The De La Riva Guard Ankle Lock

By Fanatics Authors, October 14, 2018

Quintet 3 showed us the power of this foot lock

The De La Riva guard has become a staple method of controlling an opponent in open guard. The guard is more popular, however, in the gi due to the numerous grip types and available sweeps utilizing those grips. The De La Riva guard in no gi is not as powerful as it is in the gi and is used mostly for guard control and retention. One great technique from the no gi De La Riva guard is the ankle lock that was popularized by Caio Terra. The ankle lock, albeit it technically simple, is powerful and can incur lots of damage.

At Quintet 3, master leg locker Craig Jones utilized this technique to quickly get the submission against 10^th 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. In the following video, you will see a basic breakdown of Craig Jone’s finish against Boogeyman.

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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.

Craig Jones once again surprises us with his ability to submit a tough opponent in Richie Martinez. Craig’s creativity and quick ability to seize opportunities as presented have made him the successful and entertaining grappler that he is today.

For more leg lock action from Craig Jones, you can learn his entire system by checking out Down Under Leg Attacks! Get your copy here at BJJ Fanatics!

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