Reach and height are usually seen as universal as advantages. As a tall guy however, I feel this isn’t universaly true. Being a good taller fighter is an art and it should treated like that.
I was hoping you guys got some good tips for taller fighters. There is quite some in-trench knowledge lurking on these forums I came to understand.
(Tips appreciated for boxing, kickboxing, BJJ, MMA, self-defence. etc.)
I know (think I know) a few thinks as a tall fighter:
- Don’t get in too much brawls in the open. Long arms, wide elbows, giving up reach are just not that smart if avoidable.
- Kicks, knees and elbows are great tools.
3)Straight punches are a great. Keep at range where I can hurt him and he can hurt me.
- your tip can be here!
Well, I can only speak to boxing, but I’ll tell you this - as a short guy, I HATE moving with tall guys with great jabs who are adept at controlling distance. It makes life 1.78 million times tougher for me to get inside and do any sort of work, and if you’re well-conditioned, it comes to guaranteeing a win in the amateur ranks as you can get, what with their 2-minute rounds.
So my advice would be thus: work on that jab for hours, every day, incessantly. And when you’re working it on the bag, concentrate entirely on maintaining your range - keeping the bag at the end of your punch, and firing it off 5-6-7 times in a row. If you pepper a hard, fast jab in continuously, and follow it with a devastating right hand and slick movement, you’re going to be very difficult to deal with.
Thanks for the first reply! The ole jab works wonders in sparring indeed.
My right ulna is right now jacked up (broken), and has a pin in it. So I mostly shadow box jabs and uppercuts and left hooks of jabs right now. Every time I pas the plants, so I guess 10 times a day.
I’m boxing the ears of my moms flowers right now, mostly accuracy and range work. I will make range evan a bigger thingy right now.
Keep 'em coming guys!
Good understanding of range is crucial. You’re right, being tall is seen as a universal advantage in boxing dogm, but being tall in and of itself is not actually advantageous in fighting. Its only the reach that is advantageous.
Also drill hard on footwork. Biggest problem I see tall amateurs having off the bat is their tendency to backpedal when met with aggression, if you can get good at sharp pivots, sidestepping, turning your man etc, you will be at a huge advantage.
Thanks for chiming in!
When I back pedal, out of quasi-instinct/logic this goes true my cluttered mind: damn, he is inside my range! Gotta go fast. after you get smothered as a tall guy, you want to establish your range really fast. That makes us run backwards stupidly. I do this far too much myself. Will try those drills. Sharp pivots are badass!
I’ve never done striking so I have no perspective on that.
Shorter guys with less reach have no choice but to close distance so they will constantly try to. If they do get close and you try to punish them with close range strikes like knees and elbows they might see opportunities for leg takedowns or hip throws / shoulder throws and they have good leverage to do these easily. As a taller fighter you do not have good leverage for these.
However as a taller fighter you do have good leverage and reach for a lot of judo sweeps/trips. Gripping with an underhook give you good leverage because if your grip is tight you only have to posture up a little to shift their weight on to their other foot. A headlock can give you good leverage and control too for a lot of throws but if the grip is too loose you are actually vulnerable to getting suplexed/ picked up in a variety of other ways. Tai otoshi, harai goshi and uchi mata can work well. uchi mata can be a very good counter on someone setting up a leg takedown. Aussie Davo pointed out the importance of sharp pivoting, sidestepping and turning your opponent around in a striking context, these skills are also important in grappling situations to create momentum for takedowns and reversals of your opponents takedowns
Here’s some takedowns, some of them I mentioned. The sweep to counter the single leg takedown is also worth remembering
Do you just do striking?
Great to also hear some grappling advice. At the moment,I only strike (kyokushin karate and picking up/maybe switching to muay thai). I hope to get in a school in a few years in a nearby city were BJJ, MMA, MT, boxing are all taught. I really wanna learn from everybody so I become as rounded as possible. I have a striking preference, but quite biased cause I haven’t grappled in 10 years (did some judo as a kid).
I think you have a good point with the trips and sweeps. The seem the go-to of tall MT fighters, but also of Jon Jones.
I feel elbows and knees are great to punish an incoming opponent, but when the clinch is established, try to keep openings brief.
The uchi mata is a throw I can’t recall I’ve ever done, but the beastly Anton Geesink used it with verve.
The tai otoshi is my favorite move when having some play with friends. When I feel pressure, I know I’m just one pivot away from throwing him.
Thank you for your time!
[quote]Panopticum wrote:
Great to also hear some grappling advice. At the moment,I only strike (kyokushin karate and picking up/maybe switching to muay thai). I hope to get in a school in a few years in a nearby city were BJJ, MMA, MT, boxing are all taught. I really wanna learn from everybody so I become as rounded as possible. I have a striking preference, but quite biased cause I haven’t grappled in 10 years (did some judo as a kid).
I think you have a good point with the trips and sweeps. The seem the go-to of tall MT fighters, but also of Jon Jones.
I feel elbows and knees are great to punish an incoming opponent, but when the clinch is established, try to keep openings brief.
The uchi mata is a throw I can’t recall I’ve ever done, but the beastly Anton Geesink used it with verve.
The tai otoshi is my favorite move when having some play with friends. When I feel pressure, I know I’m just one pivot away from throwing him.
Thank you for your time![/quote]
This guy breaks tai otoshi down pretty well for no go / mma applications, and I like his tactical idea about forcing the opponent against the cage and then just letting them off the cage to cut him off with it.
uchi mata is very effective in judo, and its been popular in mma too, Rhonda uses it all the time and Karo Parisyan has been successful with it IIRC
Thanks for the video.
I love the throw accept for the slight feel of giving up your back. But a underhook should prevent that.
wasn’t Ronda’s throw a harai goshi? More of a hip throw instead of leg/hip hybrid. For an harai goshi I need to sink my hips real deep.
Great advice thus far!
