Does Size Matter in BJJ

[Burisma]

I think BJJ has a no slamming rule.

I’m talking real life, not in competition. Competition has weight classes

 

[Snowblindlove]

Here's the vid:



This is an atypical match-up with two freaks. Literally one of the biggest and strongest dudes in the world and an average-sized dude who is among the best fighters in the world at his weight. Even then, this is friendly rolling and NOT a fight - they're both rolling friendly and not trying to hurt each other.

I'll cite some regular examples from my gym. I'm a 170 lbs purple belt around Dustin's size. A few years ago when I was a blue, a 300 lbs powerlifter walks in and wants to train. He's squatted 700 lbs in competition and is fucking massive. He signs up for his trial class and is rolling with everyone. When he rolls with me, I took his back 3 times without breaking a sweat and put on a lapel choke. He has no idea what I'm doing and no idea how to stop it. Easy peasy.

After a few months of training, that dude was giving people problems - he knew enough to deny positions and could muscle his way into dominant ones. Even if he was rolling friendly, he was getting pretty damn hard to get the better of. By the time that dude made blue belt, he was a nightmare. The best I could do was stay under him and conserve my energy to avoid having to tap to smother. I was good enough to deny him subs, but giving up 130 lbs to a huge strong AF dude who knew how to roll was tough. He was a tough roll for browns but they could sometimes tap him, as could black belts.

Conversely, most big guys are fat. There was an obese 330 lbs 2 stripe white with about a year of training, and I had no problems handling him either from the feet or on the ground. He's heavy and hard to move around, but starting from around blue, you're good enough to not have to move guys around - you move yourself around them. And most bigger guys struggle to even move themselves around for more than a few minutes without gassing.

I would like to see Brian shaw vs Blaydes. Blaydes is a good grappler and 260lbs or vs Werdum and Werdum is also 6"4 like Blaydes but lighter at 245lbs

Shaw would have a strength advantage still but would he be that much stronger to constantly muscle stuff in? That I dont know

A 170lber or 180lber off season Dustin vs 400lb Brian shaw

Or a 245lb 6"4 HW vs 400lb brian shaw

 

[Smokes]

I’m talking real life, not in competition. Competition has weight classes

Yeah but do you know if they have an Open Class? BJJ seem like it should all be an Open class sport without weight classes.

 

[Mirdad]

Yeah, if you have a bigger dick it’s easier to choke people.

Chinise peeps are fuk then?

 

[Mesos]

why? If they both equally skill and couldn’t the smaller guy still choke out the bigger guy just as easy. I always see chicks on IG posting bout choking out dude who are bigger and stronger than them. I thought BJJ squashes all that

Nope, If skill levels are similar or even if bigger guy is worse. He can always revert to pure strength and physicality to brute force subs. Ironically the whole gentle Art bullshit BJJ talks about is a lie. At the highest levels of BJJ its all Jacked Dudes that are clearly on gear. They rely on brute power and speed. BJJ actually has a serious steroid problem that nobody ever talks about lol

Here is BJJ Legend Andre Galvao who had an amazing "natural" transformation lol

 

[Burisma]

Yeah but do you know if they have an Open Class? BJJ seem like it should all be an Open class sport without weight classes.

So you want 125 pound men grappling with a guy over twice his size? You realize technique only gets you so far when a person is literally 3 times as strong as you, right?

 

[Robocok]

I felt like in grappling strength matters more and in boxing size and weight make a bigger difference. There was one guy in my BJJ class who was a white belt but insanely strong. Sparring him was intense. I'd rather spar a purple who took his time to tap me out.

You're pugilistic? You made a new account?

 

[Mr Mojo Lane]

In the 90s, BJJ was way more effective b/c so many people were really ignorant about BJJ. I got my Blue belt in 1998 and I tapped a Judo black belt who had 20 pounds on me on the day I got my blue belt. I doubt that happens nowadays.

It was also an art designed for a small guy to beat the big guy. It has become more of an art designed to beat other BJJ stylists.

 

[Mr Mojo Lane]

Depends on how much muscle the big guy has. Even the best black belt will go out if you pick them up and slam them on their head

You can do that, but you better have some really good deadlift and good morning numbers before trying it.

