Does Size Matter?

[Goldendragon7]

I'm gonna go get me a steel cup then!!

 

[kickyou]

Golden,

you may need one.:rofl: :boing2:

 

[Goldendragon7]

Double thickness fur lined!:rofl:

 

[kickyou]

Here it comes are you ready?


:cheers:

:drink2tha :samurai:

 

[Rob_Broad]

Yes size can be a factor, but too many people look at it as the most important factor. It can not be dismissed but it is not the end all to be all in a fight. Proper a techniques and timing can easily turn the it tide in a fight situation.

 

[Slade]

In some instances, size is a definite helpful thing. I'm 5'7 165 pounds. I don't consider myself small or huge. I feel a well balance attack of speed and power is good. Being big is great don't get me wrong. But in my opinion, if you do the technique properly you don't need to be concerned about size. If someone bigger is attacking me, I'm not gonna give them a chance to do what they need to do. So in a nutshell, I think it comes down to reaction time.

 

[Goldendragon7]

Originally posted by kickyou
Here it comes are you ready?
:cheers:
:drink2tha :samurai:

Do I have to.....?

 

[Ronin]

what are we talking about???

 

[Goldendragon7]

I'm in a training horse position......... waiting.....

:asian:

 

[tonbo]

Anyone remember seeing "Princess Bride"?

As the Ninja Turtles put it, in another movie....."Well, ya know what they say.....'The bigger they are...'...." "Yeah, the more bones they break".

I get the opportunity to spar and train with guys of all sizes and shapes (ladies, too). Size has its advantage. I stand 6'2" and am a fairly fit 212 lbs. My instructor is smaller than me, but hits like a convoy of trucks. I've seen him take down guys that have a foot of height on him, and guys that have 100 or more pounds weight advantage over him.

I think the advantages of being big are numerous, but I would say that for being shorter, too. Same with the fat/skinny debate. What it all boils down to, in my opinion, is the essence of Kenpo: it's an *individual* art, both for the attacker and the attackee. Against a shorter guy, I will use a slightly different tactic. Against a taller guy, I'm going for the base. I will aim for the legs, knees, and groin as much as possible. I will also try to play *my* game, not his: stay out of his comfort zone.

Does it work? *laughs* Sometimes. Sparring the bigger guys is rewarding, sometimes (when I can pull off my plan), and a headache others (when my braincase gets rattled by a connecting shot I that I blocked with my face).

I won't say that size doesn't matter. It does. But it matters for *everyone*, not just the tall or the buff. Your size, speed, and build are your toolset. Learn to use them in the largest variety of situations, and you will be much better off.

Good question to raise, Kirk!!

Peace--

 

[Klondike93]

My instructor is smaller than me, but hits like a convoy of trucks

My instructor is like that, goes about 160 maybe 5'8 or 5'9 looks like a geek, but boy can that guy hit!!!


:asian:

 

[daniel_r]

I agree size can be a factor but everyone has a weakness you could be the biggest guy in the world but get caught clean on the jaw and theres a good chance your gonna go down.... take for example a boxer like Sugar Ray Leonard he aint the biggest guy in the world yet won titles at 5 different weight divisions. You can be the smallest person but speed and skill can make a whole lotta difference.

Maybe not the best example but all i could think of at the time :idea:

 

[Hollywood1340]

But I've found it's not the bigger they are the harder they fall, it's the bigger they are the harder they hit!

 

[FLY]

I think the advantages of being big are numerous, but I would say that for being shorter, too. Same with the fat/skinny debate. What it all boils down to, in my opinion, is the essence of Kenpo: it's an *individual* art, both for the attacker and the attackee. Against a shorter guy, I will use a slightly different tactic. Against a taller guy, I'm going for the base. I will aim for the legs, knees, and groin as much as possible. I will also try to play *my* game, not his: stay out of his comfort zone.

Does it work? *laughs* Sometimes. Sparring the bigger guys is rewarding, sometimes (when I can pull off my plan), and a headache others (when my braincase gets rattled by a connecting shot I that I blocked with my face).

I won't say that size doesn't matter. It does. But it matters for *everyone*, not just the tall or the buff. Your size, speed, and build are your toolset. Learn to use them in the largest variety of situations, and you will be much better off.

