Using The Leg Drag To Defeat The De La Riva Guard
Posted by Corey Kuropas on
Getting caught in the De La Riva (DLR) guard can be a frustrating experience. A good DLR player can tie you up, disrupt your base and dominant with you sweeps. While there are some different approaches to defeating and passing the DLR guard, one of the easiest has to be using the leg drag pass. The leg drag is one of the fundamental passes that you can use throughout an entire BJJ career. The simple, yet highly effective pass is used to pass a few other open guards, but let’s see how it is used to beat the DLR guard…
The first few things you need to do is basic DLR guard defense. Use your right hand to control the pant leg of the foot that is on your hip. Lower your base by squatting down, leveling out your weight. And last but not least, turn your leg outwards to stop the power of the DLR hook. Once you’ve done these, you can be ready to work for the leg drag pass. Use your left hand to grab the opponent’s achilles, while you still control the pants. Pop your hips forward, slide his leg over to your left hip and step forward. Use your right leg as a strong post, use your left hand to grab your opponent’s lapel, and bring yourself down. Your chest and midsection should be on top of your opponent, somewhat crushing him.
When he is controlled, you will bring your right arm out and around to the back of the opponent’s collar. Pull down the collar with your right hand. While you do that, use your left hand to push down his left knee to get rid of the DLR hook. From there, you move to the back and start dominating from there. This is a pressure-style of DLR passing and the route to the back makes it worth it.
Using the leg drag to defeat the De La Riva guard is an excellent way of stopping the effectiveness of the guard. Your opponents need both legs to properly work the DLR guard. By taking one away, and using your body to pressure forward, you will not have to worry about getting swept over. One competitor that is known for his world class passing to claim victory after victory is JT Torres. And JT has released a DVD set on how to use passing to beat up anyone you may encounter. Check out…
Passing, Back Takes &Finishes by JT Torres. Click here!
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