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Slick Ankle Lock from De La Riva Guard
Simple Leg Attack With Craig Jones!
The De La Riva guard is one of many methods of playing open guard and is utilized by almost all grapplers at some point. The De La Riva guard is popular because of the variety of sweeps and back takes that it allows. Although the De La Riva guard can be used in both no-gi and gi as well, it is more popular among grapplers who train mostly with the gi because of the grips they can secure. The guard is not generally considered a submission position, but there are a few surprise submissions that are definitely effective.
The Leg System That Gave Craig Jones His Big Break (Ha!)! Click Learn More!
If you have ever played De La Riva guard, you might’ve noticed that the closest potential limb to attack is the leg being hooked. With the proper movements and grips, there are a lot of entries to excellent leg lock positions. One quick and painful leg lock from DLR guard is the straight ankle lock that was originally popularized by legend Caio Terra.
At Quintet 3, master leg locker Craig Jones utilized this technique to quickly get the submission against 10th Planet black belt Richie ‘Boogeyman’ Martinez. There is not a lot of objective measures for how painful a submission is, but Boogeyman’s face and reaction is a great example of it.
New To Leg Locks? Click Learn More!
The De La Riva ankle lock will require a deep grip on the ankle such as displayed in the previous video. Bring the hand around the ankle and placing the palm high to the chest will reduce the likelihood that the guard passer can escape their leg. The most difficult aspect of this move is sweeping your opponent to the ground, as this submission cannot be finished against a standing opponent. Fortunately for Craig Jones, Richie Martinez decided to sit to prevent his opponent from sweeping him and coming on top.
To finish the move, a bridging motion must be created to allow the attacker’s hamstring to apply an immense amount of pressure onto the upper leg. Combined with extending the back, these two motions work to bidirectionally separate the foot from the leg at the ankle. The defender will have no choice but to tap or allow their ankle to be broken.
Learn the leg locks Craig Jones uses to finish his opponents by watching his new Down Under Leg Attacks DVD! Get it here!
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