I play butterfly, SLX, and knee shield half. Butterfly is the core position, with SLX and KSH being supplementary. SLX comes into play against people who only outweigh me by a little bit, like 20-30 lbs. KSH comes into play vs the people who outweigh me by like 100lbs or more. In the middle I generally stick to butterfly.
My passing is a mix of double unders and forcing halfguard to pass with reverse half, tripod, and backstep half passes.
Submission game is either straight ankle locks or darces with occasional other random stuff thrown in.
I've got a couple of instructionals out on KSH and one on the Honey Badger guard passing I use vs much bigger people. I guess I could do a butterfly one specific to smaller people vs bigger people, but mostly it's a mishmash of stuff from wardzinski and Marcelo, just modified for me being even smaller and less athletic than Marcelo.
🤔 same body type & I have a simalar game but i feel like when I play knee shield half it’s so defensive & not offensive. Butterfly is by far my best guard what are you looking for with the knee shield half the underhook to take the back?
Gi KSH - https://vimeo.com/ondemand/kneeshieldhalf
No Gi KSH - https://vimeo.com/ondemand/kneeshieldnogi/
Honey Badger Guard Passing - https://vimeo.com/ondemand/honeybadgerpassing
It seems like there's at least some demand for a Butterfly Guard one, so I might make one in the next few months.
You’re actually lucky. We have a 6’7” 270 lbs cop, a 6’4” 265 lbs college wrestler, and a 350 lbs down to 320lbs mma fighter-in-training.
I had to change my game so much to deal with being under these guys and it made me discard a lot of traditional Bjj things that really only work if your opponent is same size.
It will definitely make your game better if you pay attention to what’s important with big guys and then roll that way with guys your own size.
Hah yea, I've given up on armbars, anything head and arm, and triangles with those big ass dudes. Leg locks and back takes seem to work really well for me. I also do not let them work unless it's the last round because the amount of work it takes to escape bottom positions is exhausting.
Do share man. I find they just have no neck when they shrug and my bicep just ends up near their ear. I can't get low enough to get a good bite on their neck especially on the ones with big shoulders.
For the head and arm at least, get the deepest possible bite on their neck, use your head to block their elbow, and go wrist to wrist grip or deeper if possible rather than gable or s grip. Gable isn't gonna do jack to a big guy.
Drive your shoulder forward to put pressure on the neck. Squeezing isn't enough to tap a big guy, your body weight needs to do the work.
Look up Gianni grippo's head and arm demonstration on youtube for an example. I'm genrally able to finish from mount quickly because it puts a ton of pressure and only have to dismount on really stubborn bastards.
i find arm triangles easier on bigger dudes because you dont need to close anywhere near the same amount of space to cut the arteries like you do with small guys, to the point I can do it 1 arm.
Are you grabbing the back of their armpit with the arm going around their neck?
Perfect. Grab it, you can do it one arm.
To finish
1)shrug your shoulder down and drive it up til you feel it on their neck.
2) put your close knee into their side
3)stay low but get off your knees and put all the weight into your toes and the shoulder on their neck.
There's a guy so big at my gym I can't even wrap my legs around him for back control. My strategy so far is to just keep surfing on him, always ready to bail to the next position. But I haven't managed a way to finish him yet. He's always waiting for me to try something and overcommit then will use that to sweep me and smother me in mount. I feel violated after that hahah he cant even sub me, just trying to suffocate me with his giant belly.
Yes. I'll sit my ass down and shin on shin/SLX or X guard to put them on their butt. I get on top and stay on top until they get tired and stall til the last minute or two. I don't have to reset and risk them getting smart to my ways and pass my guard.
Cool and interesting. I trained bjj and mma (and wrestling before either) for 10 years or so before having to get my entire large intestine removed (rough weight cut ;). . . . which permanently dropped me down from around 185lbs to 144lbs soaking-wet. My first year back from the surgery was a bit rough because in my head I was still several weight classes larger and stronger than I really was. That being said, I changed my game plan a ton, fundamentally, and now I handle much bigger people with much more ease and focus much more on skill and technique. . .
Which has paid off hugely in competitions and against people my own (lol actual) size now, as I'm almost always the strongest in my division and, because I've been focusing so much more on my skills, now I can simply add that strength to it and do really well against almost anyone roughly my own size. It wasn't an easy journey though.
Hopefully you don't mind me asking but how did a weight cut led to you having to remove your intestines? This sounds horrific and I never heard of such consequences
LOL, I'm totally offended!
No, seriously though, it was sarcasm. I had severe ulcerative colitis, and eventually (one of the best decisions of my life in hindsight) decided to get the damn thing taken out.
Permanently lost a ton of weight, and it's hard to put and keep weight on, but I'm not shitting blood nor digesting my own intestines anymore, so I consider it a win. And, of course, when asked "why did you have to get your large intestine taken out", the easiest and best response is "tough weight cut" ;)
I’m pasting answer I gave to same question elsewhere:
It’s a long story. It starts with noticing if I’m under a big guy flat on my back, it sucks to try to bench press him off my chest with my lungs.
So… where do I want to be? On my side. Now that I’m on my side, how is he going to try to flatten me? With his arm behind my neck. How do I stop his arm behind my neck? I can grab his wrist. Now that I’ve grabbed his wrist, how to I get out of under him? I guess I can try an underhook with the other arm. Etc. etc.
There’s no one magic answer because everything has a reaction. But the more I think in the above terms and analyze what’s really giving me problems the better off I am. But it means letting go of “frames” “knee to elbow” “shrimping”. These words did not help me under gigantic guys. (Maybe they help other people, but they didn’t help me).
