dealing with someone much bigger

[cfr]

Howdy all. I figure this is a pretty universal question so I posted it in this section instead of one related to my specific art. Ive been training for a couple of years but Ive bounced around between schools so my progress has been rather slow. Ive never sparred and, without trying to start any debate here, it makes me feel like I dont really know how to handle myself against people bigger than me. Im 5' 9" and about 205 lbs. I run into a guy on a fairly regular basis that is probably about 6' 5" and lots of extra mass. He very often threatens and initimidates people. We are by know means on bad terms but truthfully if he fell off the face of the earth I dont think he would be missed by anyone. Anyways, I got to thinking if I was to ever need to fight this guy I might be kind of hosed. I think I would do fairly well against someone around my size, but not so much against this guy. Of course if I hit him before he knew we were fighting(sucker punch) I would prrobably be victorious but I dont see me ever doing that. In about 4 - 6 months I'll begin sparring drills and then work my way into real sparring. Im aware that sparring isnt the end all be all to fighting but I think I ( I, me, this guy, CFR, not you) will be far better prepared to deal with this after Ive been sparring a while than I am today. So in the meantime, how to deal? Im not talking about if he does a wrist grab or something that requires my most awesome self defense move, but when a real fight breaks out. Im can hit, kick, elbow, and knee pretty hard and pretty fast. But Ive never done it in the face of combat. (high school excluded) Ive never put it all together. Ive never incorporated all my skills at once. I guess what Im the most worried about is how I would deal with a flurry of punches from this guy. Sure Ive learned how to parry and some footwork, but Ive never had a barrage of punches comintg hard and fast at my face. I really dont know if I could parry fast enough and not get hit long enough to throw some of my own. What to do???

 

[theletch1]

I really dont know if I could parry fast enough and not get hit long enough to throw some of my own

You can't ...so get used to the idea of taking a hit or two. If you go into a conflict believeing that you won't get hit then the first punch that connects is gonna throw you out of your depth and you're likely done for. Having said that, the rest of your post leads me to believe that the problem is more one of self confidence or confidence in your ability to execute your techniques well enough to compensate for your opponents larger size. Continued practice, IMO, is the best fix for your problem. I'm not sure why you bounced from school to school before, but, do your best to manipulate circumstances in a way that allows you to get some continuity in your training. I won't get into the sparring as a "reality" drill thing. That's a somewhat hot topic here.

 

[Disco]

Two points to add. (1). Learn angle movements and (2) how do you chop down a tree?

 

[cfr]

Originally posted by Disco
(2) how do you chop down a tree?

With an axe?

 

[Disco]

You chop a tree down by starting at the bottom. Same with a bigger attacker. Chop the legs out from under him and he falls just like the tree falls.:asian:

 

[Zepp]

Originally posted by Disco
You chop a tree down by starting at the bottom. Same with a bigger attacker. Chop the legs out from under him and he falls just like the tree falls.:asian:

That's how I like to think. The bigger they are, the more exposed their knees.

Another option is get in close (inside the other guy's "range") and rely on attacking sensitive areas.

Just don't let him goad you into a fight. If he tries to, it could be because he has some advantage he's keeping hidden.

 

[Reprobate]

1) Fight dirty - bring a knife or a knuckle duster.
2) A steel-toed boot to the knee brings down the tallest fighter.
3) Poison his coffee with laxatives - ambush him while he's taking a dump.
4) Spray some toilet freshener into his eyes to blind him or hold a lighter in front of the spray to set him on fire.

Did I forget anything?

 

[Touch Of Death]

Originally posted by Reprobate
1) Fight dirty - bring a knife or a knuckle duster.
2) A steel-toed boot to the knee brings down the tallest fighter.
3) Poison his coffee with laxatives - ambush him while he's taking a dump.
4) Spray some toilet freshener into his eyes to blind him or hold a lighter in front of the spray to set him on fire.

Did I forget anything?

5) go to prison.

 

[Quick Sand]

How about trying to avoid a fight instead?

 

[Ceicei]

That is a question many, if not most, female martial artists have to face....

It may be a confidence issue. Nevertheless, the key is to practice, practice, and keep on learning.

Will we be able to hold our own against those who are bigger? Maybe, but we would like to minimize our risks and do enough to get out asap.

- Ceicei

 

[Reprobate]

Originally posted by Touch'O'Death
5) go to prison.

Where you learn this intimately!

