Does Size Matter?

[SnakeStrike77]

Now that I got your attention LOL. I’m just curious. Certain styles are easier to perform for certain body types, while others not so much. Some of us are being conditioned as much as we are learning the style. Some of us are in excellent form and are just learning the style. Some of us are strengthening what we’re lacking in certain area’s. Power, Speed, Balance, Flexibility, Endurance, and Precision. My questions:

Have you ever tried a style, and not been able to perform well with your Height/Weight?

Do you feel you Height/Weight give you an edge or disadvantage in competition for your style? (Against other styles)

Do you fare better or worse against someone of equal stature?

As for me. I’m one of the “big guys” in our dojo so I’d like to hear what other people my size have to say although I appreciate any feedback. I’m 6’1” 237lbs. I usually get picked to be “demo-ed on” because “big trees fall hard” LOL. Side note that I have lost and kept off 35lbs and have become much much more flexible, and increased balance, and endurance. I don’t mean to be boastful, it’s just something Im proud of..lol. I fare very well when matched against someone of = size in sparring however I have difficulty with someone smaller, and faster in our dojo. The exception being that we were challenged once by a dojo of a different style, and we won the competition. All of the practitioners that were set against me were smaller/faster however I had won going 4-1. It might not have been so much my size as it was the clash of styles? Not sure, but it made me think, and thus post this. Thanks to all.

[tallgeese]

Size is always a factor, and if properly managed, it's an assest like any other. It's always good to have more functional mass to bring to bear on an opponant.

Smaller fighters might give one a problem, espically if the rule set you are training under is designed in such a way that you can't use your superior weight to an advantage. For example, if your system won't allow you to grab or throw someone to the ground or minimized the amount of power you're allowd to bring, this will put you at a bit of a disadvantage. You can overcome it, but stylistically your not being allowed to make the most of your gifts.

[Wa-No-Michi]

Now that I got your attention LOL. I’m just curious. Certain styles are easier to perform for certain body types, while others not so much. Some of us are being conditioned as much as we are learning the style. Some of us are in excellent form and are just learning the style. Some of us are strengthening what we’re lacking in certain area’s. Power, Speed, Balance, Flexibility, Endurance, and Precision. My questions:

Have you ever tried a style, and not been able to perform well with your Height/Weight?

Do you feel you Height/Weight give you an edge or disadvantage in competition for your style? (Against other styles)

Do you fare better or worse against someone of equal stature?

As for me. I’m one of the “big guys” in our dojo so I’d like to hear what other people my size have to say although I appreciate any feedback. I’m 6’1” 237lbs. I usually get picked to be “demo-ed on” because “big trees fall hard” LOL. Side note that I have lost and kept off 35lbs and have become much much more flexible, and increased balance, and endurance. I don’t mean to be boastful, it’s just something Im proud of..lol. I fare very well when matched against someone of = size in sparring however I have difficulty with someone smaller, and faster in our dojo. The exception being that we were challenged once by a dojo of a different style, and we won the competition. All of the practitioners that were set against me were smaller/faster however I had won going 4-1. It might not have been so much my size as it was the clash of styles? Not sure, but it made me think, and thus post this. Thanks to all.

Big guys that are in shape (for their size) move well and know how to fight, are awesome to come up against (but not impossiple to beat ).

However, big guys that are overweight are just that... "fat", and can not and will not perform to the best of their ability.

As long as you don't fall into the latter you should be fine.

WNM

[DWx]

Big guys that are in shape (for their size) move well and know how to fight, are awesome to come up against (but not impossiple to beat ).

However, big guys that are overweight are just that... "fat", and can not and will not perform to the best of their ability.

As long as you don't fall into the latter you should be fine.

WNM

Totally agree with this. Big people who are in shape and can fight have the advantage of sheer mass and strength on their side. They can be beat but its so hard becuase they have the power advantage. Guys who are in the other category have the size advantage but not the ability to use it so well.

Have you ever tried a style, and not been able to perform well with your Height/Weight?

Do you feel you Height/Weight give you an edge or disadvantage in competition for your style? (Against other styles)

Do you fare better or worse against someone of equal stature?

TKD is suited to those of a more athletic physique so I'm not really the ideal build... My size gives me an advantage in the strength/power side of things but smaller, shorter people can move faster. Not really competed against that many other styles other than those that fight in a similar way (Kickboxing, some Karate etc.) and even then we're divided into weight classes so haven't much of an opportunity to test my size in that type of environment. As for fighting those of equal stature, I'd say yes. But only because I'm used to fighting lighter faster people at training so I've had to become lighter and faster too.

