Weight difference

[Wrestleben]

My instructors are like 140 lbs and I'm just under 200. They submit/sweep/torture/PWN me at will.

 

[J Storm**]

damn, i'm like 155-160 and would always complain to myself about being the smallest kid in class.

 

[Prior]

my instructor is 5'2" and 130lbs

That's cool, do you have some rolling footage of him?

I'm in the same boat, 130 pounds.

 

[Theodore]

In the long run, rolling with guys heavier than you will help you out a lot.

+1 You get a better work out too! It's all about technique, IMO, that's the basis of the sport. For fights, I can see weight matter (kinda in low grade ammy stuff, not really), but just rolling in the gym? No. I'm 165 or so and love tapping the 250+ guys who think their strength is the answer to all of their problems. That... and bigger guys gas quicker too. Usually.

 

[Aethyr]

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.

This is why you gotta find people your own size to work with too. Smaller guys are scrappier, quicker, explosive and technical. Big guys often move slower, leveraging their weight. Most likely your small friend was accustomed to moving slower and then when he competed, his opponents were lightning fast and took him by surprise. Not to mention, his opponents, being small too, had developed excellent technique.

 

[Easto]

I will tell you this. I am one of the biggest guys in my gym and it doesn't help me. I rely on strength because I can out muscle people. BJJ isn't designed for this.

A small guy needs to rely on technique to use momentum and such to their advantage.

I wish I was in your position. I think you have an advantage over me.