De La Riva Guard

Open guard variation in BJJ where the bottom fighter hooks an outside leg behind the opponent's lead thigh while gripping the ankle.

Quick Facts

CategoryConcept / Principle

Pronunciation/[deh lah ree-vah gahrd]/

Alternative NamesDLR Guard, Outside hook open guard

Definition

Pioneered by Ricardo De La Riva. The bottom fighter grips the lead ankle of a standing opponent while wrapping an outside leg around that leg from the outside in. DLR Guard sets up Berimbolo back-takes, off-balancing sweeps, and guard transitions.

Related Terms

GuardGuard

Core BJJ bottom ground position where a practitioner controls the opponent using their legs.

Sweep / ReversalSweep

Technique executed from the bottom Guard to reverse position and land on top.

Guard PassGuard Pass

BJJ tactical sequence where the top fighter bypasses the opponent's legs to establish side control.

Back Mount / Back ControlBack Control

Pinnacle dominant position in BJJ/MMA controlling the opponent from behind with leg hooks.

Associated Martial Arts

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu