We started talking about DLR the class before this but I had to film some stuff so this is a little late. Sorry, but you get what you pay for. DLR is an open guard with many, many options. It has sweeps in all directions against both standing and kneeling opponents. It has entries to both upper and lower body submissions. It has transitions to both more and less conventional guards. It is a complex and interesting style to choose to play. I say to choose to play because like all open guards it is important to remember that as common as DLR is, it is also entirely optional. Your opponent can not force you into DLR. They can’t make that choice for you, you have to choose it yourself. They can’t hold you down in this position, you are holding them there, you can at any point opt out of it and just stand up. If you are an open guard player it is an essential part of that formula but, that formula is a choice and you don’t have to make it.
The first attack we looked at was the sickle sweep. This is the same sweep we did recently from spider against a standing opponent. It is very strong and done properly very fast. One advantage of doing this from DLR instead of spider is that the non DLR hook can grab behind the far knee to make it easier to reach the far foot. From DLR people will often stuff our posting leg down between their knees. This gives us a great chance to move to the sickle sweep.
The next thing we looked at was the arm drag. Again this is the same technique we did from spider. Key points for this are to pull the arm forward to both off balance our opponent but also to avoid their ability to put in a whizzer and ruin out single. What is also important is that we at no point should nee to put a hand to the mat to stand. Usually this will end in a standing wrestling situation but occasionally a person may choose to be swept rather than stand and wrestle. Either is fine with us.
The last thing we looked at the first class on the topic was the back take. We looked at it last because it is the most complicated of the three but not the least important. In fact, it is arguably the greatest determining factor in the way people behave in DLR. The threat of the back take is largely responsible for dictating the action. The version of this I showed involves using a deep hook to help turn the opponent to show their back, but, also involves some movement on our part. This will always be a mix and the levels are little up to you. You can move yourself more around them and move them less around you, that is fine, whatever gets you to the back fastest. There are also other versions of this move in which people leave the sleeve grip early in favor of a belt of pant grip. This too is ok, but comes with different hurdles to jump later when they may reach back for an underhook.
Because this is the most important of the three techniques I am going to include a longer form video as well. Here is Keith Owen with a very similar lesson to mine.
