muay thai sparring

[VietMTwarrior]

hey guys i just recently started sparring at my gym and mostly every1 is taller than me ( im 5"3) do u guys have any advice for a shorter guy fighting against a taller opponent? extensive advice would be great since i already know i have to fight on the inside and eliminate their reach or fight at an angle, circling away from their power hand but i need more extensive advice than wat people have been giving me

[swisscom]

sup noob, I'm usually shorter than people I fight, although I am 5'7.
I find when fighting taller people, you have a much better chance to get in brutal body shots. Since they have reach, use your legs, if their arms are longer than your legs... Well then just hope you're faster.

ps. kicking someone in the ribs 2-3 times usually puts them on their ass. If it works for me, it should work for you.

[Derekwl]

I'm 6'0 but I train with many guys that are over 6'2, so its the same sort of situation with me.

My advice, as trivial and simple as it may sound, is to fake A LOT. Pretend jabs have given me many ample opportunities to score a knockout hook or cross, but since its fairly light sparring and no one wants a concussion, I went easy.

Also the front (or push kick) kick fake --> thai head kick works wonders, regardless of height difference, unless you arent flexible enough to hit their head.

And my third piece of advice is to slip whenever you can. I've heard different things regarding slipping, that it may be too easy to catch a knee if you slip too low, which does tend to happen sometimes, but for the most part, just slip his jabs he will be throwing constantly to keep the distance between you and him.

Hope this helps!

[VietMTwarrior]

thanks for ur advice guys ima try this next time i spar

[Garland]

Don't listen to those guys.
Get in CLOSE. Tall guys have the reach at long range. They can prevent you from coming in and hurting them. Once you get within a closer range, you both can clinche an dyou both can deploy knees. You being shorter makes you a better infighter, and if you decide to move him around a bit, your center of gravity is lower, which is a good thing.

Don't sit there and throw jabs or teaps, whatever you do.
Get close...and angle your kicks down a bit on their legs, because they're longer, they might be easier to tweak..or in a fight, break.

[nine]

5' 11" and short

I'm about 5' 11" - and believe it or not, I have the same problem as you. My arms and legs aren't quite as long as most guys in my gym. So there's a certain distance, just out of my reach, where I can't hit, but the other guy can hit me.

I'm just a beginner and don't know what the right advice to give you is, but what's working for me is parrying and slipping. At that range, I'm only really worried about getting jabbed. So I try to parry the jab, and follow the jab in with a 1-2, or slip the jab and follow up with a combo. You'll have to remember to step in closer as you parry or slip, or else you'll still be out of range.

So parry/slip the jab while stepping in with your lead foot and follow it up with a combination.

Better practice this with some drills or isolation sparring before trying it in a full sparring session. Sometimes you'll end up walking right into the jab, or a follow up punch - but I think that's better than standing in the other guys punching range all day without being able to fight back.

After throwing, don't always jump back out of range. If you can, step to the side and develop a new angle to attack and keep at it. Then circle around some more and keep at it.

I've also been working on using my teep (foot jab) to control distance, since my legs are still longer than the other guys' arms. Not only has it been helping me keep distance, but I noticed that it stops a lot of offensive moves too.

So to summarize what I'm working on for myself:
1) parry/slip while stepping in, then counter
2) hit and move around (not away) to hit some more
3) foot jab

Sometimes I still feel like everyone's getting the better of me, but I get knocked around a lot less than I used to when I first started sparring - so I think these things are helping me

Hope this helps. Good luck with it.

[swisscom]

Don't listen to those guys.
Get in CLOSE. Tall guys have the reach at long range. They can prevent you from coming in and hurting them. Once you get within a closer range, you both can clinche an dyou both can deploy knees. You being shorter makes you a better infighter, and if you decide to move him around a bit, your center of gravity is lower, which is a good thing.

Don't sit there and throw jabs or teaps, whatever you do.
Get close...and angle your kicks down a bit on their legs, because they're longer, they might be easier to tweak..or in a fight, break.

fyi. This is exactly what he didn't want to hear.

[EmptyneSs]

i put down some advice for smaller guys fighting bigger guys in the Reach Problems post in the boxing section if u are interested. im a smaller guy myself and spar people taller all the time and have been consistently for some time now. once u get some experience, u will find things that will work to your advantage.

the best advice i can give with dealing with bigger or taller opponents is :

1. u gotta be very relaxed and fluid. u need to keep your cool so u can utilze good technique and speed to your advantage.

2. dont fight him like he is the same size as u. meaning, dont be throwing a bunch of headshots or high kicks when fighting someone taller with more reach. instead go for whats easiest to reach, which is his body, and his legs. blast em with combos.

[Garland]

fyi. This is exactly what he didn't want to hear.

Okay....here's something more specific;
cover your face with one elbow, put the other arm out straight, but not locked out, with your shoulder and tricep covering your jaw, and rush them.
If they kick you, then shield as usual, you don't need to bring down your arms. If they teap, turn your body...if the push kick makes you fall down, jump back up and conitnue rushing in until they're in your clinche.
the fall is a flash knockdown, it doesn't count...more like a slip.
This technique is something special. It works.
To hell with being flashy or pretty...you're here to hurt. This is less for your training partners and more for the ring. Take shots to give shots.

I have a few more for small guys on tall guys...but I don't want to share ALL my secrets. (not really "mine", but little things my training partners, instructors, or myself have either found or developed over time, expirementing.)

[Garland]

I'll give you ONE more. When you're in dominant position in the clinche...put your right (you can do this both sides, just reverse) arm across the back of his head, and grip your wrist with your left hand TIGHT. Face-lock almost, across the jawline. Squeeze hard, turn your right shoulder up and across while stepping back with your left leg at an angle and pushing his head DOWN.
This will either break his clinche...or it will send him down to the canvas.
It is more of a throw...but MT style. It will also make him unsettled the rest of the sparring session. He will either be upset, ill at ease, or will be more cautious.
If you want to END it there, knee him on his way down.