i need help with fighting a bigger opponent

[kaizasosei]

bigger is not always tougher. If your hands and forarms are twice the strength of the big guys hands and you know ma, then no matter his overall size, in most situations, you could play with him like a ragdoll. however, armstrength alone is nothing because usually, a big guy may well have stronger arms than you yourself do.
generally, i also agree that distance is crucial. also, i would say that a very good skill on top of keeping distance is giving the illusion of coming close so as to entice certain actions out of the opponent.
if the opponent is truly Physically stronger and of greater mass, then only strong psyche and good technique can overcome. in a real situation, psyche may be more important-in sparring technique may be more important, but ultimately, a good balance is important.
strength, speed, technique- timing, feeling etc...some of the ingredients to good ma. never one alone
generally though, i think the larger one is, the more difficult it is to deal with disadvantageous positions...ie, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.
personally, i usually much rather fight really big or strong guys than small or medium size people.



j

 

[allenjp]

I think what's easier depends more on the individuals involved, their skills and their level of training.

I certainly want to be able to take a fight to the ground if my opponent appears to be uncomfortable there but I wouldn't want to make that assumption before I have seen how they move.

There is a lot of collegiate wrestling in this country and with bjj and mma becoming more and more popular there are more big guys with grappling skill every day.

Good points of course...my instructor always says that superior technique wins, but if technique is equal size and strength is an advantage...

 

[allenjp]

bigger is not always tougher. If your hands and forarms are twice the strength of the big guys hands and you know ma, then no matter his overall size, in most situations, you could play with him like a ragdoll. however, armstrength alone is nothing because usually, a big guy may well have stronger arms than you yourself do.
generally, i also agree that distance is crucial. also, i would say that a very good skill on top of keeping distance is giving the illusion of coming close so as to entice certain actions out of the opponent.
if the opponent is truly Physically stronger and of greater mass, then only strong psyche and good technique can overcome. in a real situation, psyche may be more important-in sparring technique may be more important, but ultimately, a good balance is important.
strength, speed, technique- timing, feeling etc...some of the ingredients to good ma. never one alone
generally though, i think the larger one is, the more difficult it is to deal with disadvantageous positions...ie, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.
personally, i usually much rather fight really big or strong guys than small or medium size people.



j

This is a point many people overlook.

My father is a TKD (korean persuasion) blackbelt, and he worked as a bouncer for many years. He always says that he worried more about the little guys, because since they were not intimidating, they had to do a lot of actual fighting and had a lot of experience. Whereas the big guys didn't have to fight much because of their size people were afraid to fight them and would always back down.

He says when he was bouncing most of the big guys would go into a lot of posturing, making it easy to get a knockout first punch in on them.

Can't always count on that though...

 

[ben]

I agree.

Understanding the psychology of a situation and being able to read what's inside some ones head not just their movement and their position can be a tremendous advantage.

 

[Josh Oakley]

Remember the 5 D's

Dodge, Dip, Duck, Dive, and DODGE!

j/k

But really, in stand-up, work on your footwork. Being able to move in, out and around, tempting your partner to throw a punch or kick, then not getting hit by it. Work on counterstrikes and timing. It's hard not to get hit when you're pulling back your punch and the other person's fist is coming in.

by the way, I'm a big guy. this is what other people do to me.

 

[girlbug2]

This thread has been very educational for me -- sparring is my achilles' heel in the martial arts, and as a female I am usually shorter than my opponent.

Thanks to all for such thoughtful advice!

 

[Sukerkin]

He says when he was bouncing most of the big guys would go into a lot of posturing, making it easy to get a knockout first punch in on them.

Can't always count on that though...

That is very important if you a person of hostile nature looking for a fight and are up against someone like an old friend of mine.

He is an enormous and friendly grizzly of a bloke and people would pick on him because they mistook his affable demeanour as weakness. He had no fighting skills as such but he was as strong as an ox and tough as granite.

If I wasn't there to talk a trouble maker out of it, the fight would usually go like this:

My friend: I dont want any trouble, just go away

Eejut (aka aggressor): Blah blah gonna deck you for {nonsensical reason}

My friend: What for? Leave me alone.

Eejut: Best shot to jaw.

My Friend: Look - go away now.

Eejut: Best shot to jaw and stomach

My friend: You're pissing me off now. Go away.

Eejut: Best shot anywhere

My Friend: Right! I told you.

Eejut: Last chance strike.

My Friend: Bam! {Eejut lies down}.

Some people are just preternaturally rugged and unless you start breaking things you are not going to win.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Some people are just preternaturally rugged and unless you start breaking things you are not going to win.

Tough is tough.

 

[allenjp]

Sukerkin,

Sounds like your friend is a great guy, and someone I would like to have as a friend. Someone who has that kind of size and toughness on their side, and is willing to endure insults including being struck and not respond until it reaches a certain level is truly a peace loving individual.

Most of the guys that need to be bounced out of a bar are NOT like him.

 

[bootcampbj]

I´m not sure what style of sparring you and your mate are doing, I´ll just assume Kickboxing for the moment from what Ive read.

As Ben stated previously, Position is your best area of focus. If you watch MMA at all, Lyota Machida is always fighting heavier stronger guys, and his advantage always comes from movement and position.

Working some Agility drills into your training, and working quick front leg strike speed on bag will help.

And then just practice as much as you can vs your friend. Ask him what he finds you do well that he has trouble dealing with. Ask him what you do that he feels leaves you vulnerable to his attacks.


best of luck!
- bj

 

[Chitmunk]

Something else that may help you out would be the study of anatomay, specifically joint movement. it is true that an opponent that cannot touch you cannot hurt you. But also an opponent who cannot move cannot hurt you. by Jamming the upper arm out, or pinning an elbow you can negate power in a strike, or send the strike off course with little effort. If you can take your opponents leverage or movement away at the critical moment when he needs the power that generates you will slow him down through the extra effort he has to put out, as well as mess his timing to create openings for yourself. especially the hips, because that is where allot of power is generated, as well as speed. If you can sceme up a way to mess his hip movement, along with all the distance and timing practice the others have suggested, you will start to notice more openings.

Because the smaller guy usually lacks the strength of a larger opponent, he has to rely on his other weapons... he must move more efficiently and accurately, all his techniques must be decisive and sharp, and timing is key. I don't know the actual term for this peice of equipment, but the speed bag boxers use that is attached to bungee chords on the top and bottom is a great peice of equipment to train timing and dodges.

Hope that helps some.

 

[tko4u]

I use front leg side kick on bigger guys. And if I can time it right, I might use a spinning back kick, it generates a lot of power and usually stops them in their tracks.

 

[qwksilver61]

Wing Tsun works for me,but you better know what you are doing....confidence + ability

 

[zad]

Perhaps you worry too much about hitting your opponent and not enough about where you are vulnerable?

 

[ljdevo]

Yep. realisticly, vulnerable areas: Throat, eyes, groin, joints, etc. In sparring/practice, if he's bigger than you then you will find that you need to use angles a lot more. Practicing footwork and correct strike evasion will enable you to use angles better, and will ensure that you can be in the right place at the right time. If you can use your angles properly you will be able to use his size/weight against him, and when you do thi properly it is both highly entertaining and effective.

 

[davj22]

The most important concept that I learned for defending against bigger opponents and for any opponent for that matter is to always focus on taking his balance. Once you've "mastered" the art of unbalancing it's impossible for your opponent to fight you while also simultaneously fighting for his balance. That should always be the first step when going on the offense or when counter-attacking.

That's a difficult battle to win and while he's trying to regain his balance all his strength and higher skill go out the window. The key from there is learning to keep him unbalanced while you quickly finishing the confrontation through a combination of striking, choking, joint locking, and throwing.

Hope that is helpful.

