How do you grapple with a training partner that's 300 pounds?

Armlock from guard, Elevator sweep then work submission from the top (always smart to get on TOP of a big guy) pretty much all the same stuff I would do to a 160, 180 or 200 pound guy, except for triangle, my legs are a little thick for a guy with a really big neck/shoulders and its not exactly my best sub.
 
I second the earlier dude's comment on sweeps, if like you say he uses all his weight, learn to take his base away and he will fall like a sack of s**t.

Scissor sweeps and open guard sweeps are your friend. I train with a 270 odd pound dude who has been training for other a year - it is hell, you have to play the open guard game if you end up facing the ceiling, don't allow him to pass and pin you - depends on how flexible you are too.
 
With all due respect, any gameplan that involves you getting underneath a 300 pound behemoth and working for armbars, triangles, and scissor sweeps ... fuck that.

Arm drag or omoplata, everytime. You can also use an underhook. Point being you must attack the behemoth from the side, NEVER from the front or underneath.

Spider guard is good for stalling against a behemoth, but unless you are a wizard, hard to submit or sweep someone that much bigger than you from guard.
 
I am 285-290lbs and 6'5". And I tend to agree, larger grapplers trend toward using their mass to control people, especially utilizing their upper torso. I have rolled with many smaller grapplers. Those that have done well against me have tended to use their quickness as an advantage as well as off balancing me.

I have rolled with wrestlers, samboists, judoka, and BJJrs. People from all those disciplines have done well against me, however, IMHO the BJJrs and freestyle wrestlers have been the toughest smaller guys to roll with. Not to take anything from judo or sambo.

To illustrate this point. I was rolling with a fellow at Triton MMA in Tulsa. I outweigh him by at least 120 lbs yet he armbarred me and knee barred me. He is BJJ purple belt. The main thing he did was not fight my weight, but rather worked his way out from under me and used good technique.

On another occasion, I rolled with a friend getting ready for a fight, he is 75# lighter, but managed a kimura from the guard.

Of course, I am not the best grappler on Earth, but hold my own.

To summarize, generally you cannot beat the sheer mass of such a larger person, but you can usually 'wind' them out. And you can just work your way around them like a squirrel on a tree. :icon_chee Just my two coppers.
 
I never thought to arm drag, but it makes sense.

most big guys have their weight forward trying to muscle you down to your back and smother you into submission
 
I beat a 300lb opponent when I was 160lb at my first gi tournament. Couldn't even cross my ankles during a triangle attempt and got stacked badly on the armbar. Luckily I had scored the takedown (tani-otoshi against an attempted hip toss).

The key for a small man against a big man is usually movement. Knee on belly, switching sides (for knee on belly and side control). Basically, if you're still at any point (except maybe on his back) you're probably in the process of losing. If you get stuck under him, shrimp and try not to get flat on your back. Use lockdown from half-guard to shift his weight down.
 
With all due respect, any gameplan that involves you getting underneath a 300 pound behemoth and working for armbars, triangles, and scissor sweeps ... fuck that.

Arm drag or omoplata, everytime. You can also use an underhook. Point being you must attack the behemoth from the side, NEVER from the front or underneath.

Spider guard is good for stalling against a behemoth, but unless you are a wizard, hard to submit or sweep someone that much bigger than you from guard.
But with someone who has only been training for 4 months, once a week...he's probably screwed. He will get put on his back, passed, and smothered. I know from experience lol. He will probably be crushed before he even has time to think about going for an armdrag.
 
armdrag to the back... every time

X2!! im 250 and this works on ME almost every time... Even when Im lookin for it... sigh... damn skinnies. I roll w. dudes that are over 3 bills but I almost always use the "bumrush" from knees and STAY on top! They cant do shit when u do that to em..
 
I'd say don't roll with him. I got hurt before by rolling with fat asses that size. I'm about 170 pounds. Our instructor had us start from standing. He was stalling so I shot in on him and he crucifixed me from standing. I fucked up my neck and missed a week of training.
 
i concider myself a big guy i find activity and butterfly to be my biggest weekness definatly isolate a arm
 
Omo plattas and going from guard to standing and attack guillotines.

Big guys are slow.. You have to take the advantage with speed.


Lately i have been playing a situp guard against big guys.. when they lower their head to begin to pass i do a techincal stand up (popping up) into a guillotine. I then finish standing, or on top. If they try to put me down i dont try to finish from full guard.. i can finish just by stepping my leg over their arm so they cant cross back to the side.

Some times you have to try again and again to pop up as they try to control the legs. Strip their grips any time you can to avoid full control of the legs and try to get Just above their head to snap his head down into guillotine. You dont have to Fully stand up.. Your hips need to be infront of his face and your head above his to have enough room to snap down and get your intial guillotine grip.

This obviously is with no-gi..

With the gi i omoplatta till the end of time. Only because the collar makes the guillotine grip more of a pain to get. Traingles are out of the question.
 
the guy is big .. you are small ?

Closing your guard and playing a waiting game is just logically wrong .

your advantage is movement . Move he won't be able to counter your lateral moves and will find his balance and base disrupted .. TIMBER

that simple . I train with a former offensive lineman 6'5" 325..

I stand a whopping 5'8" 165

Basic hip movement will get him swept every time . and I still sub him off my back
 
But with someone who has only been training for 4 months, once a week...he's probably screwed. He will get put on his back, passed, and smothered. I know from experience lol. He will probably be crushed before he even has time to think about going for an armdrag.

Yeah that was true for me, the only time i got someone with the omoplata or armdrag was because they had no idea i even knew it yet
 
bench press him off u. seriously though make him work stay in constant motion and look to take his back. dont hesitate togo for a sub and then escape making him take u down again. just keep wokring full speed at avoiding the takedown then escaping position and u'll gas him out
 
And stay active. He'll either gas or have a heart attack if you make him defend and work from up there rather than just lie on you.

I am 300pounds, I have never gasssed in comp, I look gassed after a minute but I am not, it is easier to defend if you are close to gassing if you are big jsut by sheer size and msot often strength. I have had way better ranked dudes tap immiedtatly when I pin them after they ahve been active for a while just because

you beat us by speed nad sometimes by playing our game, we don't expect it, you have time to methodically try to pass our guard technically because we are slow

Standing let us engage and then counter, if thrown you samll guys will always scramble better then us
 
use your speed im a big guy at 265 and the next closest guy i train with regularly is about 165 he always uses his speed to beat me.
 
theres also another guy who is 135 that i train with and he always gets my back whenever i go for a takedown so try scrambling to his back when he tries a takedown
 
Dont let him get his grip, only close space when you can attack. Attack the legs. Take their back.
 
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