How much does height matter in a fight? Does a short guy have any advantages in a fight?

Question

Any fighting style. It doesn't matter for this question. Take your pick. Maybe even street fighting if you choose. I once heard Larry Merchant (the boxing commentator from HBO) mention that short men actually have an advantage because it is easier to punch up rather than down. Also by punching up, more force can be generated. I am a short guy that thinks being short could be detrimental in a fight because of the reach factor.

Answer 1

As you said Larry Merchant who is a boxing commentator (which boxing does not include the option of using knees, elbows and kicks, so it is a one dimensional discipline) a shorter guy has a slight advantage over a taller opponent, but tthe taller opponent will have a longer reach to compensate, which means he can draw the smaller guy in for closer quarters, and get more usage of his reach. in martial arts however, drawing the opponent in closer is more dangerous due to the second dimension of using kicks and knee strikes in addition to punching and elbow strikes that martial arts are known for.

so while size has some advantages to the fighting discipline, it mostly relies on the experience and training regimen of the individual fighter and his strategy.

Answer 2

A tall fighter has the advantage how ever a short fighter can keep his hands up and punch on the inside better for street fighting you can get the advantage fighting by leaning way back and lettin your opponent come to you and master the front snap kick to the groin you can use a persons size to your advantage if you know a lil judo eye gouge or groin kick ends a fight pretty fast as well as a power punch to the solar plexus.

Answer 3

Real life experience of me fighting against 2 guys, 1 short & 1 same height. I was winning until D shorty came in & uses good tactic which I couldn't handle. I finally grap both of them & all 3 of us roll in2 a drain. A short guy can attack more spot of his taller opponent . As 4 D tall guy 2 fight a 1foot shorter guy, he hav 2 keep his distance. This is base on the knowledge of both ar equally good. Trust me shorty, if your opponent is experience & much tally than u, he should be worried facing u.

Answer 4

I would imagine that punching down would be easier than punching up because the tall person has gravity on the side of his punch. I'm 5'7" and very self-conscious about my height when it comes to martial arts. I've heard that Aikido is a good martial art for short people because it relies on getting your center of gravity lower than that of your opponents. Tall people usually have a longer reach which is a huge advantage unless you can manage to get in close. If everything else was equal (weight, strength, skill, etc), I would put money on the taller person.

Answer 5

tall i think has the advantage cause most of the time the taller the person the longer there reach is and if you are a short person with little reach fighting a tall person with longer reach its going to be harder for you to get a punch or kick in without getting caught or hurt take for instance In UFC the heavy weight champ is tim sylvia who is only good because he has such long reach if he was the same size as the number 2 fighter in that class andrei arlvoski tim sylvia would lose evry time but since hes taller arlovski has a tougher time getting in and hitting him and getting out without being hit

Answer 6

height is a huge downfall if youre shorter, reach is a problem, before you even reach him hes probably already gotten a couple licks on you............. it is most likely never an advantage unless you both weigh the same then youre punches should be more solid and more painful

Answer 7

i dont think it matters what height you are because if you are a real fighter you can fight anybody.a short person can duck lower but still does not have a good shot at hitting you back.but can still come at u with kicks and punches in the lower body.the tall person has some can hit the shorter person too not having to worry bout ducking but still pay attention like a said i dont think it matters

Answer 8

Ultimately it all depends on the fighters skills and the situation. If I were fighting someone who wanted to strike I would prefer them to be my height or shorter. If I was fighting someone who wanted to grapple, I would prefer to be the shorter one. I have to fight a lot of people that are taller than me and I would rather punch down than up.

Answer 9

The reach advantage of the taller fighter usually keeps the shorter person away and obviously from causing damage. If the taller fighter can effectively keep the shorter one in his strike zone by maintaining this distance, the shorter fighter has a less than good chance of defeating or injuring the taller opponent.

A short guy has a better chance of survival if he brings a gun to a knife fight.

If you ever watched mixed martial arts you have seen this advantage in action.

Answer 10

Its teh same in football shorter man always wins. I build that onto my martial arts. I'm 5'10 and have tall friends but its a disadvatage to be tall. I have tooken a martial art for small people, Kung-Fu and drained in the Wing-Chun aspects. So i am more open for vital points. A tall person has reach fist wise but my legs are longer than most peoples arms. The sad thing is my arms are stronger. But people don't know that so there wanna get in and ontop of the opponent so to speak. If were talkign about boxign the taller person will probably have longer arms so he wins. But in martial arts no matter the height legs are different so its usualyl the person with the strongest longest legs, and the stronger person so height really isn't as effetive as people say. But if your taking some one down and the persons are relatively the same strength the shorter guys can usualy take the taller guy if they are inexperienced
!

Answer 11

short person has the advantage because most fights are in close quarters and that take the advantage of the taller persons arm or leg reach away from them.