Short arm curse

[savedbygrace]

I'm 30 y/o......5'7" and my "wingspan" from finger tip to finger tip is only 66 inches. How do you other guys/gals with short reaches fight against people with long reaches. I guess I am refering to kumite/tournaments and not actual street fighting. The good Lord blessed me with decent strength and speed but that reach advantage gets me sometimes. Do you try to be quick and work the angles?....or do you try to "muscle" your way inside? I know that each situation and oppenent is different, but in a "general" sense what is normal strategy?..Thanks for the comments.

[cathal]

I have good reach but there is a man in our dojo who is close to 7' and he's got an amazing reach on him. I've had great success using my speed to get inside his reach, or grabbing his arm and throwing it opposite to my moving direction (that just gets me about 1-2 seconds but sometimes that's enough).

Something else to consider is that you can attack the opponent's arm or leg. In tournaments which are point-based a good attack to an arm (try targeting elbows) or leg (target just above the knee in case you hit him/her) is just as effective.

[shotochem]

Tae Sabaki.

Parry and counter. Keep in motion and keep circling your opponent. Keep him off balance so you can move in and attack then retreat.

It's the same thing as when a smaller person fights a taller one.

[CheekyMusician]

I've also got the short arm problem. Basically whenever I try to punch someone I need to move in so close I end up getting slugged by them myself.

I sort of want to compete, but competitions tend to be point based and I guess that I can't afford to just be punched if I don't get out in time.

Yeah, got no advice for you, but I sympathise with you!!

[bushido_man96]

I know exactly what you mean. I have the same problem. What I try to do is draw them in, bait them with a feignt, and then see how they react. Set the bait again, and respond accordingly. I had a post on sparring tall people a while back. It can be frustrating, but it can be done. Working your angles and using your timing will be your biggest assests.

When I spar in class, I do a lot of blocking, and let them move in on me, and then I just start slugging away. I am not much for countering, but I like to block.

[TigerDude]

Your wingspane seems quite proportional for your height (you wouldn't want to look like a gorilla, would you?).

This is an issue for everyone except the very tallest. Size simply matters. People say to use your speed, but that's not so useful against a fast tall guy. I think that you will need to close the gap & combat from close range.

Practice, practice practice.

[MizuRyu]

When I spar my buddy Chris, who's a good foot taller than I, I just get more aggressive. If fighting someone taller, take the fight to YOUR range, don't let him have his. Shut his legs off and use your muscle to your advantage, knock the wind out of him. Keep your hands up, because he will try and keep the range with a kick, and you will need to get it out of your way, I prefer to paak (relaxed slap) the kick out of the way and take a wide step in, possibly stepping on their foot in the process.

[Brandon Fisher]

I love fighting taller people with longer reach. I am not tall either 5'8 and don't have a long reach so I use tai sabaki and counter quickly or just be the more agressive fighter.

[shotochem]

Your wingspane seems quite proportional for your height (you wouldn't want to look like a gorilla, would you?).

Practice, practice practice.

Hey!!!! I resemble that statement. I'm on the vertically challenged side myself but I have unusually long arms for my size. In fact my arms are a little longer than my legs and I can punch and kick at basically the same range. (I know this can not be normal )

This helps with the getting in and not getting pummeled dept. But, you still have to get in first. Counter, circle and move in. Don't engage directly come in at an angle and always keep moving. It just takes time and you will learn to work with what you have.

[bushido_man96]

Taking little steps forward while you are moving around can get closer than you might realize. Try it while you're sparring next time.