Sparring larger apponents

[Natalie O'sullivan]

Hi everyone ,   

I  would love tips and advice from you awesome people espcially those of you who may have been in a similar situation.  I am 5'2    ( 160cm ) tall , ( on a good day ) and i am 57kg ( 125lbs ) .  I spar with a lot of different people , but there is one I am having trouble with making an impact on , she is 6'0 ( 182cm )  and 100kg ( 220lbs )  . Her stamina is quite poor so I do a lot of moving around to tire her out ,  but as far as hits go all I manage is lower leg kicks and lower body hits.

I also spar with the trainer who is 6'3 ( 192 cm )  he is roughly 85kg ( 187lbs ) , and I feel like I am sparring with a pair of knees lol  !  

Yes the sparring is all good fun and just light hearted , and not to be taken too seriously , but when I get the ring to start the sparring I already feel defeated , and I really don't know why I bother.  I always let my apponent set the pace and then I take it from there.   I need hot tips for some great combinations please. :thanks:  :thanks:

[Fighting Frog]

Try not to go in feeling defeated...that's the most important thing. Go into that ring convinced you're going to win.

Then consider all your advantages when sparring with a bigger opponent: you mention being speedy on your feet, so use that. Lower kicks - well, who said you have to make head kicks? Use those quick mean low kicks to wear your opponent down - keep them constantly having to lift those big heavy legs to block your snappy moves. They have to punch down at you, so that's tiring for their shoulders, so you dive in with smart uppercuts to that unprotected chin that's right in your target zone. Feint loads so they're constantly having to anticipate - keep them on the defensive.

Think about their advantages, and make sure that they can't use them. If they're way taller than you then head shots are going to be a tempting target for them, so don't give them the chance - keep your guard really high and tight and move that head. Keep in close perhaps; where you again have the advantage - don't let them use those long legs for roundhouse kicks. Be careful about getting into a clinch, although practise that like mad when you can - if you can defeat or hold your own with a taller opponent you'll have no trouble with someone closer to your own size!

It's a tremendous opportunity to really learn loads if you spar with someone significantly taller and heavier than you. My TKD friend is over 6 foot, weighs nearly half as much as me again, and her speciality is a devastating head kick. So when I spar with her I just don't let her get into the position where she can use her advantages, and I can use all of mine (which is, to be fair, mostly aggression!)

[radarjam]

Hi everyone ,   

I  would love tips and advice from you awesome people espcially those of you who may have been in a similar situation.  I am 5'2    ( 160cm ) tall , ( on a good day ) and i am 57kg ( 125lbs ) .  I spar with a lot of different people , but there is one I am having trouble with making an impact on , she is 6'0 ( 182cm )  and 100kg ( 220lbs )  . Her stamina is quite poor so I do a lot of moving around to tire her out ,  but as far as hits go all I manage is lower leg kicks and lower body hits.

I also spar with the trainer who is 6'3 ( 192 cm )  he is roughly 85kg ( 187lbs ) , and I feel like I am sparring with a pair of knees lol  !  

Yes the sparring is all good fun and just light hearted , and not to be taken too seriously , but when I get the ring to start the sparring I already feel defeated , and I really don't know why I bother.  I always let my apponent set the pace and then I take it from there.   I need hot tips for some great combinations please. :thanks:  :thanks:

 

I am shorter than you (5'0) and will always be the shortest fighter in the ring. 

I have learned that you always want to try to time your shots right and counter (and you will have to eat some shots, so guard up!) and you also want to be getting inside the box/close the range. Your arsenal (well mine actually) will be composed of: body shots/outside or inside leg kicks/overhand right or left/creating angles and stepping out once you're done in order to avoid getting hit badly. Clinching can be tough especially when you're short. Anyway, I find that I felt much better when I learned new things when I was in Thailand (and when Sylvie was teaching her clinch seminar there) You can get detailed explanation through here: http://8limbs.us/muay-thai-thailand/clinch-seminar-khongsittha-bangkok and I've been trying to use her methods when I clinch with my teammates, must say, it's very very handy! And it works well when you're the shorter fighter!

