Rdlr Pass

Pass

The Reverse De La Riva (RDLR) pass addresses the guard where the bottom player hooks their outside leg behind the passer's lead knee/thigh. The pass focuses on clearing the RDLR hook, controlling the hips, and moving to a dominant position by either backstopping or circling the trapped leg free while maintaining heavy top pressure.

Quick Reference

Key principles

  • · Control the bottom player's far-side knee or pants grip to prevent them from inverting or re-guarding.
  • · Drive your trapped knee forward and to the mat to flatten and kill the RDLR hook.
  • · Keep your hips low and heavy to deny the bottom player space to reguard or transition to deep half or 50/50.
  • · Anticipate the opponent framing on your collar or sleeve by strip-gripping before initiating the pass.
  • · Use a cross-face or underhook immediately after clearing the hook to prevent the bottom player from turning into you.

Execution

  1. 1 From RDLR top, grip the bottom player's far knee with your outside hand and control their near-side collar or lapel with your inside hand to limit their upper body movement.
  2. 2 Push your trapped leg's knee down toward the mat while angling it outward to peel off the RDLR hook, simultaneously stuffing their far knee to the mat.
  3. 3 Once the hook clears, immediately backstep or circle your free leg around to the far side while driving your shoulder into a cross-face.
  4. 4 Consolidate by dropping your hip weight, securing an underhook or crossface, and settling into side control or knee-on-belly.

Common mistakes

  • × Standing too upright when clearing the hook, which gives the bottom player space to invert, take the back, or transition to deep half guard.
  • × Neglecting to control the far knee, allowing the opponent to re-establish guard by pummel their legs back inside.
  • × Rushing past the hook without securing upper body control first, resulting in the bottom player framing and recovering to a seated or open guard position.

Do it from

Positions and situations where the Rdlr Pass shows up.

De La Riva Guard Top Reverse De La Riva Guard Top

Where it lands

The position you end up in.

Side Control Top

Use it against

The Rdlr Pass is an answer to these.

Reverse De La Riva Guard Bottom