 

[Lee Mainprize]

some good tips here http://www.wikihow.com/Beat-a-Taller-and-Bigger-Opponent--in-a-Street-Fight

 

[Kenpo5.0Hawker]

my friend weighs about 250 im pure muscle and i weight about 165
he is really stong on puching and kicking he moves quick for a big guy and has average endurance
in our last sparring match (we go full contact) i tried to keep my distance but i can win if keep my distance but if i get close it only takes 1 good punch in my face and i would get knocked out and i really need help
i know i need to get stronger and faster but does anyone have any techniques or strategies or anything that would be good against a bigger opponent

Fitst off. I've only read this far. I can't wait to get input from others. That's because this is a big facet of my training. I train for a street fight. And I'm doings so with the idea it could be Tomarrow. I've smoked real big guys I've thought we're berryer trained and better built than myself as a bull rider/kid. I smoked two bouncers at once. Was a fight I was sure I would not win.. Tuns out I was much meaner... Lol

My first sigestion is... Be much more evil. Not just mean. Be evil.

But since this guy seems to be a friend evil won't work. Not for sparing. Get faster. And don't go at his range. That helps me with most big guys at my school. (instructor can chose his range and eats me at will-lol). Learn to dance in and out fast. For me most of my bigger opponents have better reach. So I get in close quick, hit and work on getting out fast.

All this worked better on the street than it does with trained folks in class. It was a very sobering experiance for me when I as a (undefeated redneck street fighter
) met a JR brown belt who could hand me my butt twice over on his bad day. And he has never had the fight exp I had. The damn Kid was only 15! his black belt test was incredible. I was humbled yet again. he was a skilled tiger on Meth! (that's a very inadequate description. He did better than that!)

Ive focused my training on big guys to date. All I can advise is use distance and don't let their weight become a factor. In a street fight be as evil as you can. No mercy.

Most big guys want to box a little guy. So hit that big dude hard and keep on them until you cannot go any more. (I stabbed a dude seven times. He got out of hospital in two days. / my Bro was stabbed 15 times and left for dead. He was out of hospital in three days and his lungs collapsed TWICE! Before he Got out.

If your not HUGE I'd say being meaner. Than your attacker is your best bet.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

any techniques or strategies or anything that would be good against a bigger opponent

Try to use "the strong part of your body" to against "the weak part of your opponent's body". For example, if you can put one hand on his forehead, another hand behind his neck. By using your back neck contact point as your leverage, if you use your body weight (throw yourself to the ground), you can push his forehead backward, take him down. If you "smash" the back of his head on the hard ground, that will be a valid "finish move". Instead of using forehead pushing, a chin upward pushing will work the same. You may have to apply this move by surprise or with proper set up.

The strong part of your body - your arm muscle, your body weight.
The weak part of his body - his neck.

You can also try to borrow your opponent's force. You may have to give before you can take.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Fitst off. I've only read this far. I can't wait to get input from others.

I doubt you're going to like it much...

That's because this is a big facet of my training. I train for a street fight. And I'm doings so with the idea it could be Tomarrow. I've smoked real big guys I've thought we're berryer trained and better built than myself as a bull rider/kid. I smoked two bouncers at once. Was a fight I was sure I would not win.. Tuns out I was much meaner... Lol

My first sigestion is... Be much more evil. Not just mean. Be evil.

Gosh, makes me wonder how I've managed to survive so many years of regular physical conflicts in the ER. I'm never evil, and I like to think I'm not mean, either.

Most big guys want to box a little guy. So hit that big dude hard and keep on them until you cannot go any more. (I stabbed a dude seven times. He got out of hospital in two days. / my Bro was stabbed 15 times and left for dead. He was out of hospital in three days and his lungs collapsed TWICE! Before he Got out.

If your not HUGE I'd say being meaner. Than your attacker is your best bet.

:bs:

I'd like to see the arrest reports for both these cases. I'd also like to see the medical records.

But I seriously doubt any of those records exist.

Here's a free clue. You're claiming bilateral traumatic pneumothoraxes. Chest tubes for something like that will be in for a couple days. Quite possibly longer. And when the lungs both "collapse" after the chest tubes are removed, I can pretty much promise that nobody is going to be in a hurry to remove the second set. Assuming that none of the other "stab wounds" hit anything important (unlikely, if they're severe enough for him to be "left for dead") then 7-10 days in the hospital would be more believable.

I look forward to your explanations about why public documents (arrest records) for these cases are not available.