RDLR

RDLR is the universal grappling abbreviation for the reverse De la Riva guard — the open-guard configuration in which the bottom player hooks the inside of the top player’s lead leg with the off-side foot, creating a mirror-image relationship to the standard DLR position.

Etymology. The abbreviation expands to “reverse De la Riva,” named for the inverted hook orientation relative to the original De la Riva configuration. The shorthand RDLR predominates in modern submission-grappling and no-gi instructional vocabulary, following the same compression pattern as DLR (De la Riva) and other open-guard abbreviations that emerged as the no-gi guard taxonomy expanded. The reverse configuration was developed and refined in the post-2010 leg-entanglement era as the no-gi community built systems that capitalised on the inside-leg hook for back-take and ashi-garami entries.

Mechanics. The configuration hooks the inside of the top player’s lead leg from behind the knee, while the same-side hand frames the opponent’s hip or shin. The inside-leg hook positions the bottom player to enter ashi garami, back-step sweeps, or back-take sequences when the top player attempts to clear the foot — making RDLR a primary entry point into the modern leg-entanglement game.

Cross-reference. Full term is “reverse De la Riva guard.” Full mechanical coverage on Reverse De la Riva Guard.