I have a question for all the fatties, gym monkies and freaks of nature out there.

I'm the heaviest guy in my class, theres a couple of guys in the class who are close to my size and the don't train regularly so sometimes I end up having to train with someone smaller than me, the problem with this is it makes it easy for me to muscle through techniques whenever we drill, then when it comes to randori or competition I find the throw doesn't work on people the same size as me.

What do you do when your paired with someone smaller than you to get the most out of your trainning? The obvious ones I can think of are:

1) Rely on the techniques that you know are timing dependant rather than strength dependant
2) Not using any strength and relying on technique (Obvious but I sometimes find it hard to tell if I'm trying to muscle through a technique to much/ Not enough)
3) Try to grab one of the more experienced guys in class, helps a little in drilling as they can tell if I'm compensating for technique with strength and helps a lot in randoori because I just can't muscle through a technique against them
4) Try working stuff from underneath when I'm doing groundwork, at least this way I'm not going to be using my weight advantage to squish them, no point trying hard to crush the guy if its trainning as I just end up tyring them out

Anyone got any other hints? Any less obvious ways to make the most out of trainning when this happens?

i would like some of this advice to hand out to my sparring partners, speaking as a 145lb guy who has to roll with the 200lb+ crew all the time.

no way, i like being the much smaller guy when the bigger guys go all out. that's how i learn and improve the quickest.

no way, i like being the much smaller guy when the bigger guys go all out. that's how i learn and improve the quickest.

Don't know if your replying to me or Ming but for the big guy this is a real pain in the ass, if I'm up against someone with the same amount of trainning as me I can usually blitz them easily enough because they're smaller but I don't learn jack from doing it then I go to a grading and get my ass royally kicked because I'm not used to having to defend the sort of throws people try on me and I'm not used to grip fighting against guys as strong as I am.

If you are rolling with a small guy, try to match his pace and speed. Try to move like a light small guy and play a light/manuverable game.

If you are small, try to use postitioning to hold down the strong guys. If technique is properly applied, it is possible to hold down and postitionally dominate a larger opponent.

If you are small, try to use postitioning to hold down the strong guys. If technique is properly applied, it is possible to hold down and postitionally dominate a larger opponent.

Or you could just use technique to move around your opponent instead of trying to control somebody wasting energy. Trying to CONTROL a much bigger guy relies on strength more than it does technique.

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As for the question from the OP. Like previously mentioned work your speed, don't use your strength and keep light. Practice flowing from technique to technique and put yourself in positions you are not normally in. If somebody has you in a position or submission that you can't escape without using strength than keep working it until you can.

Example: A smaller guy is trying to armbar you. You lock your hands and the smaller guy can't break your grip. Now, if he's experienced he has options he can transition too to continue the armbar or to submit you another way. Watch and learn what he does.

Now, you armbar him letting him lock his grip. Normally you can power out of it with your strength advantage but instead use the same techniques he uses to counter his "implied" strength.

It's a win win for you both. He can work techniques against stronger guys and you can work the same techniques that you can then apply to bigger stronger guys when out powering is not an option.

Take this mindset and apply it to throws, passing, control, positioning etc.

Ru Klas pretty much said it.

As a small guy (150), I'm usually on the opposite side of this equation. Things not to do:
1) Grab something and crank it with all of your might. (Instant sore neck for 2 weeks)
2) Pop someone's ribs with your full 230lb knee-on-sternum. (2 months no training)

Needless to say, those guys have both lost a training partner. Occasionally, I will train with people like this to keep myself honest. For daily training, though, the injury risk is too high.

Things to do:
1) Work on your defense/weaknesses.
2) Work your transitions.
3) Be careful with your partner!!

If you don't get a sweep/sub/escape smoothly, then transition. If you **** something up, just go with it. Don't use your muscle/size to try to hold on to a tenuous position. As you have seen, it won't work against someone your size.

When rolling with someone smaller I try to use little to no strength. I just use as much as they give me and no more. I try to work off of my back more too. When I do use hold downs or knee rides, I float a bit as not to crush them. When I do get superior position or a submission I will let them escape if they executed the reversal correctly instead of crushing their defense with strength. On the other hand, I won't use strength or size to stop their subs. I force myself to rely on technique to get out. If I am unable to escape with just decent technique, I tap.

Kudos to you brotha. Your game will grow because of this.

Yes. Because that's what small guys have to do all the time. We can NEVER depend on strength to get out of a larger guys sub. We can never depend on size to smash someone. We can never depend on strength to control, to force, to attack or defend. We HAVE to depend on technique. Which is what makes Jits so damn much fun when you understand a bit. Because "**** it really works".

Then again you could just power your way through every small guy you meet, but it wouldn't really give you anything back. You'd only be helping the smaller guy getting experience with huge guys while annoying him at the same time.

I'm in the exact same position, I'm pretty new but I really try not to power my way though things since I'm the biggest guy in my class.

However, the higher belts which are much smaller guys than me still own me (as they should). I try to play with them from the bottom to improve that aspect of my game. Even as a relative noob if I get a really good cross body on a much lighter guy its hard for him to get out.

If you are small, try to use postitioning to hold down the strong guys. If technique is properly applied, it is possible to hold down and postitionally dominate a larger opponent.

True but if your a small guy who's strong its a lot easier to make your **** work. Every small grappler should dedicate a lot of his training time to weightlifting rather than relying entirely on technique and positioning. I lift weight like crazy and as a result I can literally out muscle similarly experienced guys who are up to 40lbs heavier than me. Just because your small doesnt mean you have to be weak.

Good osaekomi (hold down positions) are a good part of any grappling game. I find that I get better practice on the strength freaks and monsters in the Dojo because I have to utilize every ounce of weight and it still isn't enough. It forces me to rely upon positioning and position maintenance rather than only being heavy.

Since I'm a bigger guy, I generally try to avoid just riding smaller guys. If I get a mount or good side control on them, I generally could hold many of them all day. It just isn't cool to do this. So, if I get a good control position, I'll quickly try to tranistion to something else, whether it is another control position or a submission attack. When I attack, I try not to be a brute, but just try to execute cleanly.

Little guys can be difficult to catch with some submissions, as they tend to be quicker than me. It forces me to work smooth transitions and not leave gaps when I go from control hold to attack.

Also, I'll sometimes just pull guard and let them attempt passes and attacks, just so I'm forced to react quickly with counters and defenses.

i would like some of this advice to hand out to my sparring partners, speaking as a 145lb guy who has to roll with the 200lb+ crew all the time.

HAHHAHHAHAHHAH

Welcome to my world, muthafuckers. Be the only woman in a BJJ class of guys who are all 10-60 pounds heavier.

HAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA

i'm about 145-150 myself, so i'm right there with a lot of you.

strength is a bad thing to fall back on in training, just because it won't always work. it's always there if you have it and need it, but i feel like it should be a last resort.

case in point: guy trying to muscle his way out of my grip (gi) while he was in my guard.

i stopped him and said that he was wasting his time, because even if he succeeded against my weak little arms, he wouldn't be honing his technique and wouldn't learn how to deal with a stronger opponent.

which is what judo and jiujitsu are really all about, i think.

an instructor once said: if i can kick your ass already, i don't need to fight you with jiujitsu.

so yeah, don't muscle stuff. learn to relax and remove muscular tension, so you're just like rope.. slack until you need to push or pull. think in shapes and angles, focus on moving yourself into the right position rather than moving your opponent around. (you can "move" him with pain and setups or whatever, but that's inspiring him to move himself)

sensitivity beats strength, position beats power, etc.