[joesteph]

I know that at my height, 5'6", an art that emphasizes kicking, especially executing high kicks, isn't best suited for me, and I've been able to compare some past experience with Isshinryu (as a hand art) with past experience of TKD (emphasis on kicking). However, my children take Soo Bahk Do, which, though there are many hand techniques that are practiced (as TKD has many as well), emphasizes kicking when sparring.

In a Soo Bahk Do tournament, kicks may be done below the belt, but there are no points scored. Not worrying about tournaments, I feel free to infight, which is what my height tends towards, and not just meaning punching, but more easily kicking away at the legs of the taller opponent. It's a non-contact art, so if I'm free-sparring in the dojang, I can even aim about knee-high and not injure anyone while practicing what's more of a street shot. Knees and elbows aren't permitted in my art's sparring, probably because it's too easy to connect, but an infighter can have a field day with those weapons. If I'm against a taller opponent, I expect head and ribcage shots, and work on blocking them and closing the distance. I tend to use front kicks and Muay Thai roundhouses, although the latter isn't in my art.

I did discover when I took self-defense JuJitsu (based on Vee Arnis JuJitsu), height (my sensei was 6'2") in what we were doing was not an advantage against me, and technique was a compensator for weight differences. I weigh 180, but the things we were practicing could take a chunk out of someone who outweighed you by forty pounds.

[Grego]

I"m 5'9 and 150 lbs, and i grapple. I generally spar with people nearly twice my size. In grappling shear size can amount to something. I was once wrestling a guy who was so large that he literally just laid on top of me, and I had to tap about because I couldn't breathe.

That said, I'm a pretty good grappler. My size lets me outmanuever people and squirm out of what most people throw at me. I feel comfortable sparring larger guys.

So, really, size only matters when all other things are equal.

[tallgeese]

I also think that it can be a great equalizer agaist greater skill. In your example for instance, a heavy guy with minimal skill was able to just utilize weight to off set the skill difference.

Converstly, us smaller guys need to use skill and movement to off set bulk. Each is an advantage.

Now, two fighter of equal skill, the winner will in all lilkely be the larger, more conditioned athlete.

[Tiger1962]

I've never found my height to be a hindrance to doing martial arts (I'm of average height for a woman). I can kick pretty high as long as I warm up enough. Same thing with my husband who is roughly between 5'6" and 5'7" & middle aged. In fact, he kicks pretty high especially after he's warmed up & stretched out - so I really don't believe being short or of average height will make you less of a good kicker.

One could say flexibility decreases with age but then there are exceptions to the rule. I never thought my kicks were anything to brag about but then I've had quite a few people tell me my kicks were high for my height.

I've seen people at tournaments who were "stocky" (both male & female) and I was amazed at how flexible they were for their body type. One would assume the opposite, right?

There are exceptions to every rule, however with ample time spent stretching and warming up - - - after a while I think body type might not matter.

Edited March 17, 2009 by Tiger1962

[BKHowell]

Being 6'1" and 250 lbs, I would have to say it has helped me in some situations and hurt me in others. The only place I have more girth than I would care for is my belly. The rest of me is pretty fit.

I have the weight/strength advantage in grappling, but my endurance isn't what it used to be....being 35 has a little to do with that as well. I am also not as flexible as I used to be. Again, age affected that.

[bushido_man96]

Like tallgeese mentioned, being big, strong, and well-conditioned is a bonus anytime. When it comes to combative sports, there is a reason why they have weight classes. One could make the David and Goliath arguement, but remember that David had a weapon, and fought at range...

With that said, when it comes to height/weight and how it relates to a style in general, has more to do with how you train, and what you train, as opposed to your body build. I'm 5'7", and weigh 240. Even though I am short, I do TKD. If I spar a taller person, they usually have a reach advantage on me. So, I just have to figure out how to get inside that range. So, it has more to do with training a strategy than specific skills, like kicking. Now, if I were to compete in Olympic rule tournaments, I don't think I would fair to well, because most of the 200 pounders I would be facing would likely be around a foot taller than me. Its just the nature of the sport; the same would likely be true for Boxing, or Judo, etc.

So, the more competitive you get, the more your size/strength is likely to be of importance. The same can be true of point fighting. If I spar against a taller, lighter person, who is faster than me, I will have a heck of a time using my weight to my advantage if I can't work for a KO or something like that. Light contact point sparring is just tougher for me.