Tactics against a 6 ft 5inch Giant ?

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Biggiebrother**

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I sparred this guy last nite who is 6 ft 5 and solidly built too.

I'm 5 ft 10. Now we are pretty similar in skill level, but i just didn't know how to handle his reach, he got me with a few nice jabs and it made me a bit gunshy.

I know i needed to get inside, but how ?

I was thinking about just covering up and charging in

Anyway i want to be ready next time i spar this guy which will be soon

TALKING ABOUT PURE BOXING HERE, NO KICKS
 
Your kinda screwed if your both at the same skill level but he has just because of genetics that much of an advantage. There's a guy at my gym that about 6'3 and I'm 5'11 so its not quite as bad as your situation. We are also at abou tthe same level and he pretty much owns me most of the time. The one thing that has had some limited success ( but its getting better cause I've been training it specifically for him) is to slip his lead jab come up underneath with a body shot or two or body shot to uppercut and then I bail out. It gets him to at least start bring his hands down some and to not just stand off and pund me from a distance.


Covering up and charging didn't work for me becuase this guy has good footwork and fast hands. He'd basically circle out and pepper me with shots. So I'd be tired from the charges adn also getting tagged about three to four times on my way in.

Let me know if you find soemthing that works. I want to steal for myself.
 
Maneuver, use footwork and a little cunning to get inside. Feel him out a bit, and when he throws, change the angle of attack and move in; shuffling to the side, then in is good. Once inside, make it count; hit him fast and hard, keep him backpedalling as long as you can.

When I trained TKD, I was good at keeping people at bay who just kept charging in over and over in linear fashion like a fly trying to force its way though a glass window (I'm tall, and had good kicks). There was one guy, older and much shorter, who was a good boxer and was excellent at maneuvering and closing who used to give me lots of trouble.

You won't take him from the outside, this you surely know. If you charge in and he's a competant fighter (and he sounds like one) he's either going to play matador with you, step aside, and catch you in a vulnerable position or just make you pay; I used to drop guys charging me dead on their asses almost at will.
 
Well, I sparred a guy who was 6'4 a lot, and I'm only 5'1. So no, I have no diea how to deal with it.
 
Commissar said:
Well, I sparred a guy who was 6'4 a lot, and I'm only 5'1. So no, I have no diea how to deal with it.
Click to expand...

Train twice as hard as he does.
 
Biggiebrother said:
I sparred this guy last nite who is 6 ft 5 and solidly built too.

I'm 5 ft 10. Now we are pretty similar in skill level, but i just didn't know how to handle his reach, he got me with a few nice jabs and it made me a bit gunshy.

I know i needed to get inside, but how ?

I was thinking about just covering up and charging in

Anyway i want to be ready next time i spar this guy which will be soon

TALKING ABOUT PURE BOXING HERE, NO KICKS
Click to expand...

Are you guys the same weight?

The only things I can suggest are either slipping the punches and using that time to close the gap, if you are stood close to him he will find it quite difficult to use his hands on you properly and you should have a big target area to hit (especially the body).

Based on my own experience of it (but it is not always true) taller guys, especially the heavy ones find it very difficult to deal with quick lateral movement, so a combination of slipping, stepping to the side and then closing MIGHT work well.
 
Cut the distance is the key for sure, with this much reach advantage he has on you, you DO want to get close to fight him close quarter for sure. I would not rush in, it may suit some fighters, but not me, using your ringspace, and moving in a strategic way will help you solve the problem if you do it right. Try answering with lowkicks, when he tries to jab you to keep the distance. Faking a move and then stepping in is one of the examples how you can get closer to him. If you get closer, make sure he is not able to step away from the close-distance fight, but pin him up somewhere so his movement is limited. Here is when you need to unleash combinations from close in, check out Mike Zambidis his fighting style, he allways is shorter than his opponents, having less reach, but he does real good, because he gets them to fight him close distance most of the time.
Good luck with training my friend, and take care!
 
Basu Rutten said:
Cut the distance is the key for sure, with this much reach advantage he has on you, you DO want to get close to fight him close quarter for sure. I would not rush in, it may suit some fighters, but not me, using your ringspace, and moving in a strategic way will help you solve the problem if you do it right. Try answering with lowkicks, when he tries to jab you to keep the distance. Faking a move and then stepping in is one of the examples how you can get closer to him. If you get closer, make sure he is not able to step away from the close-distance fight, but pin him up somewhere so his movement is limited. Here is when you need to unleash combinations from close in, check out Mike Zambidis his fighting style, he allways is shorter than his opponents, having less reach, but he does real good, because he gets them to fight him close distance most of the time.
Good luck with training my friend, and take care!
Click to expand...

Its Boxing not kickboxing.
 
stay outside his range at first, and use fakes and footwork to draw out his punches , cut the angles on him bob and weave, get inside and rip 4-5 punch combinations alternating body and head, and then explode out of his range again. Hit and run, mike tyson in his early day s is a very good example of how a shorter fighter should fight.

I used to have alot of trouble sparring taller people cuz im 5'6. However after continually sparring just taller people you get used to it and know how to beat them. Its rather fun actually when people think they got you cuz theyre tall and you school them
 
Elpresidente said:
Its Boxing not kickboxing.
Click to expand...
Oh crap, I did not know that!!
Forget about the lowkick in that case... ;-)
The rest of the stuff I described should aply for boxing as well as for kickboxing.
 
Biggiebrother said:
I sparred this guy last nite who is 6 ft 5 and solidly built too.

I'm 5 ft 10. Now we are pretty similar in skill level, but i just didn't know how to handle his reach, he got me with a few nice jabs and it made me a bit gunshy.

I know i needed to get inside, but how ?

I was thinking about just covering up and charging in

Anyway i want to be ready next time i spar this guy which will be soon

TALKING ABOUT PURE BOXING HERE, NO KICKS
Click to expand...


A few UFC's ago a 5'10 Muay Thai/BJJ guy fought 6'8 Tim Silvia and went toe to toe with him for a full three rounds. What'd he do? What you should always do with a taller guy. KICK HIS FREAKIN KNEES TILL HE EITHER DROPS OR LIMPS THEN GO UPSTAIRS!!!

This was a good fight, but I can't remember the MT guys name, I think he was brazilian. He lost be decision because even though his knees got worn out, Tim did the smart thing by sticking his jab on the shorter opponent.

BUt as Tim Sylvia said after the fight:

"Goddamn that kid is tough, look at my legs!"

All welted and shit. Great fight!

"You could be the biggest guy in the world, you smash his knee and he'll drop like a stone!"

Patrick Swayze - RoadHouse

HOw true How True
 
Biggiebrother said:
I sparred this guy last nite who is 6 ft 5 and solidly built too.

I'm 5 ft 10. Now we are pretty similar in skill level, but i just didn't know how to handle his reach, he got me with a few nice jabs and it made me a bit gunshy.

I know i needed to get inside, but how ?

I was thinking about just covering up and charging in

Anyway i want to be ready next time i spar this guy which will be soon

TALKING ABOUT PURE BOXING HERE, NO KICKS
Click to expand...


Sorry, missed the no kicks..

Pure boxing? One Name on what to do if you're shorter.....MIKE TYSON


Mike Tyson is only 5'11, how'd he mess up bigger guys like 6'5 Bruno?


Right hook to the ribs as hard as he could, uppercut, right hook.......
KO KO KO

:icon_lol:
 
This may not be that much help, but if he's sticking you and making you gun shy, it sounds like you are fighting upright and maybe fighting his style, i.e. when you say skill level is the same I'm wondering if your style is the same also. If the guy is 6f 5, then the only thing he should be jabbing is the top of your head guard.

Why?

Because you should fight from a slightly lower position, definitely keep your chin tucked in, and because of the angle of his punches, they should be less affective, i.e. make yourself a harder target to hit.

As far as mit work is concerned. You should practice stepping in off your own jab with the same hand hook to the body, and also practice 2 - 3 step combinations moving forward, as the mitt guy throws punches (at lkeast 2/3) you should slip and counter each punch whilst moving forward.

i.e. Get used to moving forward while avoiding punches and throwing you own. As long as you've got access to a decent trainer you should be able to work these type of drills.
 
That is a huge reach advantage he has on you, the advice given here already is very nicely done, if you can, clinch him up and do some hooks to the face area, try to keep him as close to you as possible, try not to sway out too much, if he throws a jab, block or parry it and step in, if he throws combos do your best, and avoid them, then get inside.
 
KravMachado said:
Sorry, missed the no kicks..

Pure boxing? One Name on what to do if you're shorter.....MIKE TYSON


Mike Tyson is only 5'11, how'd he mess up bigger guys like 6'5 Bruno?


Right hook to the ribs as hard as he could, uppercut, right hook.......
KO KO KO

:icon_lol:
Click to expand...
Pretty sure you mean left hook
 
Dawgie said:
Pretty sure you mean left hook
Click to expand...

well tyson would use both left hooks an right hooks because he would square himself up with his opponent. He also threw in some wicked uppercuts also. there are few compact fighters out there because you have to work twice as hard and be very fast. the small fighters can be very good though. basicly you have to be a fast hooker like tyson or joe frasier. they both used quickness and headmovement to duck inside and rip the body. that is a hard way to make a living in boxing.
 
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