control before you can insert the knee
4. Invert toward the passer during their lateral commitment to attack the back via berimbolo or kiss of the dragon
- When to use: When the passer commits fully to one lateral direction with significant momentum. The inversion exploits their linear movement pattern by attacking from underneath their passing trajectory.
- Targets: Half Guard
- If successful: You achieve a back take or reversal by using the passer’s own momentum against them, converting their offensive action into a defensive scramble
- Risk: A well-timed sprawl from the passer smashes the inversion and leaves you flattened on your back with no guard structure, potentially resulting in an immediate pass to side control
Best-Case Outcomes for Defender
→ De La Riva Guard
Retain or re-establish the DLR hook and ankle grip through aggressive grip fighting before the passer can initiate the lateral passing phase. Fight every grip strip immediately and maintain constant hook tension to make the toreando structurally impossible.
→ Half Guard
If the pass is already in progress, time a hip escape and knee insertion during the passer’s transition from lateral movement to chest contact. The brief moment when the passer shifts from moving laterally to dropping down creates a window for inserting a knee shield between your bodies.
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: What is the most effective first line of defense against the toreando from DLR? A: The most effective first line of defense is aggressive grip retention. Maintaining the ankle grip and DLR hook tension makes the toreando structurally impossible because the passer cannot establish bilateral grips or execute lateral movement while tethered by the hook. Fighting to preserve these controls should take priority over all other defensive actions.
Q2: When should you abandon DLR recovery and transition to an alternative guard position? A: Abandon DLR recovery when the passer has successfully cleared both the ankle grip and the DLR hook and is establishing bilateral grips on your legs. At this point, attempting to re-establish the hook is mechanically impossible against a competent passer. Instead, immediately transition to X-Guard, Single Leg X, butterfly guard, or begin the hip escape sequence for half guard recovery.
Q3: Your opponent strips your ankle grip but you still have the DLR hook active. What is your immediate priority? A: Your immediate priority is re-establishing the ankle grip before the passer can address the now-unsupported hook. The DLR hook without the ankle grip loses most of its sweeping power and becomes easy to strip. Simultaneously increase hook tension by pulling your knee toward your chest aggressively to buy time for grip recovery. If re-gripping is not possible within one to two seconds, transition proactively to X-Guard by threading your bottom foot.
Q4: How does the passer’s lateral momentum during the toreando create a counter-attack opportunity for the defender? A: When the passer commits fully to one lateral direction, their base becomes compromised along the perpendicular axis. This directional commitment creates an opportunity for the defender to time an inversion, sweep, or guard recovery that exploits the passer’s inability to change direction mid-sprint. The passer’s momentum can be redirected by tracking their movement with hip rotation and timing a knee insertion or berimbolo entry during their directional commitment.
Q5: What role does the free leg play in defending the toreando from DLR? A: The free leg serves as the critical secondary defense mechanism that prevents the passer from establishing bilateral grips even after the DLR hook is cleared. By actively framing on the passer’s hip, bicep, or shoulder, the free leg maintains distance and creates a physical barrier that the passer must overcome before they can secure both legs for redirection. Without active free leg framing, the passer transitions directly from hook removal to bilateral grip establishment without interruption.