Sparring against a heavier or taller opponent?

[thelegendxp]

I've recently gotten into ITF-style, semi-contact sparring (no kicks below waist, punches allowed to the face, but no elbows, knees, or grabs.) Since I am having an overwhelming success against people below and around my weight division, I've been fighting against fellows who are half a foot or so taller or 20 pounds or so heavier. Some of those people always get me because they have a longer reach, and keeps pushing my body back with a side kick, and some of them simply absorb my kick with their mass, and throw a string of punches from high above-which I find it hard to block or dodge. Any help/suggestions? Thank you!!!!!!!!!

 

[Cyriacus]

One Word: Infighting.
Wait for them to Kick at you; Parry it from the Inside; And LockUp/TakeAway their Advantage of Reach and Range, by practically touching Chests.
Jam their Attacks, instead of Dodging. And so forth.
Focus on Upset Punching and Short Hooks from there. And Clinch if he starts trying to "Push" you with his Fists.
And Yes, I know your not allowed to Clinch, Technically. But all the Referee will do is split you up, and *maybe* take off a Point.
You should have Scored more than he can take away by that point.

And as for them Absorbing Kicks; Hit Harder. And Aim for Bones.
The Referee wont know the Difference, since what youre doing now probably *looks* Light Contact against someone bigger.

 

[granfire]

Contact is relative.
What would knock me out of the ring at 5'5" and around 120 pounds won't even put a dent into a guy at 225 pounds and 6 foot something!

I (when I trained) had to spar guys about twice my size on a constant basis. I consider myself blessed they took it easy on me though!

For starters, wax on-wax off: Don't be where the kick lands. Best block yet!
Reach can be avoided. Like above, infighting: a lot of the guys with the reach live by it (and die by it!) move in up close, and a lot of them are pretty helpless! (one of my instructors barely breaks the 5' mark! But boy, she is quick and right up on you!!)

Also, moving back and forth does not help you with somebody with long limbs: you have to work the angles! Stay just on this side of legal moving to the weak side. On a frontal attack you are toast!

Also, if you are short, kicks to the head of a tall opponent might just not be in the books. (unless you do aerials, more power to you!) Hit what you can, make it count: that means if your reach does not allow for head kicks, make the mid section pay (double up, so even the blindest judge can see)

that is basically it: Stay on the move, work the angles and adjust the level of contact to your opponent.

 

[WC_lun]

Don't stand in front of them and don't fight on a line. I see this a LOT. Use angles to cut thier offence, increasing your time frames and safety margins.

 

[NSRTKD]

Stay on the inside. At 5'6 and 150lbs, I end up often paired with a 6'7 dude who weighs around 200 but I couldn't be positive on his weight. He also outranks me by a lot of years/belts, but is a great teacher. Sneak inner crescent kicks to his head when his hands are busy! And remember that every hit you take is a lesson in blocking.

 

[StudentCarl]

Big people like to use their mass. Avoid going chest-to-chest inside because they will just push you around. When coming in, use angles to avoid their momentum, then kick or hit them from the side. Because your legs are shorter, you should be able to upkick, tight 45 round kicks to the ribs. Just as big people's mass is part of their advantage, momentum is their downfall. Use your mobility to get them to overcommit and make them miss, then you flurry with multiples...kicks and/or punches. Conditioning and speed are the keys to your game, and you must not get caught into a game of strength/power or you will lose. Good luck, as it's a fun game to play.

 

[oftheherd1]

Consider looking at Hapkido or Aikido defenses against kicks. Defense techniques are always followed by an attack. Learn to mix them up.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

When fighting someone taller, I get inside and jam them. When fighting someone heavier....uh, that never happens to me. If someone was heavier than me, they wouldn't be able to get into a gi. But more seriously, work on them from outside, and make them chase you around; most really big guys don't have great endurance; I sure don't.

 

[Buka]

Yes, what everyone said, get right in their kitchen.

 

[seasoned]

Most above is correct. Don't let them get off the line. It's uncommon for a big opponent to use the angles, they generally go in and out. Once their momentum sets in there could be a problem. Move in with speed and out with angles and circles.

At 6'2" and 220 pounds I was that big tall guy, the secret that I learned over the years was to learn to move like the smaller opponent.

 

[No Such User]

Taller/heavier opponents have very real advantages, you have to work harder to beat them.

If they are so heavy your strikes are ineffective then you must hit harder.

If they are taller and have more reach, you must be able to go deeper into your stances to be able to connect while still keeping one foot alive.

Getting in close and working from the inside is a myth, anything you can do in close they can to.

 

[Cyriacus]

Taller/heavier opponents have very real advantages, you have to work harder to beat them.

If they are so heavy your strikes are ineffective then you must hit harder.

If they are taller and have more reach, you must be able to go deeper into your stances to be able to connect while still keeping one foot alive.

Getting in close and working from the inside is a myth, anything you can do in close they can to.

Mm. Seems to work pretty well.
Especially in Boxing.

 

[oftheherd1]

...

Getting in close and working from the inside is a myth, anything you can do in close they can to.

You were doing OK until you got to the last sentance. In Hapkido we tend to move in to the attack. That is one of the things most westerners have to overcome at the beginning. Also some previous MA who tend to think in terms of step back and block, then counter-attack. We tend to block on the way in, then counter-attack. I think a lot of Aikido is the same way, and perhaps classic Jujitsu as well.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Getting in close and working from the inside is a myth, anything you can do in close they can to.

