height for karate

[explosive_power]

I want to compete in tournaments.

sport karate,

im from the philippines,

im 5'6

but i was wondering is it really a big factor if im not that tall, and not have that long of a reach? but i train really well.

Is being tall and having a long reach a very big advantage in karate?

or can i compensate for my height and reach by very good training and speed?

[isshinryu5toforever]

It all depends on what kind of competition you're doing.

You'll always have to adjust your tactics for your height, but that's not a big issue. It's pretty easily done. 5'6" is not super short. You need to work on timing more than just speed. Speed helps, but you can have a whole lot of speed, no timing, and get nowhere. You need to spar, a lot. You need to spar in the fashion you want to compete. I don't like the dipped foam, first one to touch, competitions, but if that's what you're looking at, then train for it.

If you're training for knockdown, then you have some great examples to look at. Kenji Midori, Yuka Kobayashi, both short (Midori is a 5'6" 150 pound male, Kyobayashi is a 4'10" 95 pound female), light fighters, who used speed, technique, power, and timing to win very large competitions. Even open weight class competitions.

What kind of competition are you looking for? That might help us give you some advice. Saying Karate competition means different things to different people.

[explosive_power]

It all depends on what kind of competition you're doing.

You'll always have to adjust your tactics for your height, but that's not a big issue. It's pretty easily done. 5'6" is not super short. You need to work on timing more than just speed. Speed helps, but you can have a whole lot of speed, no timing, and get nowhere. You need to spar, a lot. You need to spar in the fashion you want to compete. I don't like the dipped foam, first one to touch, competitions, but if that's what you're looking at, then train for it.

If you're training for knockdown, then you have some great examples to look at. Kenji Midori, Yuka Kobayashi, both short (Midori is a 5'6" 150 pound male, Kyobayashi is a 4'10" 95 pound female), light fighters, who used speed, technique, power, and timing to win very large competitions. Even open weight class competitions.

What kind of competition are you looking for? That might help us give you some advice. Saying Karate competition means different things to different people.

hey thanks for the reply man!

right now my dojo has that kind of competition the sport karate, the point competitions. im in shotokan karate,

but in the long run, i also want to try mma.

so i want to try both

[Shizentai]

im 5'6

but i was wondering is it really a big factor if im not that tall, and not have that long of a reach? but i train really well.

My sensei is 5'2" and he won the All Japan Karate Championships twice, so I'd say it's quite possible for someone your size to do very well. After all, isn't that the whole point of karate (Giving people the ability to overcome a physically greater opponent with technique)? If karate used a method where only big and tall people could succeed, it wouldn't be much of an art imo.

[explosive_power]

im 5'6

but i was wondering is it really a big factor if im not that tall, and not have that long of a reach? but i train really well.

My sensei is 5'2" and he won the All Japan Karate Championships twice, so I'd say it's quite possible for someone your size to do very well. After all, isn't that the whole point of karate (Giving people the ability to overcome a physically greater opponent with technique)? If karate used a method where only big and tall people could succeed, it wouldn't be much of an art imo.

thanks man!

the replies really helped me view this in a new perspective

[likeke34]

you should be fine in sport karate depending on your weight class... i'm 5 8" and fought against a few WKF medal holders (one of them a 2X gold medalist)... i fought at -65kg and some guys were taller some were shorter, i fell in the middle... in my final competition days i fought at -75kg (i was one of the shortest in the weight class however), surprisingly this weight class is where i had the most success as the speed gap seemed to be huge since i went up 2 weight classes... and if you're light enough i think there's even a -60kg class but i can't remember for sure since it's been a long time since i competed myself

[DWx]

Great advice so far. Don't look at the height compared to everyone else but look at it compared to your weight class. Usually the heavier categories will have taller people but having said that its not always the case.

Being smaller can be an advantage anyway. Smaller people tend to be faster and don't telegraph as much as the taller fighters.

[brickshooter]

Weight class generally takes care of any height equality issues.

[kamahlthedruid]

I think you should get faster to compensate for your height and reach.

[isshinryu5toforever]

In sport competition speed is the key, especially WKF style competitions, so yes, work on your speed, a lot. Timing is still the most important thing in any fight though, so my best advice is to spar a ton, all different body shapes and sizes. It will get you comfortable sparring anyone.

Note on weight classes, they are great, they do usually minimize the height gap. That said, I found the greatest height range was in the middle weight division. You get shorter, stocky guys, and you get really tall lanky guys. Just something I found interesting.