Review of Open Guards: De La Riva, Lasso, and Friends

Overview
Open guard is where feet, shins and grips replace locked ankles. De La Riva wraps around the outside of the leg; lasso threads a sleeve with your leg; spider puts feet on biceps. These positions let smaller players redirect force and steal balance.

Who benefits
- Athletes who enjoy grip play and angles.
- People with long legs or flexible hips (though not required).
- Passers who want empathy—learning guard makes you pass better.

Pay‑off
You’ll gain a map: control the far sleeve, dominate a line (inside/outside), then chase off‑balances: sit‑ups to single‑leg, balloon sweeps, lasso‑to‑omoplata chains. The leg drag threat suddenly makes sense when you see how easily a passer’s hip can be turned.

Watch‑outs
- Staring at grips while ignoring hip distance gets you folded.
- Lasso can become a duvet—don’t sleep in it; use it to set angles.
- Keep feet active: dorsiflex and point, don’t dangle toes near kneecaps.

Try this round
- Entry reps: Guard pull to DLR hook + sleeve; knock them to a hand; come up on single. 10 reps each side.
- Lasso chain: Sleeve + lasso → off‑balance left/right → omoplata attempt → if they roll, follow to top.
- Passer constraint: Top player may stand but cannot break sleeve; bottom must score within 45 seconds.

Final word
Open guard is chess with extra limbs. Keep your hips mobile, grips purposeful, and always threaten to stand up.

-Chuk