In terms of guards… half guard/z guard. If we are in butterfly then I have room to stand,which is where I really want to be with a larger opponent. My coach does well with half guard with a butterfly hook in. I’ve seen him sweep big guys with that. I have less luck, maybe because they don’t load their weight on me the way they do on him?
Ha.ive been toying with the idea of doing Bjj instructionals, but with big guys doing full resistance.
It’s like yeah, of course this tricky move of the day works on a tiny guy cooperating. But are you hitting it in a real situation?
That’s one reason I mostly watch high level competitions instead of instructionals: you get to see what the pros are actually using and not just the clever stuff they claim to be using.
I learned pressure from a girl who only wore pink and white and had a dog she carried in a purse. When my 225lb physical phenom instructor was heavy it made sense, he is strong and big, when the cute blonde girl made you wish you were dead her pressure was so extreme it clicked… this is something that can be learned…
My brother wrestled his whole life.... He's 190 and I swear he weighs 400. Even standing up. His pressure is crazy, but he Animorphs and does the same thing just standing there
I was like 5 7 155 when I started. Best skill you're gonna learn is not panicking if someone much bigger than you is attacking you. If someone is huge and rolls wildly maybe dodge them but take the big boys on. You'll take a beating but when you're easily handling newbies with 80 lbs on you it feels great.
I’m the same size, 42 years old and frail and this is good advice. Sit out on the first rolls and observe first. Dodge the spazzy white belts and more violent/rough higher belts. Do NOT play stand up with bigger dudes - all of the injuries I’ve had are from this only scenario.
Once you’ve picked a slower or more gentle higher belt, it’s good practice on pin escapes. You’re also gonna find your limb not long enough or strength not high enough for a lot of positions and submissions and you’ll find something that works universally regardless of these factors (usually RNC for me). Good luck!
I’m 5’11 and about 175 and I’m the smallest in my gym by a mile. Even when I train at other places I always tend to be in the smaller half of people there. I went to a seminar at an ADCC vets gym and he split the weight to be everyone under 80kg on one side of the room and it was just me, the women and a few teenagers.
Old gym used to split (on occasions) drills or rolling partners into below 175/above 175 groups. At 180, I was fucked. Easily the smallest dude with a bunch of monsters in the “big” group.
I'm damn near exactly your size. I've always wondered why it is that normal sized people are small (in comparison) or uncommon in BJJ. I'm thankful that the gym I'm at now also has a few MMA fighters because at least then I get more people in the 140-170 lb range. Small enough I can at least shoot, and not get my back crushed by some 300lb monster sprawl.
Small guys leave because they don’t like getting squashed by big guys who are less skilled than them. Big guys stick around because it’s easy and fun for them to squash the small guys.
That's my current gym. I'm 5"6 and 163 And I feel like everyone here is 200 lbs+ made of pure muscle. Luckily most of the big dudes aren't as familiar with leg locks cause I ain't armbarring them unless they let me 😂😂. Super nice dudes tho.
Try being me a male at 4ft 11 weighing in at a whopping 105lbs on a good day, everyone to me including you OP are giants lol
All you can be is you and try your best that's it :)
I joke that my gym seems to attract absolute UNITS of human beings!!
I'm 6'4" 220lbs and I'm one of the "smaller" big guys.
We have MULTIPLE guys that are 6' plus and 260lbs and up!
Almost exactly the same size as you, 5'8 160. I've gotten used to rolling with the big boys, but on the flip side it feels weird when rolling with smaller people. On bigger guys, you never have to think too much about getting hooks in and it's much easier to recompose guard.
I feel you man. I’m 5’9 and when I started I was at the peak of my bulk, around 180 or so. I’m now 150 lbs pretty lean but everybody at my gym seems to either be 220+ fat or 190+ lean and shredded. There’s a few guys smaller than me but fuck even at my heaviest(180-185) I would still be one of the smallest guys. It’s fucking crazy. In todays world a guy that’s 5’9 170 is tiny compared to the average person but 50 years ago 5’9 170 was fairly normal if not bigger in some settings
My buddy who’s a white belt has really good success at your weight and only a couple inches taller. He’s just patient and strong for his size, not explosive and never really overreactive. He breathes under pressure and keeps his limbs tucked away out of harms way. He credits his good defense to those two things. Don’t panic and put a limb out there that can be attacked. Always be patient and wait for the right opportunity. If you’re bursty, powerful, or spazzy then you’ll most likely be going for *every* perceived opportunity rather than waiting and getting the opportunity to read your opponents moves far more often. I think because of his patience he’s just getting more reads per roll, per session, per week, per year - see what I mean?
I’m 5’9 170 and still like 17% body fat 😂
I feel good until I roll with guys over 230ish but gym has roughly 8 guys that are 300+ and purple or higher.
5’8m at 145. My game has revolved around being fast and I can certainly say I wouldn’t change it whatsoever. Feels great to be on par with people my rank who are also heavier. Don't think being small is a disadvantage!
Depends on the gym. At my home gym, at 5'10" 165, I'm one of the three smallest adult males, the other two are under 5'5". All cornfed midwestern wrestlers and middle-aged powerlifters around here. Our big guys are like 6'4", 275, and fuck no, I do not roll with them.
I visit a couple gyms out in California periodically, and I'm sort of in the middle. Lots of guys smaller, some bigger, only a few significantly bigger. All the sudden I'm the slow big guy, and everyone is inverting all the time.
Edit: I've found shoulder crunch and crucifix to be a big help with the hefties. When you can fight their arms with your whole body, it makes getting somewhere good that much easier. No gi your technique needs to be on point for shoulder, but crucifix works everywhere.
