Weight difference

M

MEK

White Belt
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
50
Reaction score
0
Ok I weigh 127-130, so really small guy and the lightest guy in my whole class is 160 and he isn't good at all technique-wise. The next lightest would be my instructor and he's around 180 and the others are prolly 200 and up (from the muscle ones to the fat ones, but nobody's even NEAR my weight). So every time I roll with the people there I can't help but to think its really playing a lot into stuff like when I don't get sweeps cuz I don't have the power. But I've been reading and a lot of guys say technique over strength, and I can see that but is that too big of a difference?

Whadya guys think?
 
Its funny how in everyones gym there always seems to be guys who are only 200+ save for the instructor and one or two others....

Its wierd cause in my gym they range from around 140-massive and yet theres lots of guys at each end of the spectrum and in the middle.


As for your question, your going to have a hell of a time sweeping them, it may take along time before you sweep anyone at 200 pounds, especially if there training too.

It can happen though if you stick with it, so stick with it and all your problems will be solved.

Also you should try eating.
 
Well, weight is obviously a factor, there are weight classes for a reason, but it your technique is spot on you should not have much trouble with bigger guys who are less technical.

One thing you will find is that after rolling with much bigger guys when you do come across someone your own size you will have a much easier time. In the end its much better just rolling with people who your size or smaller.
 
It's actually better to start off really light like that if you plan on completing becasue your going to have to win on all technique. By the time you get to a decent size you'll be a decent grappler and will have a easier time with guys your own weight.

It's pretty weird everyone at your gym is 200+ there's probably well over a 100 guys at my BJJ gym and the average is about 180 about the same as regual sized people.
 
For the guys saying eat...I do eat a lot and I lift and such, but my muscles always get tighter and stronger but never bigger, I know there's a genetic limit to muscle size from research I did before I started anything but I dont know if that has to do with it.

And thanks for the guys saying keeping it up, I will cuz I've seriously never liked something much as this and I want to do this as long as I can even though Im 17 and my mom thinks its really getting in my way for SATs and such.

I'm going to NAGA at west palm beach this june for no-gi teens beginner flyweight, and it'll be the first time rolling with guys my size, I really need someone small to kick my ass right now cuz that hasn't happen yet which makes me feel like I can handle all the light people, which I know is really bad for me since I know there're guys way smaller who can kick my ass in a heart beat.
 
i feel you i am the smallest guy at both gyms i go to but i dont that let it stop me i just try and make my technique be on spot but i also use my size to my advantage just like bigger guys. i might not be stronger but im faster and squirmy like a fish and i have the gas tank of a civic
 
I was in your position when I started training. I started jan 1st 07 @ ~120-125 lbs. After 4 months of training and hardcore "stuff my face til I'm about to puke everytime I eat" eating, I was up to 140. Now after more of that eating, just not as crazy, and weights + bjj, I'm up to 160. You really gotta eat man. I know you say you eat, but to gain weight, especially for us skinny guys, you gotta freakin EAT. I remember when I first started, I couldn't scissor sweep anyone in my class due to lack of size/ strength. We just recently went over scissors again and I had no problemo :cool:
 
Personally (as a big guy) I feel that some sweeps get substantially harder as the size difference gets dramatic.

The scissor sweep for example tend to be a very low success rate with a large weight gap.

That said, open guard sweeps and half guard sweeps work regardless of size in my (admittedly limited) experience.
 
Size sucks when you are close in skill level because I find that if skill is close then you can't make up a huge weight difference very easy. But when I've rolled with guys of a higher level than I and are considerable smaller than I am, they have the most success in their open and half guards because I feel they are more mobile.
 
Technique beats size, theres a 3rd degree BB in bjj that moved from Brazil that currently resides in NY, at 130 lbs, he whooped everyone
 
MEK said:
For the guys saying eat...I do eat a lot and I lift and such, but my muscles always get tighter and stronger but never bigger, I know there's a genetic limit to muscle size from research I did before I started anything but I dont know if that has to do with it.

And thanks for the guys saying keeping it up, I will cuz I've seriously never liked something much as this and I want to do this as long as I can even though Im 17 and my mom thinks its really getting in my way for SATs and such.

I'm going to NAGA at west palm beach this june for no-gi teens beginner flyweight, and it'll be the first time rolling with guys my size, I really need someone small to kick my ass right now cuz that hasn't happen yet which makes me feel like I can handle all the light people, which I know is really bad for me since I know there're guys way smaller who can kick my ass in a heart beat.
Click to expand...

EAT.
 
A girl from our school actually does the 130 lb weight advanced no gi's for NAGA and has gotten 2nd
 
Either join a new academy or stick with the one you're at. In the long run, rolling with guys heavier than you will help you out a lot.
 
There was a person in my old club who was in a situation similar to yours, but the rest of the people in the gym weren't huge, mostly 70kg to 80kg which is about average in the UK. He was excellent at using his small size to his advantage against much larger people.

When he competed, he went against people his own size and he found he had a serious problem with them.

I think certain types of sweeps are more difficult against big guys, but in general, if you have good technique they will still work. Whats more important is how good they are at keeping base and flexibility is another factor that comes into play.
 
I say stick with it, just train hard and like everyone said EAT!!

I'm in the same positions man, im 125 lbs on a good day, at my club im the lightest as well... It is frusturating because rolling with bigger guys can have little success.

For example, for a while, my submissions were fairly bad, but my defense was excellent... because I practiced defense all the time, but never had a chance to do submissions.

I'm still really light and eat 5 good meals a day... but I'm getting better and in the flyweight division I'll be able to hold my own, and so will you.
 
i'm the lightest guy where i train by at least 30lbs. stick with it, you'll end up really good at defending and creating space...lots of open and half guard

where i did find trouble when this guy much closer to my weight class made an appearance was his speed when starting and during his scrambles...that was kind of a surprise
 
Weight doesn't matter.

I'm about 130-135 (I've cut to 123 before), and I'm also 22, so I won't be getting any larger. Due to your size, you should be working on technique a lot more than most people because you don't have the force behind your grappling that many other people do. Your technique should be improving faster than everyone else's, and you should use it to defeat people.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,236,889
Messages
55,452,527
Members
174,783
Latest member
notnormal

Share this page

Back
Top