My technique for today is half spider/reverse DLR. I’m talking about it because my guard game is super rusty and teaching is one of the best ways to learn something. So, let’s talk about half spider/reverse DLR guard!
I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT
So, hey, apparently every academy ever has a different name for this position. Regardless of what you call it, I am convinced that this is a guard that is effective for everyone, no matter what size you are. The more flexible you are in your hips, the more effective the guard is usually, but as with everything, there are exceptions. I like to play reverse DLR with my right leg hooking theirs, with my leg looking something like this:
reverse de la Riva guard
I think this could be considered the “classic” reverse DLR position. The guy is standing up with good posture, and the guard player has the sleeve and the ankle, with his control foot on the hip. In my experience, this doesn’t happen often or for very long. To me, this is a volatile position that I really don’t want to be in; the second I hook my foot like this, the guy is going to go for the knee-slide pass. Every time. And if that doesn’t work (bitch please, of course it doesn’t work) and he’s an Atos guy, he’s going to try to leg-drag the shit out of me, because that foot on the hip is just ASKING to get dragged, it’s practically begging (somehow this technique chat just went from G-rated to PG-13, I apologize).
Anyway.
I like to play with a reverse DLR hook and both hands on the sleeves. My left foot will work alternatively on the hip and on the bicep, but again, I have to be careful that I’m not leaving my leg in one place too long, or it’s going to get dragged, then I’m out of luck. This position is the only place I really like to use the lasso around the puppet arm, in case they do that really effective thing where they bring their elbow in and start to work for the underhook. When this happens, I’ll use the lasso to open the elbow again and start to play with the space.
I AM SO UNCOMFORTABLE HERE PLEASE SEND HELP
If your half spider/reverse DLR is getting passed like it’s nothing, I can’t help you.
No, I’m totally kidding, I can. Never fear!
Here are a few common problems and solutions I have found:
- The guy is using their outside hand (in the picture, the guy in white’s LEFT HAND) to grab your collar. This is bad news, kids. I pass a LOT of people this way. If they grab that collar, step number one is always break the grip.
- They’re kicking out their leg and passing to knee on belly. This means your foot isn’t active and your hip positioning isn’t quite right. Flex your toes and turn more on your hip. If the guy is really strong with this pass, then you can transition one hand to the ankle to effectively kill the kick.
- He’s leg-dragging you. Well, here’s the thing about leg-draggers: when they’re good at it, and I mean really really good at it, the most you can do is delay it, especially if you’re smaller. If the guy is not a good leg-dragger and he’s still doing it to you, your spider-guard leg is too inactive. Keep more tension on the sleeves. Maybe you’re too much on your hip at this point; I can’t say for certain without watching a video. Leg-draggers can… well, yeah.
- The guy is grabbing your head and smashing you flat into the ground. You are a white belt. Learn regular spider guard first.
Okay, I did all that, now I’m stuck. I hate you. Why the hell am I even in this position?
Because it’s awesome, okay?
I like half-spider as a transitional position, and let me tell you why.
If you like to play far-away guards, this position is not for you. It could be, but you have to first get over your fear of intimacy. If you’re comfortable with balls in your face, large men sitting on your chest, and leg contortion, THIS IS FOR YOU SO GET READY.
Until recently, I was never an x-guard/deep half player. I hated being so close to my opponent, because I felt like they could smash me at will. But then I started playing a lot more no-gi and my x-guard/deep half evolved naturally from the necessity of closing the distance on the bottom without putting my feet and legs at risk (brown belt woes).
Sometimes it’s hard to sweep from reverse DLR/half spider, especially if the guy is higher level and has a good base. If you can keep the spider guard hook extended, that will increase the likelihood of being able to sweep, but it doesn’t guarantee anything. What you can ALWAYS do with that hook, however, is maneuver yourself underneath your opponent and/or make him step forward with his base leg. I recommend doing a lot of playing around with this; see what you can make the guy do by putting different types of pressure on the puppet arm. If you’re a leg-lock guy, there are some easy-as-pie kneebars/toeholds that come from this position. You can lock them in by rolling over the base leg. This is also worth some experimentation.
I made the guy step! I did it, it was me! Now what?
Take the back. It’s what I would do, for sure.
I like to bait the guy with an arm drag. Here’s the basic premise:
- Switch my hand grips while keeping the foot on the bicep. My right hand is now holding his right sleeve, and I’m up on my right elbow. I cannot even begin this process if he’s holding my collar with his left hand.
- I start to scoot away, making the guy put pressure forward.
- When I feel like he’s got most of his pressure on me, I remove my foot and reach for the belt. When this works, it looks like an arm drag, and you start the process with the bottom hook and a good seat belt. Awesome. Unfortunately, it’s one of those techniques that people really only fall for once.
If the guy has any idea what he’s doing, he’s going to bring his base leg in to avoid the arm drag. This is your moment to sink into deep half. I like to use grips on the collars to break his posture and do the little Atos deep half/x-guard back take. This is, unfortunately, too complicated to describe without movin’ pictures. Instead, I’ll just tell you to work your favorite x-guard/deep half sweep from here.
I prefer to spend most of my time during sparring upside-down, in the pile-driver position. Do you have thoughts on this?
Yes.
If you like kiss of the dragon/inverted guard, I would play reverse DLR without the spider guard hook. I like the collar grip at first if I’m going inverted, because it forces the guy to posture up and away from me a bit and releases the pressure. I’d use the foot on the hip to make space and spin as quickly as possible underneath the guy. Then I would kneebar him because why not? That’s what I spend most of my time doing.
Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?
TAP TAP TAP 