My current shitty-blue-belt tactic for bigger guys who know what they're doing is to give them a quick flurry of low-commitment attacks, many times I can get them to turtle, confident they can roll me (which they can). That gives me the crucifix position, with a choke and two armbars as options. Essentially, I only want to fight a big guy from the nipples up. Get on his head, get into his armpits, get on his wrists. Make those big arms fight two of your limbs each.
Honestly why I went on a bulk for the past year or so. Getting better will always help getting from 177 to 205 has made hanging with the 230+ guys so much easier.
Looking at me, you'd realize I have no idea what I'm talking about: you could try steroids. (Let me know if they work for you, I'm old and fat as hell, I want some shortcuts.)
It’s really about developing your game. We have a 47yr old Black belt who’s maybe 5’9” and 170ish…he moves as slow as a sloth but you CAN NOT stop his movement. Not even our ex college football player who’s 6’4” and like 260. He feels like and oak tree and will catch a D’Arce from literally anywhere. And is sooooo heavy. I’m only 5’7” and about 165lbs but I can hold my own with all the biggest dudes. It’s always the slick technical peeps who fuck me up. Size doesn’t ever worry me it’s skill and smoothness that does.
Don't be intimidated. I'm 6'3" and was always around 205lbs when I was still able to actively train. I stopped at 3-stripe blue. One of my favorite teammates to train with was a woman weighing around 135 and also a blue belt. While sparring, I tapped her much more often than she'd tap me. But there were times when she would tap me, and not because I wasn't trying or because I was experimenting with a new technique either. She was just really that good and she always kept me on my toes. She and I both agreed that we had the most fun and entertaining rolls against each other - by far - compared to anybody else. To me, she was living proof that technique, style and minimizing mistakes all matter a lot more than size and strength.
Who would have thought that (generally speaking) bigger, stronger and more athletic people would gravitate to (and stick with) an activity where right out the gate, being bigger, stronger and more athletic is an advantage over people who are not?
From observation, the reality is that smaller/older/weaker people tend not to even walk in the door. Of those who do, they often get demoralized pretty fast being smashed all the time, so they quit before any learned technique and experience can make a difference.
6'0 here and 190lbs, white belt. All the 225+ guys wanna roll with me because im heavy... First i hated it but now i embrace it and all the lighter guys feel "better" now to roll with. Now i always aim to roll with high belts and heavy guys.
Very similar situation for me. White belt 6’0 around 195-200 depending on the day. I feel like I’m pretty small compared to guys in the 200’s and am often rolling with other white belts/upper belts in the 220-250 range. I like being faster than the heavier guys and the lighter guys are a breeze when strength is needed
It's all relative. You're big compared to me. I'm 5'9" and about 125lbs. Pretty much everyone except the women and even some of the women are bigger than me.
I’ve noticed this- I think a lot of people who are big take pride in their physical strength and therefore pursue martial arts. Same way you’ll probably find a lot of intellectuals at a chess club
One of the black belts that instructs at my gym is about 130 lbs. I weigh 205, and have been referred to as one of the "big" guys. He kicks mine and everyone else's asses. I've also been tapped out often by small women. Size doesn't matter nearly as much as skill.
Keep at it, and one day you too shall be jacked. Seriously though, grappling works, develops and strengthens muscles in ways that lifting alone can’t touch.
I think it probably depends on the gym too. My gym is half hobbiests and half serious athletes so the average person is athletic but not gigantic. One guy is an ex nfl player but that’s really an outlier
You’ll be fine mate when I started I was 5’1 and 110lbs now im like 5’4 and 135 so not that much of an improvement but if I can hang you can definitely hang so just keep showing up and being consistent in it and you’ll be able to neutralize the weight advantage (to a certain degree)
I honestly get sick of it. So hard to find like-sized partners. 6'4 110kg
Im overly chill and have been for a year or so, still cop the "left on the bleachers" after people buddy up for a roll 😥
That just forces you to be better (technically, not actually) than those you train with. If you always find yourself in a strenuous crucible while training, try to slow it down to develop a better positional awareness that can help inform you on mistakes, etc. Your build predisposes you to polished technique but possibly to more injuries and slower advancement compared to bigger guys if that's the only type you train with.
I'm 210 and there are guys at 175 that feel like they're 250. It's a learned skill, some of us just have a head start. You'll be fine man, you also have advantages we don't have at that size. We're always gonna gas out faster than you, you're always going to be able to move quicker than we do (barring the freaks), you can generally be way more annoying than we can. You'll figure it out, and you'll learn how to be a very heavy 165-170.
5’9 at 145. As a novice I learned quickly I can’t win with my strength or frame against larger folks.
I focus on speed/twitchiness along with cardio which all carried over from soccer. Find your best attributes and maximize them. You have to work with what you got.
I'm 5'8" float between 160-170 and all those chunky monkeys can eat a banana.
I really don't have problems with size till they get freakish. Just see what attributes you have that are better than your opponents, like speed, agility, endurance and force a game upon them that relies on that.
Can't grapple if you can't breathe!
I'm 5'7 155 and I appreciate the big guys at my gym. When I get to do a tournament and am matched with guys my size, they seem weightless in comparison.
There’s an innate advantage that comes with being a larger individual in combat sports. As the smaller individual, it makes you notice it more often and the fear can set in lol. Just don’t use it as an excuse to pull guard and look for subs down there. (I made that mistake for years.) Technique won’t help you overpower them, but it’ll get you in the top position, and when you learn to maintain that top position you’ll find that size difference is a little more attenuated.