 

Oh! and use your stamina to your advantage too! Its great because you use it for speed/amazing footwork. And if she's tired, there's a greater opportunity for you to use those body shots and when she curls up, go for the face :D 

You should never feel like you're defeated...and I get how you feel actually! Last week I had my first interclub and I knew that the lady I fought was much taller than me (and I kept worrying about how she's going to fk me up big time lol - she did but I had my fair share as well heh) but really, just try to convince yourself that you will do fine and focus on your well-being. Us short fighters are as deadly as taller fighters ;D 

[Natalie O'sullivan]

Thank you so much to both of you for your brilliant advice , I am now looking forward to my next training session and using some well implemented and thought out maneuvers. It just goes to show I used to go in there and just hope for the best , now I have a plan !  

[Nina Nutting]

Make sure you use your angles, one thing I notice about the shorter people I spar with are they always go forward which for the most part is asking for trouble, angle off and get close that way...

[Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu]

I feel you. I'm smaller than 80% of my opponents in fights also. When I spar with these bigger guys I used to get really frustrated because I felt like I should do better, that I can't do anything I want to do, etc. Then I sparred someone smaller, which I'd never done before. A kid who is maybe 7-8 kg smaller than I am, which is a size difference I'm usually facing as the smaller person. Suddenly I could do anything I wanted to do. It opened my eyes to the fact that I hadn't been giving myself credit for the challenge of facing bigger people. And as the bigger person in that sparring session, I certainly didn't look down on my partner and think, "wow, he sucks," the way I was thinking about myself when I can't do what I want to do. So, give yourself credit. It will be less frustrating.

And go after the body. All my body-shot practice is against the huge ones at my gym because trying to hit their heads is like trying to dunk a basketball.

[Jilly Mcculloch]

Hey,  I get this! I am 6ft and 65kg so although tall pretty light for my size. The main reason people struggle to get past me is due to my reach - they come in head on with out using footwork and angles which is my q to teep, jab or use a long knee if they charge in for the clinch. It sends them back (crashing back if they are charging at me).

My advice to my shorter guys is always this - use you footwork and angles - constantly moving on the balls of your feet.
Mix it up - go high then low, low then high, use mental tricks to keep me busy and don't run at me - it wont work. 
Chop the leg - kick kick kick on that leg and weaken the base - it may not score high but it take away my ability to teep and move and open up further opportunities to score well further down the line. 
Stand in the pocket with me - once you get in don't back up - work the body, use your angles to keep me guessing, strike on the way out. When you are tall its hard to deal with someone in close -esp if they close the distance - my long legs and arms cant get in range to counter well. Stay away from trying to catch my kick and flip me - unless your good at it - otherwise you won't have the leverage. 
Long people usually rely on range so we tend to fatigue quicker when someone is relentlessly coming forward in a smart fashion :)

 

Good luck - let me know how it goes xx

[Fighting Frog]

Take a look at Cong Carter's facebook page - a video got posted today showing some clinch work between a tall chap and another bloke who only comes up to his opponent's chin - and the shorter bloke is chucking the taller guy around all over the place! So you can be shorter and kick ass... (mind you, in fairness, I think the taller man is not as experienced, but still, it makes a point).

[Fighting Frog]

Take a look at Cong Carter's facebook page - a video got posted today showing some clinch work between a tall chap and another bloke who only comes up to his opponent's chin - and the shorter bloke is chucking the taller guy around all over the place! So you can be shorter and kick ass... (mind you, in fairness, I think the taller man is not as experienced, but still, it makes a point).

[Fighting Frog]

Take a look at Cong Carter's facebook page - a video got posted today showing some clinch work between a tall chap and another bloke who only comes up to his opponent's chin - and the shorter bloke is chucking the taller guy around all over the place! So you can be shorter and kick ass... (mind you, in fairness, I think the taller man is not as experienced, but still, it makes a point).

[Fighting Frog]

Oops, sorry for the multiple postings - i didnt think the 'post' button was working and hit it too often!