Good stuff Paul. My instructor used to just roll on to his back and let me mount him (note....not phrasing if BJJ related) to save the collision impact from me. Dude was amazingly patient in letting me give just a little too much of something......which is why I could not straighten my arms out for a year.
Judo is one of the most under rated martial arts out there for having a ton of practical application.
Just a Hairy Special Snowflake supply clerk with no field experience, shooting an Asymetric carbine as a Try Hard. Snarky and easily butt hurt. Favorite animal is the Cape Buffalo....likely indicative of a personality disorder.
"If I had a grandpa, he would look like Delbert Belton".
When my students get down on themselves, I pull this one out: Martial arts is the art of swimming in a sea of failure in search of the shores of success.Originally Posted by Shootingrn
Fairness leads to extinction much faster than harsh parameters.
Good posts from the usual people. Paul Sharp, as usual, has awesome advice/comments. Getting caught is part of the game and how you learn.
I will just add this; it's mixed martial arts. In grappling or BJJ class you don't get to strike. Adding the striking portion back in can change a lot of what's going on. Being a good, precise striker with a decent sized arsenal and GOOD FOOT WORK, can pay huge dividends. I emphasized good foot work because people who are new and badly trained ones overlook how much your foot work plays into execution of technique.
I'm a big guy in most circles 6 foot 230 but my training partners are close to 300 one I cant even lock my guard around and they are good. I'm so glad I was forced to go with them when I first started. It makes my game better, they are good teachers and I cant get away with any half assed stuff. Just last week I finally managed to escape and get side control just couldn't finish the killer crucifix which would have been the cherry on top because that is one of his favorites to do to me. Embrace the challenge it will make you better.
Footwork/movement is number one for me. If you can move well, then you don't need to block/trap/crash/clinch all the time. Your ability to move gives you more options to strike/lock/choke or not fight at all. Just my 2 cents.
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Fairness leads to extinction much faster than harsh parameters.
As the big guy (6'8', 345) I can tell you what are the things that vex me. As to skill level, I've boxed since I was 8, and have a moderate amount of grappling training, but nothing stellar.
First, dont let me get ahold of you. Most people are through when this happens. I out strength the majority of people, but guys who have 60 or 70% parity in strength and much better grappling take me most times.
Second, move, move move. If I get a solid strike it, thats usually all it takes. Big does not mean slow, more loud mouths have ended up flat on their ass because they assumed big = slow hands.
Third, steal it if you can. Can't hurt you if I didn't get a chance to swing on you or grab you.
Lastly, most big guys have the ability to do serious damage to you, there is nothing wrong with using your other tools if legally justified. God did indeed create man, but it was Col Colt that made them all equal.
You don't need to be good at takedowns, you need to be good at scrambling.
Your partners only love taking you down because you accept it and stay down. Am I right?
As soon as your ass hits the mat explode up, scoot towards wall, try for a switch, scramble, whatever is present. They will try to maul you again, repeat process until they tire and you out scramble them. They will do it a couple times, you need to outlast someone bigger with less gas in the tank. You rest when you establish top control, not before.
Refuse to end up on the bottom. It's fun to play in BJJ, but preparing for MMA or an actual self defense situation, being on the bottom is BAD.
If you end up on your back and can't move work to butterfly guard. With both feet undercooking their thighs it takes a lot of weight off of you and gives you control. Protect from passing or strikes by pulling them into you, using both hands and feet (underhooks).
Breathe.
Rock their weight to create space for a sweep, or take them off balance to create an opportunity to explode and escape. Resume the scramble, end up on top or taking their back. Do not rest, until you accomplish it. Big guys don't want to chase around a guy that won't settle and rest for them.
When you are on top, you should be working/baiting taking the back for a choke. Don't play the straight arm lock/Kimura game, they will straighten their arm, stick it in your armpit and roll you right over.
Laying on their back and won't move? Simple fix, knee on belly. Dig in, they will give you an opening.
Not sure if MMA sparring takes place, but with strikes it's even easier if the skill is there.. a few annoying taps opens up 100 submissions on less skilled/experienced guys.
Now to answer the OP: The skill/knowledge simply wasn't high enough to cover the size gap. I'd argue height is more of an advantage than just "weight/size" when we bring skill into the mix, but that would require a book.
Size and strength matter. The bigger they are, the harder they hit, all things being equal. A fight outcome is determined by energy. Who can deliver more than the other can stand, before sustaining more than they can stand. Grappling is fun and games until you're not in the dojo anymore and you're on the street and someone just grabs your dick and starts pulling on it like they're ripstarting a lawnmower. BJJ doesn't necessarily prepare you for that reality.My 10 year old son goes to a mixed martial arts school. He was recently awarded his yellow belt and just prior to that, won his first tournament (kickboxing) against kids who had a lot more experience than him. We were shocked and proud and he just loves going to class.
He is learning grappling and really likes it, he's fast and has good instincts. At his last class, during a grappling session, he ended up being paired with a student that was much older, much taller, and much heavier than he was. She also had a couple of belt levels on him. The class was small and he didn't have any other partner options so the instructor had to go with it. The other student was at least 4 years older than him, a foot taller and probably had 60 pounds on him. It wasn't quite Keith Hackney Vs. Emmanuel Yarbrough, but the size difference was massive.
Unsurprisingly, she manhandled him! He tried for a single, he tried for a double, and she just basically shrugged him off, picked him up, shoved and squashed him around like it was nothing. He could move around her pretty well, but once she got ahold of him, that was it. Even when the instructor gave him the opportunity of a dominant position, he had no hope, she just pushed/pulled him off. He had a great time trying to figure out that puzzle, but thankfully the instructor switched up the students quickly.
As info, I have little knowledge of MMA beside being a sometimes fan of the UFC. I know there are weight classes in MMA for a reason, but my sons training session got me thinking about size and skill. It struck me that it would be a real bad day for someone with skill to have to deal with an unskilled person that had 80 or even 100 pounds on them. An even worse day if that person had some rudimentary MMA knowledge..... and an almost impossible day if that person was skilled.
Am I wrong in my above line of thinking? At some point does size help to make up for skill? Also, how do you guys recommend one deal with the unfriendly giants among us?
I'm going to say my teenage years watching videos featuring 80's babes like Tawny Kitaen prepared me for that unlikely eventuality.
"There is magic in misery. You need to constantly fail. Always bite off more than you can chew, put yourself in situations where you don't succeed then really analyze why you didn't succeed." - Dean Karnazes www.sbgillinois.com
Insert my favorite Bas Rutten interview about eye pokes here...
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