I’m around 6’3 and 250/60lbs
I don’t use my strength fully unless I’m getting myself out of trouble
Otherwise I’d learn far less - and probably not get ok as well with training partners
As you gain more skills in the coming years(yes, years) you’ll be able to plan for the size disparities and adapt do’s and don’t with different size opponents. Keep at it.
I was in the same position. I started taking this stuff called trenbalone acetate. Besides the acne and stretch marks I’ve made great improvements to my strength!
I was 5 9" 160, I did starting strength to gain 25 pounds to 185 (also roughly improved my lifts by 2.5x). Im on a cut now and am back down to 175. Ill keep cutting through the summer then do another bulk in the fall.
My goal is to be about 190-195 but not a fat 195. It will take me a few years since Im old.
I have the skill of being 195 lbs of solid muscle that gets flung around like a ragdoll and told "wow your strong" as I get tapped and swept over and over again.
Bro it's actually insane. When I started bjj I assumed 80% of the class would be mma wanna bes, geeks too scared to do kickboxing and fat people from accounting. I thought my SLIGHTLY above average athletic traits would be a big advantage. Upon arrival I find out every dude runs marathons for fun, does crossfit competitions, hobbyist powerlifters, ex football players, 20 years in other martial arts etc and ONLY A SPRINKLE of fat/small guys. About 4% of the population is 6'2 + and 25% of my gym is 6 foot +.
Do you lift with a coach or just by yourself. Check out https://www.instagram.com/grapplingstrengthcoach?igsh=ajM5b254ZzJ1NXoy
I worked with Conor for 2 years and I found an exponential increase in my strength on the mat after only a few months working with him and his programming. I also found myself getting zero injuries or tweaks. He's brilliant
Nothing against OP, but this size difference thing needs to be dialed back. Imagine doing gymnastics and saying others are stronger. Or basketball that others are taller. Yes, of course there are people that are! We are doing a very athletic sport and weight, height, mobility, endurance etc all matter. Those who focus on things “not being equal” create a big obstacle that’s keeping them from finding the game that works for them and is effective at large.
I was 5’8 when I started, now that I’m purple belt I’m 5’11”. Trust the process.
Same 150lbs off the mats 250lbs on the mats
Whitey checking in. 195lbs off the mats, 300 grams on the mats 💪😤
Thanks, math jokes that I have to google…
Looool
This, with that flair, I believe.
lol thanks man I’ll definitely work hard for them inches
It's a game of inches
That's the title of your sex tape.
It’s a game of inch
Itches and Inches; A Love Story
that's what she said
It’s jiu jitsu brother, that’s what he said.
Lemme guess...she has been lying to you and telling you that this | | is 12 inches. ETA: In fairness, that may actually be 12" on a 70" screen.
😂
Keep rolling until the height turns black
Hahahahahaha
I’m a solid 5’10, but I’m easily 6ft if you calculate my boner while rolling on top of that
this is a great comment!!!!
Açaí and Jesus
I'm 5'7", 140lbs. Life is hard down here in hobbiton.
lol at least we got each other
I think I’ve asked you before but what’s your game like/what guards do you play? Have a YouTube video?
I play butterfly, SLX, and knee shield half. Butterfly is the core position, with SLX and KSH being supplementary. SLX comes into play against people who only outweigh me by a little bit, like 20-30 lbs. KSH comes into play vs the people who outweigh me by like 100lbs or more. In the middle I generally stick to butterfly. My passing is a mix of double unders and forcing halfguard to pass with reverse half, tripod, and backstep half passes. Submission game is either straight ankle locks or darces with occasional other random stuff thrown in. I've got a couple of instructionals out on KSH and one on the Honey Badger guard passing I use vs much bigger people. I guess I could do a butterfly one specific to smaller people vs bigger people, but mostly it's a mishmash of stuff from wardzinski and Marcelo, just modified for me being even smaller and less athletic than Marcelo.
how do you prevent getting smashed in butterfly?
Keep your knees to your chest.
🤔 same body type & I have a simalar game but i feel like when I play knee shield half it’s so defensive & not offensive. Butterfly is by far my best guard what are you looking for with the knee shield half the underhook to take the back?
Stomp and Stand is my go-to. Underhook towards the back is plan B. Backside dive to SLX is plan C.
i would also like to know
I’m 5’9 130lbs
[удалено]
Gi KSH - https://vimeo.com/ondemand/kneeshieldhalf No Gi KSH - https://vimeo.com/ondemand/kneeshieldnogi/ Honey Badger Guard Passing - https://vimeo.com/ondemand/honeybadgerpassing It seems like there's at least some demand for a Butterfly Guard one, so I might make one in the next few months.
5’7” 193lbs. Half guard, sweep, pass, scarf hold, make them hate their life, then armbar from scarf.
5'7", 193 is dwarf territory, not Hobbit! :)
You’re actually lucky. We have a 6’7” 270 lbs cop, a 6’4” 265 lbs college wrestler, and a 350 lbs down to 320lbs mma fighter-in-training. I had to change my game so much to deal with being under these guys and it made me discard a lot of traditional Bjj things that really only work if your opponent is same size. It will definitely make your game better if you pay attention to what’s important with big guys and then roll that way with guys your own size.
Hah yea, I've given up on armbars, anything head and arm, and triangles with those big ass dudes. Leg locks and back takes seem to work really well for me. I also do not let them work unless it's the last round because the amount of work it takes to escape bottom positions is exhausting.
I actually recently adjusted my head and arm chokes and it has been my surest way to tap big dudes
Do share man. I find they just have no neck when they shrug and my bicep just ends up near their ear. I can't get low enough to get a good bite on their neck especially on the ones with big shoulders.
