how to deal with explosive stronger, bigger guys in BJJ?

[Hero1]

I have been doing BJJ for a few months and one of the things I have never figured out is how to deal with bigger, stronger and more explosive guys. There's a few wrestlers that just joined who are huge, I mean having 20-50 lbs on me, when I roll with them, I always tire myself out really fast and my techniques just leave me as a result. Even rolling with smaller blue or purple belts never give me so much trouble. I just feel helpless cuz they can explode and take me down and pass my guard and control me so easily. does anyone have any tips? is it just a lack of skills on my part and can I expect to actually matching guys who are naturally stronger and more explosive than me when I reach higher belts? Thanks

 

[Nefron]

Lets put it like this.

if (your_skill - his_skill > his_size - your_size) { you win }

The difference in skill can overcome the difference in size/strength.

 

[TJS]

Dont blow you load trying to finsh him. Work on your defense and positioning. Let him tire himself out.

 

[MUFC]

Lets put it like this.

if (your_skill - his_skill > his_size - your_size) { you win }

The difference in skill can overcome the difference in size/strength.

I knew I wasnt the only nerd on this forum.

 

[redaxe]

Be really squirmy and have a really good open guard and side control escapes. There's a guy I roll with who is TINY, he's literally like 5 feet tall and 100 pounds, but I can never hold side control on him because he's such a worm. He always manages to squirm that leg back in and replace guard.

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

I have been doing BJJ for a few months

There's your problem.

It is going to be damn near impossible to defeat bigger, stronger, more athletic wrestlers with a few months of training. You have to really work on your guard and escapes to beat these types. Your best submission options are non-triangle chokes, and twisting leglocks (which you may not even have learned). Arm drags work well, but they are best from an open guard, which you probably haven't developed yet.

Keep training and the answers will come.

 

[dataws6]

In my opinion there are 2 types of "bigger guys" the ones that are there to train and the ones there to beat you up.
I still run into bigger guys who will just hold me throughout a whole round but Im learning ways to get out.
One of the best things I ever learned was when a black belt said:
"what are you going to do if I start pushing you across the room just pushing and pushing? Your going to push back and Im going to push hard until I feel you push back, then Im going to just move out of the way and let you fall down."
Use this with everything you do. for example:
pretend your pushing their hand between your legs for a triangle choke then jerk the arm the opposite direction across your body for an armbar when they resist.
or bridge one way lightly then bridge the opposite direction to escape other positions.

I also think that if a guy has the same or better technique and is bigger, stronger, in better shape... ofcourse hes going to beat you.

 

[footgod]

grab a pair of these

and start doing a lot of these

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

I also think that if a guy has the same or better technique and is bigger, stronger, in better shape... ofcourse hes going to beat you.

That's the key here. His wrestling training alone probably gives him more grappling skill than your few months of bjj, even in a bjj context. So skill is at least even, if not a little bit in his favor. He's bigger, stronger, and better conditioned. You don't really have an advantage where you can capitalize.

Don't get me wrong, technique can trump physical attributes. I've been the smallest guy in my gym since I started training there, but I have tapped out all the big dudes (and as they became skilled I've been tapped as well). The point is that the more size and strength they have on you, the more skill you need to beat them. If a guy is 40 pounds heavier and in better shape, you have to have more than a few months longer in training to handle him.

It's discouraging to think about "losing" to someone that you're unlikely to "beat." Focus on your own development in training, rather than competition.

 

[Crazy Legs]

You gotta be proactive with guys bigger, faster, stronger than you. Grip fighting and hip movement are essential... be stubborn.

 

[Thaiboxer10000]

turtle up & wait for the buzzer

those guys are tough, you really have to be on your open guard game to beat the speed & power. Don't let them get control of your knees, keep a wide base with your legs & try to control both grips.

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

Oh also, is this gi or no gi? If gi, work the gi chokes. Your grip can help neutralize raw power, and there's no muscle that pushes back against constriction around the neck.

 

[Vector_X]

I have this problem at my place as well. I weigh about 167 and the average guy easily 210 and up. There really isn't an answer because it is very difficult and probably won't just get easy. When you get a chance to roll with someone your own weight it is damn fun since you are used to having to push the extra weight.

 

[Hero1]

I try not to let it be a competition, but I find it frustrating to be unable to take guys down (we start on our knees) who barely even had 2 classes (granted they have wrestling background), so I have to resort to my guard everytime. Since I'm the smaller guy in the class, I'm about 165 lbs and alot of the new guys are 200 and well over, I find it hard to sweep them, I can even sweep blue belts who are close to my weight at times. I wonder what I can do differently if the guy just decides to power me down and lay on me even if I know advanced sweeps. I thought BJJ is supposed to be an art that focuses on techniques and leverages, but the rolling sessions feel more like wrestling matches. maybe I feel this way only because I'm a newbie at the sport (I hope). I feel like I'm BJ in BJ Penn vs. GSP 2 round 4 all the time with explosive and stronger guys.

 

[Hero1]

Oh also, is this gi or no gi? If gi, work the gi chokes. Your grip can help neutralize raw power, and there's no muscle that pushes back against constriction around the neck.

it is with gi, thanks.

 

[johnkreese]

If this is Gi... the best thing to do is to slow their game down by gripping their gi. Let them tire themselves out. More importantly, you want to establish a good position on them. More than likely, their top game will be pretty good considering they've wrestled. So, you should try to get in their guard or side control if you can. Shooting in on these guys are tricky. I would try to take them down, and sweep them with a butterfly guard sweep(if you've learned these yet), and land in their guard. With the gi on I try to be way more aggressive with these guys, go for chokes, do what I can to keep them working.

I don't really roll no-gi too often. When I did, the game was really fast, and I did a lot of hip escaping and guard playing until this one guy got tired, then I'd sweep and attack for submissions.

 

[lechien]

I just feel helpless cuz they can explode and take me down and pass my guard and control me so easily. does anyone have any tips? is it just a lack of skills on my part and can I expect to actually matching guys who are naturally stronger and more explosive than me when I reach higher belts? Thanks

You need to learn and train on how to pull guard and retain guard.
play closed guard and learn how to switch to spider guard then back to close guard and learns attacks from guard.

When you get blue, you should be able to handle bigger white belts.

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

I try not to let it be a competition, but I find it frustrating to be unable to take guys down (we start on our knees) who barely even had 2 classes (granted they have wrestling background), so I have to resort to my guard everytime. Since I'm the smaller guy in the class, I'm about 165 lbs and alot of the new guys are 200 and well over, I find it hard to sweep them, I can even sweep blue belts who are close to my weight at times. I wonder what I can do differently if the guy just decides to power me down and lay on me even if I know advanced sweeps. I thought BJJ is supposed to be an art that focuses on techniques and leverages, but the rolling sessions feel more like wrestling matches. maybe I feel this way only because I'm a newbie at the sport (I hope). I feel like I'm BJ in BJ Penn vs. GSP 2 round 4 all the time with explosive and stronger guys.

Takedowns from the knees aren't really takedowns anyway. It's midget, and is pointless. If I'm training with someone who is intent on fighting for the "takedown" from the knees, I just pull guard. That said, I never pull guard when I start standing.

When you say you're sweeping blue belts, do you mean actual sweeps? Or like they mount you and reverse to top position.

 

[Hero1]

Or like they mount you and reverse to top position.

that. I haven't really learned any fancy sweeps yet

 

[MushroomWizard]

Don't let yourself get in bad positions, if you have mount don't go for that armbar. Hold mount, tire him out, wait for him to give the armbar to you.

You can't be as aggressive you have to play smarter.