Does size always matter in a street fight?

Discussion in 'Self Defence' started by musikah, May 6, 2013.

  1. musikah

    musikah New Member

    A friend of mine says if your are a big guy you always have an advantage on fighting, i said it depends on the ability of the fighter if a big guy dont have any coordination or experience he can be a easy target cuz his big:) but i know it has an advantage.
    whats your opinion?
    any of you guys have an experience fighting taller than you or smaller than your size?:woo:
     
  2. John Titchen

    John Titchen Still Learning Supporter

    Weight is an advantage.
    Strength is an advantage.
    Speed is an advantage.
    Flexibility is an advantage.
    Skill is an advantage.
    Stamina is an advantage.
    Knowledge is an advantage.
    Mindset is an advantage.

    There is a good reason why competitive fights have weight classes.
     
  3. ned

    ned Valued Member

    The bigger they are the harder they fall;it's a cliche but there is an element of truth
    to it.The idea being to use someones weight and momentum against them by redirecting their energy;this being one of the ideas behind taiji.
    You will always start out disadvantaged against a bigger opponent in the ways listed
    above and in reach but training and footwork can even things up.
    It means you have to keep out of range and be able to move inside to deploy
    your strikes or stay outside and use your techniques to block/intercept their strikes
    and turn defence into offence.Arts such as juijitsu are designed to overcome your opponent if you end up on the ground.Many arts use locks/holds but it depends on your level of training whether you'd be able to use them effectively under pressure (that goes for everything i've said)
     
  4. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    The bigger they are the harder they fall....but they don't fall as often

    The smaller they are, the further they fly
     
  5. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    The bigger they are the harder they hit.
    The phrase "the bigger they are the harder they fall" was invented by somoene small with a chip on his shoulder.
    No one ever had a fight (win or lose) and thought at the end "Well I wish I was smaller because that would have been much easier".
     
  6. ned

    ned Valued Member

    That would be a sort of defeatist attitude for someone relatively small
    like myself :)
     
  7. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    It's not defeatist. Just realistic.
    Fighting's harder when you are smaller. I don't make the rules.
    A strength or weight advantage can be a patch for technique. If you're technique or timing isn't spot on you can still power a technique on. You can still hit hard.
    And sadly being big doesn't make you slow either (another myth).
    Usain Bolt is 6' 5" and weighs 94kg. That's a big man by any standards. And I don't care how skilled you are at martial arts that man is going to be a nightmare to fight.
     
  8. ned

    ned Valued Member

    My point is that given you can't change your height/reach ,at least through
    training you can try and make yourself as efficient as you can be-i realise
    you can only play the hand you're dealt and sometimes you'll be on a hiding to nothing
     
  9. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    I don't reckon it's a total myth. I bet there is a fair bit of truth in it.
     
  10. Dean Winchester

    Dean Winchester Valued Member

    Yeah and it's not like you are going to out run him either.

    :D
     
  11. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    Some people are fast. Some people are not.
    Some people can move fast but react slowly. Some move fast AND react fast (I hate those people).
    Maybe...just maybe..there is some correlation that means, on average "big" people move or react slower but I think any such difference would be so minor as to be worthless in a fighting context.
    But hey ho...I'm slow myself. Terrible reaction speed and not very explosive so everyone seems fast to me.
     
  12. ned

    ned Valued Member


    does that make Mike Tyson the exception to prove the rule ? ;)
     
  13. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    OT grammar beef - the exception proves the rule does not mean that

    The exception proves the rule is best illustrated like this: "Parking prohibited mon-fri 0600-1700" means that any times outside those you CAN park
     
  14. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    I think that's a fine use of it.
    The bigger they are the harder they hit is the rule.
    Tyson being a small heavyweight (but still a big bloke) he proves (tests) that rule to see if it stacks up.
    But if we graphed striking power and size together there'd definitely be a correlation.
    Tyson would be on the large side of the graph AND the striking part of the graph.
    Ronnie Corbett would not. :)
     
  15. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    Well look at the BAntamweights in the UFC and how much faster they move than the heavy weights. They can throw faster combos because of less weight/momentum. Which might be the "truth" part of the argument.
     
  16. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    The exception proves the rule is best illustrated by finding outliers that don't correspond to the rule surely?
     
  17. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    From wiki -

     
  18. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    Indeed. But look at what you are talking about. The very biggest people versus the smallest.
    Sure you are going to get differences there. But most people aren't that extreme. We mostly fall in the middle.
    Someone a couple of inches and 20lbs on you isn't going to be noticably slower than you IMHO.
    Someone 5 inches taller and 50lbs heavier is gong to be slower but not slow enough to take consistent advantage of I think.
     
  19. ned

    ned Valued Member

    I hold my hands up-don't want no beef, grammatical or not. :p
    Perhaps i should have just said big mike is an exception to this rule.
     
  20. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    I always (and have heard other people say that same) that the "prove" is the same prove as in "proving ground".
    Something that "tests" the proposition under debate?
     

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