I disagree; I have had great success working taller opponents at a range where I was able to throw kicks but they could not due to the length of their legs. I could get full extensions on my punches while they could not, due to the length of their arms. Moving inside their framework gave me access to the ranges they could not cover well. Moving outside into their kill zone where they could strike me at will and I could not touch them was murder. I tend to like to move inside anyway; but with a taller opponent, I get inside as quickly as I can.

 

[dancingalone]

I know we're talking about sparring, not fighting, but getting in close is a good strategy regardless of your style. Frequently, people can't strike with good power up close - it sounds odd but it's true. They need a minimum space to create force behind their punches or kicks, not necessarily being adept with using elbows and knees. If you don't care about points, the best way to neutralize a lot of people is to enter their space and counter from there.

 

[dancingalone]

By the way, for discussion's sake, how would you all try to neutralize a taller guy like me who likes to use push kicks and block/shoves to move my opponent into a disadvantageous posture or position for me to attack?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

By the way, for discussion's sake, how would you all try to neutralize a taller guy like me who likes to use push kicks and block/shoves to move my opponent into a disadvantageous posture or position for me to attack?

By 'getting inside', I tend to mean right up in your front yard. You could push me, maybe throw an elbow, but kicking, even push kicks, I tend to doubt. At that range, if the knee comes up, I hammer it down or move my body to the side or simply push the knee laterally to my outside. If I really see it coming, I punch directly to the hip on the side the knee is coming up on; not only does the knee go down, but I get you off-balance. In the meantime, I'm delivering body blows, which a taller opponent has to crouch or curl up to defend against; they typically have a lot of torso that needs covering. The taller person's higher center of gravity means his hips and knees are easy for me to reach and hopefully, manipulate.

I've been push-kicked hard by a taller opponent trying to keep me from getting inside, and it can be quite effective; but it has to be fast or I'll slip it like I would a punch; I'm not quick, but I seem to have a knack for catching kicks as they're thrown. And I *love* to see the look on a tall guy's face when I jam his kick and raise it over his head while moving in with the opposite side straight punch. He's going over backwards and he knows it at that point. If a tall guy can effectively keep my outside, they can destroy me. So I try very hard to get inside those long arms and legs.

 

[Cyriacus]

By the way, for discussion's sake, how would you all try to neutralize a taller guy like me who likes to use push kicks and block/shoves to move my opponent into a disadvantageous posture or position for me to attack?

Well, minor note:
This is a rather Dirty Technique.

Inner Crescent Kick to the Upper Leg (By which i mean, just above the Knee. JUST above). Try and taunt you into aiming (By giving you an "Opportunity") at my Chest, perform the Kick, hooking my leg about half way, which will essentially push you out of balance for a splitsecond, due to the forced stepdown. Then Attack, since this would place me on the Inside. Clinching, if necessary. Legal or not.

For the Blocks and Shoves, double handed blocks and Attacking your Arms - Namely Biceps and Wrists.


Assuming i were going Clean; Quickstepping for the Kicks; Jamming for the Blocks, with the same Double Handed Blocks for Shoves.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Well, minor note:
This is a rather Dirty Technique.

Inner Crescent Kick to the Upper Leg. Try and taunt you into aiming at your Chest, perform the Kick, hooking my leg about half way, which will essentially push you out of balance. Then Attack.

For the Blocks and Shoves, double handed blocks and Attacking your Arms - Namely Biceps and Wrists.


Assuming i were going Clean; Quickstepping for the Kicks; Jamming for the Blocks, with the same Double Handed Blocks for Shoves.

You just reminded me of a devastating technique pulled out of Isshin-Ryu's Chinto kata; the downward x-block. I was shown it does not have to be a block as much as a double-handed attack. Delivered against a rising kick where the knee is still coming up, one hand delivers a hammer fist to the inside of the knee, the other delivers a straight punch to the hip of the same leg. Those of you who do Isshin-Ryu probably know who taught this bunkai. It really opened my eyes; if you can deliver an x-block, you can perform this technique and OMG it's a killer. Imagine having your kick knocked outside (exposing you to all kinds of counter-attacks) while at the same instant, a solid short straight punch to your hip drives you back and downward off-balance. It's like 'game over' in one counter to a kick. Victor Smith, you know who shows this one, right?

 

[Cyriacus]

You just reminded me of a devastating technique pulled out of Isshin-Ryu's Chinto kata; the downward x-block. I was shown it does not have to be a block as much as a double-handed attack. Delivered against a rising kick where the knee is still coming up, one hand delivers a hammer fist to the inside of the knee, the other delivers a straight punch to the hip of the same leg. Those of you who do Isshin-Ryu probably know who taught this bunkai. It really opened my eyes; if you can deliver an x-block, you can perform this technique and OMG it's a killer. Imagine having your kick knocked outside (exposing you to all kinds of counter-attacks) while at the same instant, a solid short straight punch to your hip drives you back and downward off-balance. It's like 'game over' in one counter to a kick. Victor Smith, you know who shows this one, right?

Assuming Im Visualising this Correctly, I was (Well, WE were) Practicing a Similar Technique last Thursday. In which Case, my Appreciation of Isshin-Ryu has grown a little more