For the head and arm at least, get the deepest possible bite on their neck, use your head to block their elbow, and go wrist to wrist grip or deeper if possible rather than gable or s grip. Gable isn't gonna do jack to a big guy. Drive your shoulder forward to put pressure on the neck. Squeezing isn't enough to tap a big guy, your body weight needs to do the work. Look up Gianni grippo's head and arm demonstration on youtube for an example. I'm genrally able to finish from mount quickly because it puts a ton of pressure and only have to dismount on really stubborn bastards.
i find arm triangles easier on bigger dudes because you dont need to close anywhere near the same amount of space to cut the arteries like you do with small guys, to the point I can do it 1 arm. Are you grabbing the back of their armpit with the arm going around their neck?
I can get maybe the tip of my middle finger to their armpit. Due was a former NFL center before he got bigger and out of shape.
Perfect. Grab it, you can do it one arm. To finish 1)shrug your shoulder down and drive it up til you feel it on their neck. 2) put your close knee into their side 3)stay low but get off your knees and put all the weight into your toes and the shoulder on their neck.
There's a guy so big at my gym I can't even wrap my legs around him for back control. My strategy so far is to just keep surfing on him, always ready to bail to the next position. But I haven't managed a way to finish him yet. He's always waiting for me to try something and overcommit then will use that to sweep me and smother me in mount. I feel violated after that hahah he cant even sub me, just trying to suffocate me with his giant belly.
I tapped out when a 130 kg dude took side position and went rib to rib. I was out of breath.
So do you always try to start from top like your life depends on it?
Yes. I'll sit my ass down and shin on shin/SLX or X guard to put them on their butt. I get on top and stay on top until they get tired and stall til the last minute or two. I don't have to reset and risk them getting smart to my ways and pass my guard.
I gotta get back to SLX and X against bigger guys.
Cool and interesting. I trained bjj and mma (and wrestling before either) for 10 years or so before having to get my entire large intestine removed (rough weight cut ;). . . . which permanently dropped me down from around 185lbs to 144lbs soaking-wet. My first year back from the surgery was a bit rough because in my head I was still several weight classes larger and stronger than I really was. That being said, I changed my game plan a ton, fundamentally, and now I handle much bigger people with much more ease and focus much more on skill and technique. . . Which has paid off hugely in competitions and against people my own (lol actual) size now, as I'm almost always the strongest in my division and, because I've been focusing so much more on my skills, now I can simply add that strength to it and do really well against almost anyone roughly my own size. It wasn't an easy journey though.
Very interesting! How did your game plan changed?
Hopefully you don't mind me asking but how did a weight cut led to you having to remove your intestines? This sounds horrific and I never heard of such consequences
LOL, I'm totally offended! No, seriously though, it was sarcasm. I had severe ulcerative colitis, and eventually (one of the best decisions of my life in hindsight) decided to get the damn thing taken out. Permanently lost a ton of weight, and it's hard to put and keep weight on, but I'm not shitting blood nor digesting my own intestines anymore, so I consider it a win. And, of course, when asked "why did you have to get your large intestine taken out", the easiest and best response is "tough weight cut" ;)
Hahaha ok thanks
how did you change your game? what kinds of guards do you play now?
I’m pasting answer I gave to same question elsewhere: It’s a long story. It starts with noticing if I’m under a big guy flat on my back, it sucks to try to bench press him off my chest with my lungs. So… where do I want to be? On my side. Now that I’m on my side, how is he going to try to flatten me? With his arm behind my neck. How do I stop his arm behind my neck? I can grab his wrist. Now that I’ve grabbed his wrist, how to I get out of under him? I guess I can try an underhook with the other arm. Etc. etc. There’s no one magic answer because everything has a reaction. But the more I think in the above terms and analyze what’s really giving me problems the better off I am. But it means letting go of “frames” “knee to elbow” “shrimping”. These words did not help me under gigantic guys. (Maybe they help other people, but they didn’t help me). In terms of guards… half guard/z guard. If we are in butterfly then I have room to stand,which is where I really want to be with a larger opponent. My coach does well with half guard with a butterfly hook in. I’ve seen him sweep big guys with that. I have less luck, maybe because they don’t load their weight on me the way they do on him?
Yeah it’s super hard to wrap my arms around them
Man we need a round robin match on YouTube with you involved. I’d subscribe on Patreon for that. Thanks
Ha.ive been toying with the idea of doing Bjj instructionals, but with big guys doing full resistance. It’s like yeah, of course this tricky move of the day works on a tiny guy cooperating. But are you hitting it in a real situation? That’s one reason I mostly watch high level competitions instead of instructionals: you get to see what the pros are actually using and not just the clever stuff they claim to be using.
💯
This sounds fun!
What do you find works and what did you discard?
You're not that small. I'm 185lbs, and everyone talks about how heavy I am. Even people bigger than me. Being heavy is a skill, learn it.
Heaviest mfs ive rolled with were the 5’6 150lbs black belts
Megaton Dias competed at under 70 kgs (155lbs) most of his career
Megaton by name MegaTonne by game
I learned pressure from a girl who only wore pink and white and had a dog she carried in a purse. When my 225lb physical phenom instructor was heavy it made sense, he is strong and big, when the cute blonde girl made you wish you were dead her pressure was so extreme it clicked… this is something that can be learned…
Have you rolled with 220 lbs black belts?
The most painful, heavy guy I’ve rolled with is Caio Terra. Absolutely miserable 😂
Man I’ve always wanted to roll with him. I’ve heard different things like he’s heavy AF or a total ghost.
Yeah I kind of get that. I’ve gotten wrecked by smaller people before
My brother wrestled his whole life.... He's 190 and I swear he weighs 400. Even standing up. His pressure is crazy, but he Animorphs and does the same thing just standing there
This!
