Reverse De La Riva in BJJ: when the inside hook helps against knee-slice passers, why knee risk and the knee-reaping rule matter and how to build it safely.
The honest answer: reverse De La Riva (RDLR) is an open guard in which you hook the opponent's leg from the inside rather than the outside, and it helps above all when your opponent wants to get past you with a knee-slice pass. That is coaching practice, not a study; in reference works the position is thinly documented. What is well documented is the normal De La Riva (DLR): one leg is wrapped from the outside behind the opponent's leg, one hand holds the ankle and the other the sleeve, and the guard offers, according to Wikipedia, "a number of sweeps, transitions and submissions" [1].
The core of this guide is therefore not "this is what the technique looks like" but where the risks lie and how you build the position responsibly. BJJ is injury-prone: in a survey, 91% of participants reported an injury in training and 60% of competitors in competition [2]. A 2024 review names the knee, chest and ribs as the most frequently affected areas, especially in beginners and in men over 30 in training [3].
With leg entanglements it is above all about the knee. The IBJJF defines "knee reaping" (twisting the knee with a trapped foot) as a severe foul, including a special rule for cases in which a standing opponent shifts weight onto the affected foot [4]. That shows: footwork in open-guard positions is no sideshow on the rules side either.
How long does it take? Count in months until the hook and grip combination sits and in years until you hold it against good passers. That is experience, not a study.
You lie on your back, the hook sits from the inside on the leg of a training dummy or a cooperative partner. The aim is not force but a hook that feels the leg and still stays loose. Milestone: you explain why the hook sits on the inside and where the toes point.
You practise hip rotation and bringing the legs back when the opponent applies pressure. Milestone: you reach the position 10 times from a retreat without tapping.
The hands hold sleeve, ankle or trousers. Tension is control, not a permanent cramp. Milestone: you hold the position for 60 seconds without shoulder or neck tensing.
A partner passes at controlled speed, you go into RDLR. Slow, agreed repetitions. Milestone: you can take up the position without twisting your partner's knee.
Only when the position in step 4 sits and the agreement is clear do you use it in rolling. Your coach builds sweeps and attacks according to his system. Milestone: you can use RDLR in sparring and get from it back into normal guard.
This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training or a coach.
After each training round do a mini check: was there a moment when your knee or your partner's felt odd? If so, say so immediately. Experienced grapplers protect their knees by building leg entanglements slowly. That is experience, not a study.
In DLR the hook sits from the outside behind the opponent's leg [1]; in reverse DLR it sits from the inside. Your coach shows you the exact execution, as it varies by school.
Often against opponents who want to run over you with a knee-slice pass. That is coaching practice, not a study.
Leg entanglements load the knees. Knees are among the most frequently injured joints in BJJ [3]. With agreement, tap rule and control the risk falls; you cannot rule it out.
Both work. In the gi you have more grips, in no-gi more friction on the leg. Your coach decides according to his system.
Rather not. You should be secure in normal DLR and guard retention before you learn it.
Learning X-Guard: the Sweeping Guard Under a Standing Opponent in BJJ