Advatange/Disadvantage

[Slamurai]

I've been lurking for a few years and thought I'd post a question I had been asking myself:

Q: What advantages/disadvantages in grappling [specifically BJJ] does one gain by being considerably taller than their opponent? (By more than 6")

For example, I find it fairly easy to apply triangles from my guard, however; I find the length of my legs make it a bit harder for me to "shrimp" out of half-guard , cross-side or mount.

Thoughts? :icon_neut

I've only been training in BJJ for a few months.

 

[SFinclined]

I have long legs and although I find it easier to get triangles and armbars, it is more difficult for me to regain guard from inferior positions. When in side I have to hip out much farther than a shorter guy to get my knee in, and the upa escape from mount where you curl your legs through and end up in butterfly is harder. When I step over for kimuras or a far side armbar I have to be much more careful not to leave too much space.

 

[J Storm**]

i have short legs and can never get the body-triangle from guard or when i have someone's back, unless they have a sub 30" waist. guys w/ long legs can do them on me w/ ease.

 

[Cydewynder20]

I'm on the shorter side (5'8)

Taller guys give me trouble while they're playing open guard. They can plant that foot in my elbow and really stretch me out, making it really tough to pass or do much of anything. (I'm speaking about gi grappling here, mostly). Also, grip-fighting with taller guys can be hard.

On the other hand, I find that once I've passed, I can hold them down fairly well. It seems to be harder for them to regain guard, as they require more room to operate.

 

[Cydewynder20]

i have short legs and can never get the body-triangle from guard or when i have someone's back, unless they have a sub 30" waist. guys w/ long legs can do them on me w/ ease.

I know how you feel, but I also feel that when I CAN get the body triangle, it's SUPER tight. Same goes for regular triangle chokes.....I think the shortness of my legs makes it harder to catch them, but when I do catch it, it's damn near inescapable.

 

[Tony Manifold]

It's not really BJJ but Uchi-mata was something the taller fighters would catch me with all the time. Another one that is causing me problems is tall lanky guys basically jumping over my guard. They don't get me everytime but if you combine long legs, guard jumping and an ADHD level work rate it is causing me and my short legs some problems.

 

[Slamurai]

It's not really BJJ but Uchi-mata was something the taller fighters would catch me with all the time. Another one that is causing me problems is tall lanky guys basically jumping over my guard. They don't get me everytime but if you combine long legs, guard jumping and an ADHD level work rate it is causing me and my short legs some problems.

Haha, that made me laugh out loud at work.

Would you guys say that being 6" taller than you opponent is generally seen as an advantage in grappling, much like it is in striking?

I have to say I don't have any problems with Upa Mount Escape whatsoever. In fact, I prefer it to "shrimping", since my legs are so long that I require more room to work my knees past his hips. The Upa escape allows me to use my longer torso/legs to create more space between my opponent and the ground, raising his centre and making it more difficult for him to sprawl his knees/legs out for a wider base. Techniques which require me to bridge my hips tend to work better on shorter guys, when compared to techniques which require a shrimping motion.

I seem to be able to pull Eddie Bravo's Rubber Guard and Mission Control much easier on shorter guys, since my leg doesn't seem to need to travel as far up my opponent's back. It makes setups for triangles easier. Could this be because their torso is shorter and my legs are longer?

 

[Tony Manifold]

IMO it is a give and take rather than a pure advantage. You have things like triangles going for you but are more at risk to get armbarred, for example.

IDK, the UPA escape may be due being taller. I am shorter then most people I roll with and when I get mount, people don't hip escape from me very often. When they do escape it is usually do it with a good bridge using the long arms to create distance but I catch them with armbars a lot if they aren't careful as well.

 

[Bartatua]

I'm 6'3 and regaining guard from sidemount can be a real bitch. I do think the long legs hurt in that regard.

 

[Deloitte]

Taller the better in most cases.