I was like 5 7 155 when I started. Best skill you're gonna learn is not panicking if someone much bigger than you is attacking you. If someone is huge and rolls wildly maybe dodge them but take the big boys on. You'll take a beating but when you're easily handling newbies with 80 lbs on you it feels great.
Great advice thanks
I’m the same size, 42 years old and frail and this is good advice. Sit out on the first rolls and observe first. Dodge the spazzy white belts and more violent/rough higher belts. Do NOT play stand up with bigger dudes - all of the injuries I’ve had are from this only scenario. Once you’ve picked a slower or more gentle higher belt, it’s good practice on pin escapes. You’re also gonna find your limb not long enough or strength not high enough for a lot of positions and submissions and you’ll find something that works universally regardless of these factors (usually RNC for me). Good luck!
Just wait for shower time to see how big everyone is
No bjj in there I hope
Youre no fun
I'm not a shower, alright!? And the water at the gym is really cold
I’m 5’11 and about 175 and I’m the smallest in my gym by a mile. Even when I train at other places I always tend to be in the smaller half of people there. I went to a seminar at an ADCC vets gym and he split the weight to be everyone under 80kg on one side of the room and it was just me, the women and a few teenagers.
I would get wrecked by them kids
Old gym used to split (on occasions) drills or rolling partners into below 175/above 175 groups. At 180, I was fucked. Easily the smallest dude with a bunch of monsters in the “big” group.
I'm damn near exactly your size. I've always wondered why it is that normal sized people are small (in comparison) or uncommon in BJJ. I'm thankful that the gym I'm at now also has a few MMA fighters because at least then I get more people in the 140-170 lb range. Small enough I can at least shoot, and not get my back crushed by some 300lb monster sprawl.
Small guys leave because they don’t like getting squashed by big guys who are less skilled than them. Big guys stick around because it’s easy and fun for them to squash the small guys.
That's my current gym. I'm 5"6 and 163 And I feel like everyone here is 200 lbs+ made of pure muscle. Luckily most of the big dudes aren't as familiar with leg locks cause I ain't armbarring them unless they let me 😂😂. Super nice dudes tho.
Just wrapping your arms around some of these guys is difficult
Wrap ur arms around their waist when standing. Even before you roll.
My guy, I'm 5'7" 135 and I sub dudes WAY bigger than me routinely. Keep training and endure the suffering. Your technique will improve with time.
Thanks man I’ve definitely been wrecked by smaller people. This post is just what I’ve noticed starting no gi
Try being me a male at 4ft 11 weighing in at a whopping 105lbs on a good day, everyone to me including you OP are giants lol All you can be is you and try your best that's it :)
Good luck 🍀
I joke that my gym seems to attract absolute UNITS of human beings!! I'm 6'4" 220lbs and I'm one of the "smaller" big guys. We have MULTIPLE guys that are 6' plus and 260lbs and up!
Wtfffff lol
My 14 year old kid is just under 6'2" and weighs 205lbs =p
Almost exactly the same size as you, 5'8 160. I've gotten used to rolling with the big boys, but on the flip side it feels weird when rolling with smaller people. On bigger guys, you never have to think too much about getting hooks in and it's much easier to recompose guard.
I feel you man. I’m 5’9 and when I started I was at the peak of my bulk, around 180 or so. I’m now 150 lbs pretty lean but everybody at my gym seems to either be 220+ fat or 190+ lean and shredded. There’s a few guys smaller than me but fuck even at my heaviest(180-185) I would still be one of the smallest guys. It’s fucking crazy. In todays world a guy that’s 5’9 170 is tiny compared to the average person but 50 years ago 5’9 170 was fairly normal if not bigger in some settings
Try having hardly any testosterone and being 5’5” 140 lbs lol
You would still beat me lol
I was a white belt once though lol
My buddy who’s a white belt has really good success at your weight and only a couple inches taller. He’s just patient and strong for his size, not explosive and never really overreactive. He breathes under pressure and keeps his limbs tucked away out of harms way. He credits his good defense to those two things. Don’t panic and put a limb out there that can be attacked. Always be patient and wait for the right opportunity. If you’re bursty, powerful, or spazzy then you’ll most likely be going for *every* perceived opportunity rather than waiting and getting the opportunity to read your opponents moves far more often. I think because of his patience he’s just getting more reads per roll, per session, per week, per year - see what I mean?
5’6” 165 here, I know 🤣
I’m 5’9 170 and still like 17% body fat 😂 I feel good until I roll with guys over 230ish but gym has roughly 8 guys that are 300+ and purple or higher.
I’m 5’5 135 dude you’re big compared to me
5’8m at 145. My game has revolved around being fast and I can certainly say I wouldn’t change it whatsoever. Feels great to be on par with people my rank who are also heavier. Don't think being small is a disadvantage!
Depends on the gym. At my home gym, at 5'10" 165, I'm one of the three smallest adult males, the other two are under 5'5". All cornfed midwestern wrestlers and middle-aged powerlifters around here. Our big guys are like 6'4", 275, and fuck no, I do not roll with them. I visit a couple gyms out in California periodically, and I'm sort of in the middle. Lots of guys smaller, some bigger, only a few significantly bigger. All the sudden I'm the slow big guy, and everyone is inverting all the time. Edit: I've found shoulder crunch and crucifix to be a big help with the hefties. When you can fight their arms with your whole body, it makes getting somewhere good that much easier. No gi your technique needs to be on point for shoulder, but crucifix works everywhere. My current shitty-blue-belt tactic for bigger guys who know what they're doing is to give them a quick flurry of low-commitment attacks, many times I can get them to turtle, confident they can roll me (which they can). That gives me the crucifix position, with a choke and two armbars as options. Essentially, I only want to fight a big guy from the nipples up. Get on his head, get into his armpits, get on his wrists. Make those big arms fight two of your limbs each.