Although the little bit of experience that I have here has strictly been in a sparring situation, I agree 100%. Being 6' 185lbs,(with somewhat long legs and arms.../insert monkey smily face here/..
:rofl: ) I generally have a reach advantage on many people that come to our sparring classes. There are, of course, a few guys who tower over me and outweigh me by 70 - 90 lbs.
Personally, I love to kick. I am fully aware of the higher degree of risk related to kicking high, especially ariels, but I do them (attempt to ) anyways. BUT....only very rarely will I ever attempt any kick much higher that the waist when matched against someone with a longer kicking range than I have. I have had to adapt my strategy when fighting these bigger guys (get in close quick and stay there, hands constantly moving) and it seems to have worked for me 'cause I'm not getting kicked in the head (and everywhere else) anymore.
With the smaller guys I fair better keeping them in MY kicking range and TRYING not to allow them into THEIR punching range where they are more of a threat to me.
To make a long story short(er), IMHO, every opponent demands a modified strategy based on their and your ability.
However, this is all related strictly to my experience in sparring.

In a REAL fight (which I have NO personal experience in as an adult) I believe that one must be aware of their opponents size and advantages/disadvantages that that may offer, but do not dwell on the size of your opponent. IMHO, size is merely a component of the total equation. speed + strength[inner/outer] + size/weight + luck + training + balance + #of friends around etc..... = winner (or something like that )



:asian:

 

[FLY]

I have had to adapt my strategy when fighting these bigger guys (get in close quick and stay there, hands constantly moving) and it seems to have worked for me 'cause I'm not getting kicked in the head (and everywhere else) anymore.

forgot to add...... Not getting kicked in the head AS MUCH :boxing: :rofl: :rofl:

:asian:

 

[Seig]

I know, old thread....
I am a bug guy, yet short. Size can make a big difference and sometimes it makes no difference at all. Speed+Technique=Power.
Ok nuff said, what I really wanted to address were some of the comments on the groin strike. The groin strike can be extremely effective, even against women, if used in the proper sequence. Let's face it, if you are in an active confrontation, adrenalin is flowing. Adrenalin contains endorphins. Endorphins are the bodies natural pain killer (side note, morphine is synthetic endorphins(albeit on steroids)). When you strike someone hard enough to normally inflict pain, the body sends about half the available endorphins to the site of injury. When you make the second strike, the body sends half of the remaining half, and so on until you have struck 3 or 4 times. The groin shot should not be a first strike tactic in the real world unless you catch someone completely unaware. In that situatin the body has to do an adrenalin/endorphin dumo and it takes a second or two. But, if you make the groin strike the third or fourth target, it can inflict mind numbing pain instantly. I like to tell my students, hit until the brain goes into overload. My Sensei used the analogy of a gun fight. "Ok Mike, we're going to have a gun fight. I'm gonna give you a .44 magnum with 1 round and I will use a .22 with 15 rounds, who wins?" Me:"Well, if I hit you, I do" Sensei:"yes, IF you hit me. If you miss, I'm gonna unload on you. The first round may not hurt much, you may not even know you have been hit. The second one will let you know you have been hit, the third one is really going to sting, the fourth one will hurt like hell and so on..." He proved this many times and my Sensei makes Godzilla look like a cute little lizard.

 

[Turner]

I agree, as a series of strikes the groin shot is good to go. Sadly, many people think that it is the end all technique... that if you punt a guy in the groin he will fall down in the fetal position and just lay there groaning. I've seen that happen, but its mostly because of the guys ego. If he just sucks it up and presses on other people will think that he comes in a small package and so he gets over dramatic and winds up actually feeling the excruciating pain to salve his ego. I've seen this happen time and time again in class and on the street.

In class you practice with someone and accidently tap em in the groin and they are down for a good five minutes. You spar with the same person and punt them in the groin, they'll feel it later, but it doesn't stop them. Some of this is due to the flow of endorphines, the rest is due to ego.

In fighting and in sparring I've been kicked and punched both solidly and grazed with strikes to the groin. It hurts a WHOLE LOT, but never has it been anything to put me out of commission. I've seen a lot of people go for the shot and then hesitate because they expect to see me fall over into the fetal position. You can never allow that type of thing to enter into your head. Upon completition of a technique in a fight and in sparring you should expect to see them still standing and start flowing into another technique.

 

[Goldendragon7]

balls of steele!:asian:

 

[Seig]

As far as getting hit in the groin in class, I tell ALL of my male students, "Wear a cup. This is a rule; if you choose to ignore this rule and get nailed, go outside and cry. I do NOT want to hear about it. If you insist on falling down on my floor and crying, I will drag you outside by your collar or the scruff of the neck." Turns out, most of the guys have become very resilient to groin strikes, the dummys refuse to wear a cup.

 

[Klondike93]

When we do systema, we are told to take our cups off so we can learn to get that out of harms way. I'll tell though I feel uncomfortable doing it. I trust no one even me. When sparring it's a must because the groin is a legal target here in Colorado.
It tends to be a good equalizer when fighting a kicker (time for a cup check).


:asian: