Hey guys, I'm currently training in Taekwondo, and have recently started sparring. Point is, I'm sparring people who are extremely taller than me. I'm only like 5 foot something. What do you guys suggest I should do?

don't let them keep you at range; when they throw a kick sidestep and move in close.

This is TKD so I don't know if they allow facepunches; my club does. If you get in close, punch them in the face. Their length will be a disadvantage.

I'm short too (5'5") so i see taller opponents as just presenting more target area. Compact targets are harder to hit so you should be able to outmaneuver them and get inside their range (based on having a roughly equal amount of training).

watch tyson.

Jacob "Baby Jake" Matlala is a 4'10" (I stand corrected, 4'9.5") South African boxing champion.

Baby Jake: SA's boxing giant (http://www.southafrica.info/ess_info/sa_glance/sports/babyjake2.htm)

YouTube - Baby Jake Matlala vs Michael Carbajal rds 1 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQqp37P7gsg)

YouTube - Baby Jake Matlala vs Michael Carbajal rds 3 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH-bEWhWv0E)

YouTube - Baby Jake Matlala vs Paul Weir rounds 1 2 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUK55If7k5A)

YouTube - Baby Jake Matlala vs Paul Weir rounds 4 5 & decision (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzcGRwYj-y0)

Considering you do TKD, I'd suggest switching styles.

Seriously, point fighting systems that don't allow full contact face punches heavily favour tall rangy guys.

With a shorter stature (don't know if you're powerfully built or not) you would be better suited to striking styles that allow you do hit people hard when 'in the pocket' and take advantage of your short reach.

Styles fitting this criteria include boxing, muay thai, sanda/sanshou, kickboxing and verious types of full contact karate.

^If you don't fancy this idea then yeah you can totally work on slipping/parrying/sidestepping and getting into range, but it won't mean **** unless you can legitimately hit them hard in the face or use body hooks under your ruleset.

I don't plan on switching styles anytime soon, because there aren't many martial art clubs held around here.

But yeah, I guess the best I can do is use foot work in get in as many points as I can. Thanks a lot for the info.

I'm 6ft 6" and used to fighting smaller guys. When I did MMA and MT I used to kicks smaller guys around and keep them out of range of delivering their own kicks. The shorter guys that gave me difficulty were either extremely fast and light or more were more powerful guys who could to close the distance and use their momentum for punches and/or take downs. I know you don't want to hear it but you should consider switching from TKD if you are learning to fight...

I read the subject title immediately thought upper cut then got to the TDK thing and figure you probably can't go around upper cutting people. You already addressed your not going to switch gyms but how would you feel about supplementing your training with boxing the foot work slipping and weaving may help you keep at the range you want to be for TDK and you can find boxing cheap in mostly any place.

6'4'', and I fight from a Dempsey crouch to be able to jab short people properly. Problem I have with this is when people sidestep to my right when I'm in southpaw and throw an overhand left, hard to see coming when you peek-a-boo, and if you cover the side of your head pre-emptively, you open your face up. I'm a rigid fighter, I don't slip or bob much.
Cole's notes: Overhand to face on their front side. And body hooks/infighting. Under no-face tkd... You're fucked.

Ive never done TKD either , Im 5:10 and when I spar taller people I often have to take one or two to get inside and then unload or clinch and dirty box.
I also find dropping my level and faking a shot on the legs to make the hands go down to defend the take down and then moving in and lunching them in the face works quite will too.
Also slipping a jab moving forward and attacking the body works for me too.

Not sure how much of this will help in TKD.

switch out of TKD. WTF?
leg kicks: round kick their thigh, slam their base leg and they'll fall hard.
try Enshin or Kyokushin or a karate stye, maybe Goju, that allows contnuous face punches, leg kicks, grabs, and throws -- real karate, "Okinawa style."

I've done TKD that allows face punches, kickboxing style: good stuff.

Being not particularly tall myself, I always fought a counterfight against taller people. Slip past a kick to get inside and throw my combination.
The other tactic that I often see being used is simply push through. Guard up and go to your range, though the latter depends on whether or not you have the physical strength to do that. For slipping past their attacks you need both speed and timing.

Unfortunately - The TKD I'm doing is WTF-Style TKD. So we're only allowed to kick to the chest and face. Punching is only given a point if you punch them in the chest AND if it knocks them on their ass. So I'm stuck playing foot tag for a while. ><

Unfortunately - The TKD I'm doing is WTF-Style TKD. So we're only allowed to kick to the chest and face. Punching is only given a point if you punch them in the chest AND if it knocks them on their ass. So I'm stuck playing foot tag for a while. ><

Then time their kicks and slip to the outside for a counterkick.

As a 6 foot 2 inch guy in a style that allows sparring to strike with feet and hands to anywhere above the waist I can tell you that your footwork is gonna be HUGE. When I'm sparring my reach (which is over 3 feet) is a huge factor but only if I can actually hit you. With someone my size I'd be surprised if you could do much to keep me from reaching you outside of a nasty round kick to the head/body. Work on your footwork (as people said, boxing and even a study of Filipino arts would help this) and FIND the places where the big guys are opening themselves. I know I do this plenty as I've got the bruises to show for it.