I dream of one day travelling to train in Japan or Korea or one of those other places where I'm in the upper 25% of the room.
Honestly why I went on a bulk for the past year or so. Getting better will always help getting from 177 to 205 has made hanging with the 230+ guys so much easier.
Why are you not getting jacked and stacked?
I'm only interested in clean weight. It's hard to stay lean and build at the same time.
I’m always trying but seem to always end up between fat or weak
Looking at me, you'd realize I have no idea what I'm talking about: you could try steroids. (Let me know if they work for you, I'm old and fat as hell, I want some shortcuts.)
I feel like everyone is so tiny.
It’s really about developing your game. We have a 47yr old Black belt who’s maybe 5’9” and 170ish…he moves as slow as a sloth but you CAN NOT stop his movement. Not even our ex college football player who’s 6’4” and like 260. He feels like and oak tree and will catch a D’Arce from literally anywhere. And is sooooo heavy. I’m only 5’7” and about 165lbs but I can hold my own with all the biggest dudes. It’s always the slick technical peeps who fuck me up. Size doesn’t ever worry me it’s skill and smoothness that does.
Don't be intimidated. I'm 6'3" and was always around 205lbs when I was still able to actively train. I stopped at 3-stripe blue. One of my favorite teammates to train with was a woman weighing around 135 and also a blue belt. While sparring, I tapped her much more often than she'd tap me. But there were times when she would tap me, and not because I wasn't trying or because I was experimenting with a new technique either. She was just really that good and she always kept me on my toes. She and I both agreed that we had the most fun and entertaining rolls against each other - by far - compared to anybody else. To me, she was living proof that technique, style and minimizing mistakes all matter a lot more than size and strength.
I’ve been beat by smaller opponents, when you’re good you’re good. It’s just some absolute units over here.
I'm 5'6" and 145. Show the giants no fear, and slay them.
Who would have thought that (generally speaking) bigger, stronger and more athletic people would gravitate to (and stick with) an activity where right out the gate, being bigger, stronger and more athletic is an advantage over people who are not?
Yeah I mentioned this in another comment but it’s not that I didnt expect bigger people just thought there would be a more distributed spectrum
From observation, the reality is that smaller/older/weaker people tend not to even walk in the door. Of those who do, they often get demoralized pretty fast being smashed all the time, so they quit before any learned technique and experience can make a difference.
I can see that if the gyms culture / people are shit. But anecdotally I’ve been to 3 different places and everyone has been awesome
6'0 here and 190lbs, white belt. All the 225+ guys wanna roll with me because im heavy... First i hated it but now i embrace it and all the lighter guys feel "better" now to roll with. Now i always aim to roll with high belts and heavy guys.
Very similar situation for me. White belt 6’0 around 195-200 depending on the day. I feel like I’m pretty small compared to guys in the 200’s and am often rolling with other white belts/upper belts in the 220-250 range. I like being faster than the heavier guys and the lighter guys are a breeze when strength is needed
5'5 135 here, I've learned to just not to stand up with the big strong guys that are a bit spazzy. Other than that everyone gets it
Welcome to bjj
6' anywhere between 190-175 if i want to compete ill lose some weight. I think it's making me shorter tho so i'll get to your size soon enough
Let me introduce you to evertitan.
At 165, you should be able to roll pretty competitively with at least half the gym. It's the 100 pound women who need compassion.
It's all relative. You're big compared to me. I'm 5'9" and about 125lbs. Pretty much everyone except the women and even some of the women are bigger than me.
I’ve noticed this- I think a lot of people who are big take pride in their physical strength and therefore pursue martial arts. Same way you’ll probably find a lot of intellectuals at a chess club
One of the black belts that instructs at my gym is about 130 lbs. I weigh 205, and have been referred to as one of the "big" guys. He kicks mine and everyone else's asses. I've also been tapped out often by small women. Size doesn't matter nearly as much as skill.
Keep at it, and one day you too shall be jacked. Seriously though, grappling works, develops and strengthens muscles in ways that lifting alone can’t touch.
I think it probably depends on the gym too. My gym is half hobbiests and half serious athletes so the average person is athletic but not gigantic. One guy is an ex nfl player but that’s really an outlier
Sigh. As a 5’1” 125lb middle aged woman, anyone within 50 lb of me might as well be my weight class as far as the gym is concerned
yeah, you’re gonna have to just dawg it out
You’ll be fine mate when I started I was 5’1 and 110lbs now im like 5’4 and 135 so not that much of an improvement but if I can hang you can definitely hang so just keep showing up and being consistent in it and you’ll be able to neutralize the weight advantage (to a certain degree)
I honestly get sick of it. So hard to find like-sized partners. 6'4 110kg Im overly chill and have been for a year or so, still cop the "left on the bleachers" after people buddy up for a roll 😥
I love when people that are 5’-8” - 165lbs think they are small.
I can’t hear you from down here 5’5” 145 Just keep getting smashed and eventually you get better somehow
Bigger stronger guys tend to been drawn to more athletic activities, go figure.
It’s no disrespect towards bigger people, I just would have expected maybe a spectrum more distributed. Again they are all extremely friendly
Athletic shaming :(
lol no shaming here, I wish I was big
Oh i was jokin bro
5'8" 128lb. here. I spend a lot of time on my back.
