DLR

DLR is the universal grappling abbreviation for the De la Riva guard — the open-guard configuration in which the bottom player hooks the outside of the top player’s lead leg with one foot while controlling the same-side ankle with one hand.

Etymology. The abbreviation expands to “De la Riva,” the surname of the Brazilian competitor who systematised the guard configuration in the 1980s. The shorthand DLR predominates in modern submission-grappling and no-gi vocabulary because the full name is long enough to compress reliably in instructional contexts (“from DLR, sweep to ashi”). The abbreviation parallels RDLR (reverse De la Riva), SLX (single-leg X), and other guard-system abbreviations that emerged as the no-gi guard taxonomy expanded into the leg-entanglement era. The De la Riva position itself predates the abbreviation by decades and remains a foundational open-guard configuration.

Mechanics. The configuration hooks the outside of the lead leg with a foot wrapped behind the knee, while the same-side hand controls the ankle and the off-side hand frames the opponent’s hip or arm. The hook removes the lead leg from the opponent’s unified base, segmenting their stance and creating off-balance threats in multiple directions.

Cross-reference. Full term is “De la Riva guard”; commonly written “DLR guard” in instructional contexts. Full mechanical coverage on De la Riva Guard.