Fighting someone smaller

[Raii]

Well, there's already a 'Fighting someone bigger' thread.

I imagine there must be some difficulties for the bigger ones as well. Not thinking about spirit, I think it's much easier to get the 'Oh, she won because of her size' when fighting smaller people, and I think people pay more attention to the 'small girl who lost but fought bravely' than the 'big girl who won'.

Any thoughts on this?

Osu!

[Olrac]

I guess you have to be carefull not to hit the smaller person in the face.

It's just a guess because, with my length, I never fought against someone smaller.
(Smaller than me, means that they're under the age of 12 )

[sublimo]

I think you must make a stategie against sabaki. Or use mae hiza geri if it is a bulldozer.

[vapor]

My experience, although not a female, but a large bloke, is that the smaller opponents can be quick...in and out...in and out...by the time I am struck and getting ready to counter, he is already gone...

So, anticipating where they are going to go (reverse sabaki?) like sublimo said, seems to be effective.

vapor

[Lucy]

I have fought 2 smaller opponents. In my first knockdown tournament i faced a 3rd dan, but i was alot stronger than her and once she slowed down it was good 2nd time i fought someone smaller she kicked my butt to put it politely! That was Canan Yorulmaz last year....still hurts now Generally smaller people i find are easier to fight, im not very tall myself so im normally the smaller one!

[Shokei Marcsui]

Just to chime in as a smaller person:

I have an advantage in close range because my legs are a lot shorter than yours are and therefore can stick mawashi geri close to you. As stated above from Vapor and Lucy tai sabaki works great and possibly try to keep him at a distance you are comfortable with.

On the same note of smaller people coming in close combat, hiza geri works great as a counter. We fought this weekend and I took a good hiza geri to my head and had to get the heck out of there and recover.

I often have to eat a bunch of mae geri and yoko geri from taller people before trying to come in. So that could be something to work on when fighting shorter people.

[Spirit]

Fighting small or tall or any body in-between is all equal.
What works for one fighter should work for the other… Sabaki is Sabaki no matter your height so it works equally; it’s a matter of knowing and doing.

A tall fighter sees a small fighter in “X” way, as a small fighter sees a tall fighter… This type of thinking is the problem not the size!
The psychology of the fight is often why you win or lose [though skill does work in to]. But based on the fact that this type of question keeps coming up, people are learning to fight size and rank rather than just to fight …as well no to limited fight psycholgy.

If a small person can kick in close so can a tall person, as well all other techniques.
Basic understanding is that all things work, it’s a matter of adjusting to the situation rather not to use a technique do to the situation.

My view

[jcc]

Originally Posted by Spirit

Fighting small or tall or any body in-between is all equal.
What works for one fighter should work for the other… Sabaki is Sabaki no matter your height so it works equally; it’s a matter of knowing and doing.

A tall fighter sees a small fighter in “X” way, as a small fighter sees a tall fighter… This type of thinking is the problem not the size!
The psychology of the fight is often why you win or lose [though skill does work in to]. But based on the fact that this type of question keeps coming up, people are learning to fight size and rank rather than just to fight …as well no to limited fight psycholgy.

If a small person can kick in close so can a tall person, as well all other techniques.
Basic understanding is that all things work, it’s a matter of adjusting to the situation rather not to use a technique do to the situation.

My view

Osu!

Must agree with this. If you start worrying about how big/small/ugly your opponent may be, you´re just going to forget to fight your fight and fill your mind with irrelevancies, instead of emptying your mind and just fighting! In my experience, if you start thinking (too much), you´re half-way to loosing already. What´s important is your instinct (unconcious mind) and spirit. Get that right and it doesn´t matter whom you´re fighting!

[Dent]

Osu!

If we're talking about viewing each individual as an equal potential threat, and as a capable opponent, then I agree fully.

If we're saying that all bodies are equal and that different techniques, strategies and methods should not be employed, I couldn't disagree more.

Back in '91 or '92, I had the dubious fortune of fighting a guy who was 6'11''. My front kick was about as long as his jab, and the weight difference was, well, significant. (He caught me with a straight left that dislocated my jaw, and sent me out the mat-ring on my ass. The rest of the fight I got to practice my footwork like it was two for a dollar.)

Going into that fight, I'd never even met someone that tall, never mind do any sort of sparring against them. By the time someone has that sort of reach and power advantage, you better be relying on some strategy, or risk serious injury.

