Any time I see tips in magazines and books they are for shorter fighters. What about taller fighters?

Question

I am basically seeking tips for a taller fighter because I am finding sparring with fighters my height or taller easier then with fighters of other. I always get whooped by shorter fighters. What can I do with a shorter fighter, I need help but I never see any tips out there for me. Please help, thanks.

I guess I should have said that I am referring pretty much to MMA and Self Defense. I know that they are distinctly different but when it comes to one-one-one hand-to-hand I treat them both pretty much the same. Thanks.

Answer 1

Well I'm a 5'11" tae kwon do student and I sometimes have to spar people shorter then me..although I spar guys a lot so I can improve...
I use my height to my advantage..sometimes its hard because they can just get right in there and sneak around...use your legs to keep them away, at least for tkd this works. I chamber my front leg into a sidekick and if they come near me I push them away a bit-knocking them off balence and keeping my leg up-and as soon as they drop thier leg I kick again and score or follow the kick up with a body bunch or ridge hand or backfist or SOMETHING and score that way.
Another thing using ur height/flexibility is to throw roundkicks to the head. Its intimidating and highly effective esp if followed up with some quick hard punches.

Answer 2

Wow...poor guy :-)
Seriously, I am about 5'9" and I have always had problems with taller guys like you. A buddy of mine is about 6'3"...6' of which seems to be ALL legs. He plays me like a fiddle by keeping me at HIS range and not letting me in- at least not without serious effort on my part- and you should do this too.
In japanese, the concept is called "maai" or distancing. Basically, you can hit me before I can hit you- at a longer range. You have to know exactly where this "copmfort zone" is for you- at what distance can you throw your techniques and how close does the opponent have to be before I am in trouble. My buddy uses his legs as a sort of ruler. He keeps throwing front and side kicks toward me, and even if they don't HIT me, I still have to deal with them. meanwhile, he is keeping me at HIS range and he knows when I'm getting too close for his comfort range. When I start getting a little too close for his legs to keep me at bay, that's when his hands come into play.
Also, a big aspect that you might be missing is footwork. If smaller guys are getting inside on you then you might not be moving your body well enough. If a smaller guy tries to "break inside" on you, you need to not only retreat back into your own comfort range, but also to the side- preferrably with a circle step move. This should not only put you back outside his range and back into yours, but should also give you a "flanking" position where you can attack him where he cannot defend himself as well.
Now this is assuming you are talking about "stand up" sparring and not grappling. If you were asking about grappling, please make a note, and I'll answer for you that way.
Hope this helps...
Sensei Cox

Answer 3

dunno what art you practice but....

if you are taller, you have certain advantages over someone who is shorter...like a longer reach with both your arms and legs. you may want to analyze how well you are using distance when you spar. you need to make someone pay for coming in on you.

when they are inclose, as the above person mentioned, your center of gravity is higher. you could possible practice getting REALLY low when they come in...or using your height, you could reign down on top on them with pounding type hand attacks, or thai-style knees up to the shorter persons chest/face.

but i would say look at how you use distance.

i'm 5'9" and need to really throw a taller person off with a fake or a feint before i can sneak in.

good luck!

Answer 4

well basically when you are taller your gravity center hara "hips" are to far from the ground mean wile the shorter one is ,
*Closer to the graound"have mor balance"
*faster"takes him less time to performe"

you should focus bacause you are taller

*range"yours is longer"
*and timing thast all you need in karate there is a thing called " tai no sen" its from timing you should time the person so when he is going to attack or performe any movement you slap him in the face could be a kick or kizami zuki"karate jab" the things is not to let him get close remember when he is closer to you he is on his distance and you are out of balance i dont know if you understandme but if you have some specific question just write me [e-mail]
!luck!

Answer 5

You've got the reach advantage, give us little guys (and girls) a chance. Seriously though, I'm not sure. You may try Kendall Grove's website. He's pretty lanky. You may even be able to post some questions on there and have him respond.