The Open Guard Leg Lock People Don’t Know

By Ismail Safi, July 12, 2019

One of the most popular forms of open guard grapplers use is a position known as De La Riva guard. This position is dangerous and used by some of the best competitors to win competitions worldwide. The reason it is so popular is that there are infinite sweeps and submission a guard player can use.

De La Riva guard is most commonly employed when grappling with the gi, and that is how it was developed and evolved. Over recent years, some grapplers have been using the position in no-gi, which required some modifications.

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Without the gi, De La Riva guard can be limiting in regards to sweeps and submission compared to no gi. De la riva guard, however, provides great proximity to the leg which can be allowed for leg lock set ups. Caio Terra, one of the best competitors ever, developed a submission called the De La Riva guard ankle lock that you can see being used below.

Although we don’t see this submission attack often, it is clear to see that when it is used correctly, it can hurt a tremendous deal. In Quintet 3, we were able to see Craig Jones use it to submit Richie “Boogeyman” Martinez in what looked quite excruciating.

The De La Riva guard ankle lock needs a strong grip on the ankle like the one Craig Jones used in the video. Wrapping the hand around the ankle and positioning the palm on the chest will help prevent the defender from pulling their leg out.

This submission cannot be finished against a standing opponent, so you will have to sweep them. This can be easy to do with a lift of the hips and pushing the shin. Sometimes the top player will even just sit such as how Richie did.

Finishing the ankle lock might be the most difficult part of this as the mechanics are quite complicated. Alongside the appropriate mechanics for any ankle lock, you will also have to bridge and use your hamstring in a motion where you are pushing your opponent away as if you are separating their foot from the rest of their leg.