De La Riva Guard: Complete BJJ Technique Guide

# De La Riva Guard: Complete BJJ Technique Guide

## What is the De La Riva Guard?

The De La Riva Guard is a fundamental Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu technique that every practitioner should master. Whether you're a white belt just starting out or an experienced grappler refining your game, understanding the mechanics and timing of this technique will elevate your BJJ.

## How to Perform the De La Riva Guard

Here's a detailed breakdown based on expert instruction:

# De La Riva Guard

All right, guys, let's learn a bit about the Delahiva guard. What's the Delahiva

guard? So basically, this name, Delahiva, was named after a Brazilian guy,

which is a really good fighter. And he used to use this technique a lot on

tournaments. And then they just named the technique after his name, which is

Delahiva. So basically,

stand up there, I said. So imagine I'm playing a spider guard or open guard here,

all right? But my opponent, he used his leg to remove my foot out from his head.

And since I have no place to post this foot to create distance or also to control

the distance, I start using my foot around his knee as a hook.

As you guys can see, I really hook his knee with my foot. So this is actually a

good way to control your opponent and do not let him run to one side and another.

And also, my hand is free. I can also use my hand to hold his heel.

Okay. Ent‹o, esses, eu fao ele mais perigoso. Mas, lembrando, sobre o De La Riva,

Ž que eu controlo ele e usando conex›es. Ent‹o, basicamente,

eu uso meu pedao para conectar a mim atr‡s dele. E a’,

isso vai bloquear seu movimento para um lado e outro. Eu posso usar esse roco para

v‡rias coisas. Eu posso usar this hook maybe to lift him, okay? So I could do

balloon sweeps from here. Also, I can use this hook to go to a deep de la Hiva,

which is this, okay? But the whole idea about this guard is that how can I keep

the connection of my feet on my opponent? Okay.

And always, from the outside, this is the regular de la riva.

Later on, it is more advanced. We're also going to cover about the reverse de la

Jiva. What's the reverse de la Jive? The reverse de la Jive is when he's doing a

knee cut, and I'm actually using the inside hook like so. So again,

I'm using my feet to keep connections on my opponent and do not let him run to

one side and another. So that's why we use this guard,

it's called it de la riva. See you next lesson.

## Key Points to Remember

When drilling the De La Riva Guard, focus on these essential details:

1. **Positioning** — Your body position determines your success rate

2. **Timing** — Wait for the right moment, don't force it

3. **Grip** — Secure proper grips before committing to the technique

4. **Finish** — Follow through completely once you initiate

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

Many practitioners struggle with the De La Riva Guard because they:

- Rush the technique without proper setup

- Neglect the importance of base and balance

- Forget to control their opponent's reactions

- Don't drill both sides equally

## When to Use the De La Riva Guard

The De La Riva Guard works best when:

- Your opponent's weight distribution creates an opening

- You've set up the technique with proper grips

- You can commit fully to the movement

- You have a follow-up ready if the initial attempt fails

## Track Your De La Riva Guard Progress

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*This technique guide is based on instruction from Professor Henrique, covering the De La Riva Guard as part of the JitsAI Fundamentals Course.*