Dissecting the DLR | Double Stack Vs. Pant Grip

Addressing the De La Riva guard, the focus is on avoiding the opponent's A-game, particularly if they excel at leg entanglements and inversions. Instead of knee cutting or forcing half guard, which plays into their strengths, the strategy shifts to stack passing.

1. Begin by addressing the De La Riva hooks, prioritizing the removal of the offside foot. If both hooks are persistent, remove the offside hook first, then break the grip.
2. Close the distance on the opponent, similar to the position achieved when opening the guard, and dive into a stack position.
3. If the opponent has a palm-down grip on your pants, which is difficult to break, find your stack and then circle their arm and re-grip.
4. Crunch your elbow tight to prevent their grip from moving, allowing you to sprawl and break their grip.
5. Work to get the opponent's hips over your knees and thighs, setting up for stack passing options.
6. If the opponent maintains a grip on your pants, circle around the grip, close your elbow, and use your elbow to lift and wipe their fingers off.
7. Immediately find the opponent's hips and decide on your passing strategy.

The technique is not specific to any one type of guard but is a general approach to unwinding the opponent's game and funneling it into a situation where you can initiate your preferred passing sequence.