Are shorter guys harder to take down?

[PEDRO IVO RUSSO MIRANDA]

Myth or truth?

I’ve seen this come up over and over, especially in the talks about Topuria vs Charles and Topuria vs Makhachev. “Oh, short guys are super hard to take down”, “center of gravity this, center of gravity that”, and so on...

I can agree when we’re talking about those classic takedown entries that shoot straight for the legs, like single legs and double legs — yeah, being shorter probably makes it trickier. But does that really apply to every kind of takedown?

I’ve been doing Muay Thai for a few years now, and I’ve been learning judo for a couple of Months. And From what I’ve experienced with clinch-based takedowns, being shorter doesn’t really seem like an advantage. That whole “center of gravity” thing doesn’t really help when it comes to staying on your feet. Height makes it way easier to reach the right pressure points, break posture, and guide the opponent’s body to the ground. Controlling the elbows, controlling the head to steer the body, and setting up foot sweeps or trips, all of that feels way smoother when you’ve got the height advantage.

So talking about my own experience, i think that is a myth.

What you guys think about ?

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

i think if you let the shorter guy lock his arms around your waist, you're kind of fucked if you're not an absolute gorilla that can dig an underhook and break their grip.

also, shorter guys don't necessarily always have the lower center of gravity, you can also manipulate your center of gravity by gaining tons of weight. that's why sumo wrestlers are fatsos.

 

[PEDRO IVO RUSSO MIRANDA]

i think if you let the shorter guy lock his arms around your waist, you're kind of fucked if you're not an absolute gorilla that can dig an underhook and break their grip.

also, shorter guys don't necessarily always have the lower center of gravity, you can also manipulate your center of gravity by gaining tons of weight. that's why sumo wrestlers are fatsos.

If a shorter Guy Locks arround my waist
I cant Just press my chest against his chest , drive his Head and footsweep him doing an Osotogari?
Lock in your opponent waist Will Just make him fall on top position chest to chest

 

[Daniel Henry]

I honestly don't know. I don't takedown dudes in fights. I just let my hands do the talkin. They are fluent in many languages

 

[Poirierfan]

It's all about leverage, depending on the positioning both a tall and shorter guy can have advantages and disadvantages.

Personally I'd much rather be the taller guy, that way you have more leverage and you get more poontang.

 

[Lee Danger]

are shortest guys considered already on the ground?

 

[ThaiSexPills]

Being a tall guy with short legs lowers your centre of gravity but gives you the leverage advantage of being tall too.

I never really thought much of my own build but my father was always telling me I had the perfect build to be a wrestler. (6’2, 30” leg). Never had any interest in it growing up though, I played hockey instead where it was kind of detrimental

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

Being a D1 Wrestler helps more

 

[Nathan LaMontagne]

Completely depends on their skill level and skill set (and yours.)

Short stocky guys are hard to shoot on and hip throw, though they can be easy to Uchimata (throw where your leg scoops under their inner thigh) and can be easier to foot sweep.

The contrary to that, if you CAN get their leg they don't have the height to hop around and maintain balance.

Overall if the biggest thing is a skill discrepancy.

I'm 6-2 and fight even taller. (Style wise not Carwin wise)

Nothing assures me I'm going to bury someone with a throw more than a short modern day jiu jitsu guy.

But a short stocky judoka or wrestler... I'm already annoyed at all the effort it's going to take.

 

[TriangleMonkey]

Wrestling is about lowering you level and getting “under” your opponent

Also wrestling is about keeping your hips underneath you

Longer guys can get flattened out more on the ground whereas a short can build a base easier


Now this is all going to depend on individuals skillsets. Cause some short dude that don’t know jack-shit isn’t automatically a TDD stud LoL


Edit: in wrestling, you always want to match the level of your opponent height-wise, and even be under that level if you are the attacker. So naturally a short wrestler is already low, and still can bend the knees and get even lower

 

[jeff7b9]

I honestly don't know. I don't takedown dudes in fights. I just let my hands do the talkin. They are fluent in many languages

Fluent in:

"Sorry my bad"


Let me buy you a beer!

Apologies

 

[JustBleed69]

Depends on the style of the takedown artist. Someone like Jones feasted on the shorter guys in the takedown department, but struggled with guys close to his size.

Merab manhandled Omalley who is much taller.
Islam struggled with a much smaller man in Volk.

It's all dependant on the takedown artist.

 

[JustBleed69]

Wrestling is about lowering you level and getting “under” your opponent

Also wrestling is about keeping your hips underneath you

Longer guys can get flattened out more on the ground whereas a short can build a base easier


Now this is all going to depend on individuals skillsets. Cause some short dude that don’t know jack-shit isn’t automatically a TDD stud LoL


Edit: in wrestling, you always want to match the level of your opponent height-wise, and even be under that level if you are the attacker. So naturally a short wrestler is already low, and still can bend the knees and get even lower

Harder to get to their legs but easier to finish when you do. My strategy on shorter guys was always to snap them into front headlock scenarios since they were already low.

Tall guys I would do the exact opposite, get their posture up and attack the legs.

 

[1BadMF]

I'm a tall guy and I wrestled in high school. Shorter, stockier guys were harder for me to take down.

 

[HHJ]

I think Islam had a hard time w volk because of this. And him being that damn good of course

 

[meast]

Shorter guys in the same weight class are probably stronger

 

[NoSmilez]

Shorter guys are harder to takedown if the opponent is a lot taller.

 

[nonoob]

i think if you let the shorter guy lock his arms around your waist, you're kind of fucked if you're not an absolute gorilla that can dig an underhook and break their grip.

also, shorter guys don't necessarily always have the lower center of gravity, you can also manipulate your center of gravity by gaining tons of weight. that's why sumo wrestlers are fatsos.

True AF, yet my towering height has no need to manipulate the center of gravity.

Testicle Tonnage, combined with little nonoob's length & girth mass, gives the lowest center of gravity.

 

[Hymen Crusher]

Tall myself 6 3 I always found it easier to stop short guys from taking me down but really hard to take them down. Against a cage though tall people are almost impossible to take down.

 

[HHJ]

I grappled some really tall guys and always found it easier to take them down. Just easier to get pass underneath the arm and body lock the waist. Once that happens it's over. Then armbar em when they try to escape.