Share your strategies: Enormous opponents.

[Camus]

On the big, chunky guys who just pump iron all day, i know straight away to try for the traps (the muscle-bound fellows dont like it if you grab a handful of sensitive neck muscle) and also, try to wedge the thumb deep behind the jaw, under the earlobe. it feels great.

beyond that, the small amount of information i know on this subject has already been posted.

Either pushing your chin or forehead into someone's temple or that soft spot on the shoulder or pinching right inside their hip bone all work better than what you suggested insofar as guys actually use these in grappling tourneys and they more or less 'work'; HOWEVER, here are some things these 'tricks' will not help you to do:

-Beat a superior grappler
-Escape an inferior postition
-Submit any adversary (much less a huge dude) <---You seem to be suggesting this

Here's what they will do:

-Annoy/distract your opponent so you can get a move or so ahead
-Give him a little bruise
-'Cheat' according to some people

You should probably be banned, or mocked, either is cool.

[Jez]

[JohnnyS]

One of my good friends is a 300lb black belt. I find that if I use butterfly guard on him he can flatten me out and work his pass. I used to be fine with this but he now knows how counter my cross-lapel choke attempts. So I find that what works best is to have my feet in his hips and work submissions and sweeps, or let him stand to pass and work my sweeps.

The best option as always, is to get on top.

[Pandinha]

Has anyone tried the S mount on bigger opponents?

As one of those big guys, I've paid alot of attention to escapes on bottom from the side.

[Gumby]

. So I find that what works best is to have my feet in his hips and work submissions and sweeps, or let him stand to pass and work my sweeps.

My instructor tries to encourage me to do the same thing with one of the brown belts I regularly train with who's quite a bit larger than me. Working the guard with either feet in the biceps or feet on the hips does a good job of keeping your opponents weight off you.


As far as half guard is concerned, its a viable technique, but I think you're making yourself suffer much more than neccessary if you're playing half guard on a larger guy (for example, I'll use half guard only when I cant get full guard).

Butterfly guard I also agree with, because it does a pretty good job of keeping your opponents weight off you. I have used it, and continue to use it successfully against opponents that are far larger than me. When trying to force their weight on you, thats often when they're leaving themselves vulnerable to be swept or reversed. If their weight is low, I often go for armdrags and attack the back. If their weight is high, I try to get under (x-guard) and sweep.


Natrually being on top is the better choice to playing guard- your opponent cant use his weight against you, and most larger opponents arent particularly good off their backs. Taking their back (or anyones for that matter) is obviously the best option.

To be quite honost though, I think everyone has a point in how to fight larger opponents- all of jiu jitsu is supposed to be based on technique, not strength, and what works for one may not work for another

I think we're all just playing to our strengths here.