If the guy gets posture in the guard, the guy on bottom should abandon guard. The guy using the guard should always try to break posture. If you abandon guard, he can't really slam.

 

[NoSmilez]

It matters when they both get good. It doesn't matter much in the beginning. Those Brian Shaw and Thor videos are them already getting top position.

 

[560ti]

I always hear about how it neutralize size advantage and that size doesn’t matter. I have never need the tricks but are there Open Weight Classes were the shorter guys destroys the taller/bigger guy?

What there referring too is the size advantage when the skill gap is large can be overcome, especially in Gi (Gi is much easier to slow down and out leverage a less experienced big guy since you have the advantage of grips).

It's hard for that to happen in most high contact sports which is why it gets brought up often as a positive for BJJ.

For example if i'm a varsity offensive lineman with 4 years of experience but i'm going against a nose tackle that's 40lbs biggers and more aggressive but only has 1 year of experience i'm still most likely getting my ass smeared even though I might have better footwork, more practices, and more experience

 

[Killer Whale]

The only way to really understand the dynamics is to go and have a few rolls at your local BJJ club.

 

[lethalshadow]

it depends, if you're going up against a bjj master, ur gonna get tapped, if you're not that advanced, even with strength advantage.

 

[San Marino]

I don't know what "Gracie" school you are referencing, but Gracie Barra does not have a "pink belt", or anything equivalent. Women train/spar/fight, or do not achieve rank, period.

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (Gracie University) run by Rener and Ryron Gracie. This dependency comes from Rorion and Helio Gracie. They have schools all over the US and the world. Women train and spar but do not compete. Neither do the men. Gracie Barra is geared more towards competition, hence a sport. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu does not involve competition, hence the art.

 

[San Marino]

Size never matters if you can get one of these kicks in.
@Sakurabaism

 

[ChickenBrother]

I would like to see Brian shaw vs Blaydes. Blaydes is a good grappler and 260lbs or vs Werdum and Werdum is also 6"4 like Blaydes but lighter at 245lbs

Shaw would have a strength advantage still but would he be that much stronger to constantly muscle stuff in? That I dont know

A 170lber or 180lber off season Dustin vs 400lb Brian shaw

Or a 245lb 6"4 HW vs 400lb brian shaw

Match ups like this are fun to think about but Shaw really is an outlier. For 99% of the population, there are diminishing returns with size above around 220 lbs i.e. 30 or 40 lbs is a huge advantage for guys between 125 and around 220 lbs. But once you get over around 220, the greater size and strength is usually offset by having less cardio, slower, less explosive etc. That's why the pool of true heavyweights who are in shape and not just obese at 250 lbs or higher is pretty small. Guys like Bob Sapp or Brian Shaw who are >300 lbs with cardio to grapple more than a minute or two without gassing are like unicorns in the wild.

Even still, I'd put money on someone like Blaydes or Werdum to tap Shaw. I see it going similar to Firas rolling with Devon Laratt:



Shaw would have a big size and strength advantage vs. a 250-260 lbs world class grappler, but he wouldn't be able to just lay on them like he does with Poirier. I think either Blaydes or Werdum takes Shaw down from the feet and does whatever they want on top. Even if they started in guard, they're big and skilled enough to sweep or take Shaw's back.

Now if Shaw could keep his size and strength and train BJJ for a year or two and achieve blue belt skill level? He'd be a wrecking machine. But of course, the training and recovery (even on gear) he's doing to maintain ~400 lbs will generally preclude the training required to achieve blue belt.

 

[empsim]

Strength and weight matter a lot.

Someone with no grappling knowledge will get smashed by an experienced BJJ guy no matter the size difference, but things change quickly when someone has the basics down.

A big guy who knows how to use his weight and hips properly and not give up neck or arm for free can definitely be a tough fight for a much more skilled small guy.

 

[Mike]

Combat skill mitigates size when the smaller guy is more skilled. If two people are equally skilled but one is 155 and the other is 255 (in shape), then the smaller guy is gonna get mangled. Size and strength matters.

 

[Candy Routure]

why? If they both equally skill and couldn’t the smaller guy still choke out the bigger guy just as easy. I always see chicks on IG posting bout choking out dude who are bigger and stronger than them. I thought BJJ squashes all that

Lol you’re fucking around.

 

[650lb Sumo]