groundfighting tactics vs. heavier people?

**Yrkoon9** · Posted On: 11/09/2005 5:25pm

I have one bit of advice when seriously outweighed:

STAY ON TOP.
No matter what you have to do. Stay on top. Do not get forced to the bottom position.

Easier said than done Yrkoon! But how do armbar? Staying on top means getting on top. Speed and cardio are your weapons IF technique is equal. Speed and cardio rule against big guys. Especially grossly obese or incredibly muscular. They require more energy and oxygen to make the same movements. The downside to that is it requires less effort for them to stop you because they are so much stronger.

However, if the disparity in technique is great you should have no problem taking down, sweeping, or submitting your opponent. Unfortunately this disparity is often not so large. You may be somewhat better than your opponent, but he is exponentially bigger than you. So you can't pull off a sweep or armbar at will. In fact it is likely you WILL eventually end up on bottom. At this point you need to refer to the previous paragraph. Speed and cardio are going to be your best weapons.

Now once you are on top I always suggest taking the back whenever possible. It is too easy to take a mount and have this mountain just oopah you over into your guard. Even if you are the master of fucking balance if a huge guy clamps ahold of you and your arm, traps a leg and rolls you ARE going over. Theoretically you will be able to transition to a modified mount or something and use technique to retain the top position. But again, it is more likely your skills are closer to each other than you imagine and you will probably end up in guard. **** that. Don't sit in mount unless it is an extremely HIGH mount. Take the fucking back ASAP and keep that fucker on his belly. Force your groin into his back and his hips to the ground. Otherwise you are going to watch this big guy just stand up and you will look like Bugs Bunny vs The Masked Maurader.

Also do not go into the guillotine or arm-head position facing each other whenever possible. A bigger guy will either lift you up and slam you OR he willo drive forward and you will hit an obstacle and then he will pull your legs out from under you. We aren't fighting in fields. There are walls. You will go down. So if you spin around trying to take his back and miss you are often faced with the grim possibility of taking a modified guillotine on him. Unless you KNOW you can tap this guy you really need to reconsider this position because it is highly likely you are going to get forced down and eventually let go of his head. Then...you are on bottom again. Being fast on the scrambles, using speed and cardio to always look for his back is the key to success.

Let me end this huge essay by saying two words : Marcello Garcia.