What weight class should I fight at?

[miaou]

Originally Posted by WarriorQueen72

I don't personally know any fighter who has short thick limbs and more concentrated muscle mass that has decent technique at grappling.

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[WarriorQueen72]

Originally Posted by apizur

I agree with her in the sense that... look at the shit Carlos Condit gets away with being long and lanky. If the difference is barely being able to reach around your opponent to lock your hands or get your underhook in deep enough to get a different leverage... the long guys really seem to know how to take advantage of this. I don't think technical proficiency is the right term, but I think length opens the door to being able to use techniques from angles shorter limbed fighters cannot (seeing as to how technique relies more on method and less on strength

This is really a better articulation of the idea I was trying to convey. I was also talking more strictly about jiu-jitsu as opposed to grappling in general, guess I should have been more specific. Wasn't talking about wrestlers at all.

Originally Posted by TheeFaulted

She said she doesn't know any that have decent technique at grappling. There's a big difference from having a leverage disadvantage to not having decent technique. If anything, the short limbed guys have better technique, because they can't rely on hitting a triangle from anywhere because their legs are so long.

My original statement was in fact concerning a disadvantage as opposed to proficiency, so yes, the use of the word technique was inaccurate. But its just a fact that those with longer, more slender limbs have the advantage when it comes to manipulating their body around that of their opponent. That was basically my point.

[WarriorQueen72]

And again, I did say I don't personally know any that have good technique. Meaning that the pool of fighters I've trained with or experienced typically do have longer limbs that work as an advantage, and the ones that don't typically have not compensated for it with good technique. I didn't say I didn't know OF any or that there aren't any.

Its really frustrating to be argued with because people either ignore the context or don't notice it at all. Ugh internet forums. >.<

[etorfighter4211]

205

[LZD]

From my experience, in grappling, various positions can yield certain advantages for shorter or longer fighters. Some positions favor the shorter, some the longer. Same as with striking.

[1990]

I'm 5'9 and my weight is somewhere usually in the 150-155 range so I'd probably cut no more than 145 since I'm already big enough as it is but still don't weigh as much as I probably could. Good luck.

[apizur]

I'm gonna leave you with one last one... as the weight goes up, the likelyhood of a taller opponent increases. You may enjoy having the natural lower hip position (which is advantageous as you know), you may feel faster or stronger at certain weights... in all honesty you should start low, try multiple weight classes and settle on one you're comfortable with. You may one day fight at a higher weight because the next one down has better competition and you're less likely to win a tournament/purse/match. Look at boxers.

[miaou]

Originally Posted by WarriorQueen72

And again, I did say I don't personally know any that have good technique. Meaning that the pool of fighters I've trained with or experienced typically do have longer limbs that work as an advantage, and the ones that don't typically have not compensated for it with good technique. I didn't say I didn't know OF any or that there aren't any.

Its really frustrating to be argued with because people either ignore the context or don't notice it at all. Ugh internet forums. >.<

You mentioned you don't personally know any that have good technique and then went on to suggest "the high level pro fighters are a different story, because, well, they're high level pros".

That's not a valid argument, high-level pros don't "compensate" for their anthropometric analogies by having good technique. They adapt their game and make their analogies work for them, and they adjust their BW according to their skill set. If anything, it's easier for low-level/amateur fighters who face lower-level opposition to compensate for short-comings like unfavorable anthropometrics or being in the wrong weight class, than it is for fighters fighting at the high levels.