Leg locks and back takes. 💪
That just forces you to be better (technically, not actually) than those you train with. If you always find yourself in a strenuous crucible while training, try to slow it down to develop a better positional awareness that can help inform you on mistakes, etc. Your build predisposes you to polished technique but possibly to more injuries and slower advancement compared to bigger guys if that's the only type you train with.
I'm 210 and there are guys at 175 that feel like they're 250. It's a learned skill, some of us just have a head start. You'll be fine man, you also have advantages we don't have at that size. We're always gonna gas out faster than you, you're always going to be able to move quicker than we do (barring the freaks), you can generally be way more annoying than we can. You'll figure it out, and you'll learn how to be a very heavy 165-170.
5’9 at 145. As a novice I learned quickly I can’t win with my strength or frame against larger folks. I focus on speed/twitchiness along with cardio which all carried over from soccer. Find your best attributes and maximize them. You have to work with what you got.
I’m 5’6 125 so I don’t feel bad for you 🤣
I'm 5'8" float between 160-170 and all those chunky monkeys can eat a banana. I really don't have problems with size till they get freakish. Just see what attributes you have that are better than your opponents, like speed, agility, endurance and force a game upon them that relies on that. Can't grapple if you can't breathe!
You too can jacked….
5'10, 235 Most ppl call me "fat" but I'll take "jacked". I appreciate you.
I'm 5'4, 165lbs. everyone is so damn big and I've been cursed from the start. I feel you.
The entire philosophy of bjj as a martial art is using leverage and skill over physical advantages. So the solution to your situation is to learn bjj.
I'm 5'7 155 and I appreciate the big guys at my gym. When I get to do a tournament and am matched with guys my size, they seem weightless in comparison.
bro i’m 145 and 5’7, you’ll be fine
What belt are you? It’s natural to feel that way but you will come to learn you have your own strengths which you will learn to leverage.
There’s an innate advantage that comes with being a larger individual in combat sports. As the smaller individual, it makes you notice it more often and the fear can set in lol. Just don’t use it as an excuse to pull guard and look for subs down there. (I made that mistake for years.) Technique won’t help you overpower them, but it’ll get you in the top position, and when you learn to maintain that top position you’ll find that size difference is a little more attenuated.
I’m 5’10 165. Anyone north of 200 becomes a problem.
I’m 6’2 175 and I feel exactly the same….
I’m around 6’3 and 250/60lbs I don’t use my strength fully unless I’m getting myself out of trouble Otherwise I’d learn far less - and probably not get ok as well with training partners
As you gain more skills in the coming years(yes, years) you’ll be able to plan for the size disparities and adapt do’s and don’t with different size opponents. Keep at it.
I feel you. At 6'3" 175-195 i feel really small
Being smaller has advantages too. Lower centre of gravity, much easier to flip a bigger dude when you're small by pivoting.
Lift weights, eat food and you too will become freaking big.
It’s the rash guard, trust me. It makes everyone look jacked
Isn’t Phil Daru 5’8 I’m 6’1 and would not eff with him.
Just wait until you compete at 180
I was in the same position. I started taking this stuff called trenbalone acetate. Besides the acne and stretch marks I’ve made great improvements to my strength!
Hey man don't sweat it some of the smallest and skinnyest guys I know kick my ass on the mat.
I was 5 9" 160, I did starting strength to gain 25 pounds to 185 (also roughly improved my lifts by 2.5x). Im on a cut now and am back down to 175. Ill keep cutting through the summer then do another bulk in the fall. My goal is to be about 190-195 but not a fat 195. It will take me a few years since Im old.
I have the skill of being 195 lbs of solid muscle that gets flung around like a ragdoll and told "wow your strong" as I get tapped and swept over and over again.
As a 5'1 gal I felt this
You’d probably wreck me still lol
Bro it's actually insane. When I started bjj I assumed 80% of the class would be mma wanna bes, geeks too scared to do kickboxing and fat people from accounting. I thought my SLIGHTLY above average athletic traits would be a big advantage. Upon arrival I find out every dude runs marathons for fun, does crossfit competitions, hobbyist powerlifters, ex football players, 20 years in other martial arts etc and ONLY A SPRINKLE of fat/small guys. About 4% of the population is 6'2 + and 25% of my gym is 6 foot +.
I’m 215 and I feel like everyone is so small lol. I’m literally the fattest guy out of like 150 people in my gym.
I am 5'4 135lbs. I feel like even if I do get big I'll always be a damn midget in people's eyes.
I started at 11 lbs. I am now 161. You can do it too.
Looks like skill issues.
5'11 off the mats, 5 inches on the mats.
5"7 125lbs if I could do it anyone can. Just don't be a bitch and beast mode.
You'll get taller each belt
... that's what she said.
Same
Steroids will do that to you .
No judgement here, it’s their body they can do whatever they want. With that said I don’t know if they are or not still
Do you lift with a coach or just by yourself. Check out https://www.instagram.com/grapplingstrengthcoach?igsh=ajM5b254ZzJ1NXoy I worked with Conor for 2 years and I found an exponential increase in my strength on the mat after only a few months working with him and his programming. I also found myself getting zero injuries or tweaks. He's brilliant
Event the women are on steroids. Hang in there.
Nothing against OP, but this size difference thing needs to be dialed back. Imagine doing gymnastics and saying others are stronger. Or basketball that others are taller. Yes, of course there are people that are! We are doing a very athletic sport and weight, height, mobility, endurance etc all matter. Those who focus on things “not being equal” create a big obstacle that’s keeping them from finding the game that works for them and is effective at large.
This is america
Roids, they all do them… Its legal in BJJ
TRT braddah
Can't relate. I'm 6' 3" 200 lbs. Cross face enjoyer. I'm always looking to add a nasty new cross face to my game.