Osu!

[Shokei Marcsui]

If we're talking about viewing each individual as an equal potential threat, and as a capable opponent, then I agree fully.

There is a difference between worry and respect. I respect the power of electricity but I don't worry that it will jump out of a socket and shock the stuffing out of me.

Tall fighters generally have longer reach than do a smaller fighter. I respect that advantage and proceed with caution.

Obviously you can't apply a basic x small fighter to y tall fighter strategy, but there are common characteristics that small and tall fighters bring to the game.

Question: Do tall fighters really worry about fighting smaller ones

[Dent]

Osu!

Originally Posted by Shokei Marcsui

There is a difference between worry and respect. I respect the power of electricity but I don't worry that it will jump out of a socket and shock the stuffing out of me.

Question: Do tall fighters really worry about fighting smaller ones

Jumping electrickery?! Now I have to lead a very nervous life...

Yes. I worry about smaller fighters. That's why I wear a cup!

Slightly more seriously, I'm middle sized (at best), and smaller fighters do have some options, as do taller ones. I think that recognizing those skills and talents is part of what makes Kumite the multi-dimensional game that it is.

Osu!

[Kansetsu]

Originally Posted by Shokei Marcsui

Question: Do tall fighters really worry about fighting smaller ones

OSU!

I think i'm slightly bigger than normal...(Dent-san can tell me exactly if i am slightly above average in size or not), and that i usually do not have much trouble fighting someone smaller than i am. I utilize my reach to my fullest advantage...however, i always get humbled when i fight someone that is smaller yet much better than i am (like my Sensei for example).

My biggest surprise that i have encountered was when i visited Satodojo, and had a minor kumite with Sato-san. He was much shorter than i am, but he was VERY quick on his feet. Coming in quick, striking and quickly getting out of my reach. I may have had reach, but to Sato-san's agility, it was no match (and i am betting that he was only going at like 30% of his abilities).

OSU!

[Dent]

Osu!

Originally Posted by Kansetsu

OSU!
I think i'm slightly bigger than normal...(Dent-san can tell me exactly if i am slightly above average in size or not),

Well, he's no Pygmy, I can tell you!

Kansetsu is above average for both height and weight. You'd think he'd know it from walking around NYC and looking down on the rest of us, but he's not the swiftest giant in the box.

Osu!

[vapor]

Dent....I think you are quite flattering to put yourself in a middleweight category....you are no ballerina getting by on two soda crackers a day!

(love ya man!!)

vapor

[Nix]

Originally Posted by vapor

Dent....I think you are quite flattering to put yourself in a middleweight category....you are no ballerina getting by on two soda crackers a day!

BAM! *high-fives vapor*

Ballerina's aside, I concur with Dent on this one. You can't just throw your mind away and fight normally regardless of your opponent. A good fighter is the one that acknowledges his skills and limits, sees the strenghts and weaknesses of the opponent, and adapts a new fighting style and strategy based on this analysis. Anybody can bull-rush. The clever fighters are the exceptional ones.

[Dent]

Osu!

Originally Posted by vapor

Dent....I think you are quite flattering to put yourself in a middleweight category....you are no ballerina getting by on two soda crackers a day!

(love ya man!!)

vapor

I did say middle sized, meaning that my middle is the same size as my height!

Osu!

[jcc]

Originally Posted by Nix

Ballerina's aside, I concur with Dent on this one. You can't just throw your mind away and fight normally regardless of your opponent.

Osu! Nix,

That depends on how much of a mind you have to start off!

Ok - what I´m trying to say is that during a fight you really don´t have enough time to rely on your (slow) conscious mind to analyse what´s going on - you need to rely on your (well trained) instincts to sort it out. And if you go into the fight worrying too much about the size etc. of your opponent you´re going to distract that process and *BAM* - all over .

[Nix]

Originally Posted by jcc

Ok - what I´m trying to say is that during a fight you really don´t have enough time to rely on your (slow) conscious mind to analyse what´s going on - you need to rely on your (well trained) instincts to sort it out. And if you go into the fight worrying too much about the size etc. of your opponent you´re going to distract that process and *BAM* - all over .

Perhaps so, but that doesn't change the fact you need to approach different fighters different ways. For example, it's usually a bad idea for me to focus on powerful kicks when fighting an opponent who is significantly larger than me. A "green" fighter may not realize this, as he has not learned to understand the concept of strategy, and how to work it out.