de La Riva Guard for No-Gi

[Craig Feldman]

I learned DLR technique last week at Marcelo's....I liked it and have hit this live it is quick transition to the back. You're in DLR with control of your opponents close wrist... Most people will try to step back to try to pass. When they step back take your free leg and insert the foot behind the close knee. Pulling you to his back. Then kick your legs foward and your opponent will fall....now you have their back. It worked effectively live yesterday and today in live matches.

[VJ Bella]

If you allow them to stay standing its easy to turn away and limp leg and boom then you have to either try something different or start all over. If they stay standing I work quickly to take that back

An therin lies the problem that I seem to run into with this type of guard. We are very leg lock heavy and have a lot of guys that like to get to those leg locks via DLR or Berimbolo. Because of this we have had to ramp up our defense so everyone here is pretty hip to the DLR\Berimbolo game. At no point will we allow our opponent to wrap their leg around ours (inside or outside.)
If at any point that happens its a simple limp leg (or track stance as we call it)and we start over always controlling our opponents ankles so we can dictate the pass or leg lock attempt. I do have success with it against some whites and blues but the purps and up I have not been able to pull this off consistently.

[Brent Smith]

An therin lies the problem that I seem to run into with this type of guard. We are very leg lock heavy and have a lot of guys that like to get to those leg locks via DLR or Berimbolo. Because of this we have had to ramp up our defense so everyone here is pretty hip to the DLR\Berimbolo game. At no point will we allow our opponent to wrap their leg around ours (inside or outside.)
If at any point that happens its a simple limp leg (or track stance as we call it)and we start over always controlling our opponents ankles so we can dictate the pass or leg lock attempt. I do have success with it against some whites and blues but the purps and up I have not been able to pull this off consistently.

Thats the very first thing I do as soon as someone starts grabbing ahold of my heel and trying to work their DLR hook in. It seems like the success percentage is much lower no gi but I have a lot of fun working it. If I can get to that 10,000 rep mark and beyond I think I can use it effectively at the higher level regardless if right now I'm getting shut down.
The way I look at it is as if its a puzzle. So you do limp leg out numerous times or I keep getting me feet attacked..How can I stop that? Ill break it down in my head about 1,000 times by the time the night is over and come up with some solutions to try out next time or if I can find someone to break it down with I'll do that (Dewitt is a great person to do that with). Once I find a solution I try to react with that technique till they find another way to stop me. Then the process starts all over.
Anyways random rant /end

[bobby rivers]

To limp leg, you have to turn slightly. I bait this and explode up to grab their hips or a single. If they defend that they push me right back down to a deeper dlr. Any footage or pics of this 'track stance'?

[bobby rivers]

This is how I work my nogi dlr. Relentless and mobile. I try to control the wrist, far ankle, and wrist with heel control. I either hook the heel or cup it depending on his base and defense. The dlr failed, but you see how it transitions beatifully with spiral, or reverse dlr. Im sure the spiral back take was made possible from the headache he was getting from defending dlr. And Rustam is a really good leglock guy.

[bobby rivers]

I meant I try to control the wrist, hip, and far ankle. With heel control. And sticky hooks always looking to advance. Inversion is huge to making it more effective.

[Josh Bodmon]

I had a bunch to say regarding this, but them purple belts are spittin straight truth! HESPECT. They basically covered pretty much all I was going to say. My one main advice is as Bobby said, make sure you're constantly active and have a role for every limb. I've had plenty of success working this stuff, and when I haven't succeeded, its been because I was not staying completely active and was being stagnant, exposing myself to various counterattacking. Play around with stuff bro, there isn't a tonne of stuff out there instructional wise, but the video Bobby posted of keenan is a great example. Also, here's another video I LOVE to watch of the Mendes Bros going at it in the finals of the Abu Dhabi Nogi World Pro Enjoy! Best of luck!

[Brent Smith]

I meant I try to control the wrist, hip, and far ankle. With heel control. And sticky hooks always looking to advance. Inversion is huge to making it more effective.

I like how he switched back and forth between dlr and revers dlr (spiral). Thats something I dont do enough. Might open my game more. I tend to DLR and if its not working ill go quarter guard then mini stomp.

[bobby rivers]

I like how he switched back and forth between dlr and revers dlr (spiral). Thats something I dont do enough. Might open my game more. I tend to DLR and if its not working ill go quarter guard then mini stomp.

Aint nothin wrong with that either. I just tend to try and keep all their pressure/weight off me unless absolutely necessary. But quarter to mini or even straight to dogfight are awesome. The latest mts has helped me tons with that and will probably be a much larger part of my game.

I have a personal nerd strategy of looking at it. I look at my guard as a castle and the passer as the siege army. You will always use catepults, trebuchets, and archers first. You wont let them start battering the gate or storming the wall just so you can poor your vats of boiling oil, then release the arrows. Dlr and spiral are your longest range weapons from guard. I make them get past it. Then I got the oil waitin for them. And spearmen atop the wall after that, then my main force if they breach the wall or the gate. If I can kill everybody with my archers and call it a day Im happy in a competitive roll. In training I like to work all because baby Jesus knows i need it.

[bobby rivers]

start over always controlling our opponents ankles so we can dictate the pass or leg lock attempt. I do have success with it against some whites and blues but the purps and up I have not been able to pull this off consistently.

This is good defense. If he controls my ankles I control his wrist and threaten armdrag. When he defends I sink in my hooks. I use alot of deversion to get my position, as im sure you do as well. Just sayin there are always counters to counters.