 

[Baoquan]

Spar...do lots of it. Put on the gear and go at it full pace. IMHO, you wont get the full effect of your hard work in training without getting in and trying it out...

...randori rocks.

 

[LadyDragon]

Hey, if you ask me, size shouldn't matter.

1st of all I'm a woman which gices me a disadvantage in strength, and 2nd I'm only 5'4" so there goes height. If your confident enough in the skill that you do have, the rest is just numbers. Yeah chances are you're going to have a take a couple of hits, but thats true in any fight.

Besides, sparring is great practice. But if you really think about it, sparring in the dojo isn't even close to a real fight. At least it isn't in my oppinion. Its more like a game of tag. You land a few shots and then you back off. In a real fight if you land a couple of punches you don't pull out, you keep going till you know that your opponent isn't going to get up and continue coming at you.

 

[MJS]

Originally posted by cfr
Howdy all. I figure this is a pretty universal question so I posted it in this section instead of one related to my specific art. Ive been training for a couple of years but Ive bounced around between schools so my progress has been rather slow. Ive never sparred and, without trying to start any debate here, it makes me feel like I dont really know how to handle myself against people bigger than me. Im 5' 9" and about 205 lbs. I run into a guy on a fairly regular basis that is probably about 6' 5" and lots of extra mass. He very often threatens and initimidates people. We are by know means on bad terms but truthfully if he fell off the face of the earth I dont think he would be missed by anyone. Anyways, I got to thinking if I was to ever need to fight this guy I might be kind of hosed. I think I would do fairly well against someone around my size, but not so much against this guy. Of course if I hit him before he knew we were fighting(sucker punch) I would prrobably be victorious but I dont see me ever doing that. In about 4 - 6 months I'll begin sparring drills and then work my way into real sparring. Im aware that sparring isnt the end all be all to fighting but I think I ( I, me, this guy, CFR, not you) will be far better prepared to deal with this after Ive been sparring a while than I am today. So in the meantime, how to deal? Im not talking about if he does a wrist grab or something that requires my most awesome self defense move, but when a real fight breaks out. Im can hit, kick, elbow, and knee pretty hard and pretty fast. But Ive never done it in the face of combat. (high school excluded) Ive never put it all together. Ive never incorporated all my skills at once. I guess what Im the most worried about is how I would deal with a flurry of punches from this guy. Sure Ive learned how to parry and some footwork, but Ive never had a barrage of punches comintg hard and fast at my face. I really dont know if I could parry fast enough and not get hit long enough to throw some of my own. What to do???

Get into the ring with someone and train!! The only way you get better at something is to do it. Period. Of course, you need to make sure that the person you're working with has your best interest in mind and is going to helping you, not tyring to kill you! I was training my stand up and clinch in my BJJ class recently. We did a drill where one person would be in the corner, and the other person is in front of you, throwing punches. The person in the corner is working on their blocking skills, while also limiting their movement. This forces you to have to block. Of course, this drill can be done in a ring with more movement, but the idea was to work blocking.

As for the flurry of punches....Using Tony Blauers Spear principle comes to mind. I've trained something similar and have had some good results.

Mike

 

[jkn75]

Originally posted by MJS

As for the flurry of punches....Using Tony Blauers Spear principle comes to mind. I've trained something similar and have had some good results.

Mike

What is Tony Blauer's Spear principle? :asian:

 

[bushi jon]

Lower your center of gravity and steal the big fellas balance. That what the little people do to me. Also 7 pounds of pressure to a knee then run like helll

 

[Tgace]

Big guys are why littler guys developed weapons....first off dont start/participate in a mutual fight, but if forced to defend yourself or another dont go empty hand unless you have to. Stories of OC not working on everybody (90% is still a heck of a good #) aside. Ive seen some smaller guys handle some monsters pretty handily with it.

 

[cfr]

Whats OC???

 

[MJS]

Originally posted by jkn75
What is Tony Blauer's Spear principle? :asian:

I'm not an expert of Blauer, but I"ll try to give an example of what I use. Put your hands together, almost as if you were clapping your hands. Keep you elbows slightly bent. This is your frame. Think of your arms being in the shape of the letter "A" Your head is protected by your arms. When the person punches, or is getting ready to, you are moving forward also, slamming your arms into him. The target can be the face, shoulder/collar bone area. You're in an excellent position to follow up with a knee or an elbow.

Mike

 

[Tgace]

Originally posted by cfr
Whats OC???

Pepper Spray