I am only 5’4" and under 120lbs. I am thinking about training in Praying Mantis in about a week. My question is, in real life, would I be able to actually defend myself using my techniques? Or since I am so light, is it almost impossible for me to inflict pain/damage/whatever you want to call it? I just can’t see myself being able to punch a 180+ lbs person and actually harm them.
I’ve come to realize I can’t weight much, so I’m trying to build quickness. To do so, I’ve been doing lots of cardio over the past week, eating healthy, and drinking plenty of water. I seem to be more tone and possibly slimmer. Is this the wrong path to take? Should I try eating lots of protein and such?
Anyone who can answer either question 1. How can a lightweight hurt a heavyweight 2. Should I put on weight, if so by how? Would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time,
Brett
“It is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt”
I watched a 5’ 120lb 45 year old woman break the nose of a man that had just punched her. (He broke her nose too.) She kept punching, and had to be pulled off of him. I’d say, from that experience alone, that a lighter person can defend him/herself.
JWT
If you pr!ck us, do we not bleed? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that the villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. MOV
that’s the thing. if you weigh 130lbs., you aren’t applying 130lbs. to a target that’s 200lbs. you’re applying force to select and hopefully delicate targets on that person.
that said, a big muscular guy who’s got skills too is a nightmare.
If you have a good root then no-one (except some one who has a deeper root then you!!) can knock you over. In that respect weight has nothing to do with it at all.
Technique over skill has been victorious many times
Royce Gracie proved it time and again in his UFC matches. The early UFC’s were open weight fights, and ver often you would see superior technique take out a stronger, larger opponent. I am sure that those here familiar with history concerning the various styles of kung-fu have similar examples from within their own art. However, where skill is relatively equal, other attributes such as strength, speed, agility, etc… come into play. Also, I would think that in extremes, size would be the deciding factor, ie a highly skilled fly-weight fighting an untrained 6’6" 375 lbs bruiser. In such extremes, skill may not be all that is needed for the win.
Clydeus Maximus: Mutt-fu Grand Master and Dominator of Cocky Teenagers in my youth group.
Or, anyone with enough leverage anyone can knock/take anyone else down. Whatever way you want to look at it.
JWT
If you pr!ck us, do we not bleed? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that the villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. MOV
A smaller fighter will need to be the smarter fighter as well. Mantis would be a good system for you since it is very quick. If you were to come upon a larger opponent, your speed and angles of attack will be two of your greatest assets.
Victory goes to he who makes the next-to-last mistake.
that’s pretty poor advice - your root is no good at all if someone smashes you in the face
also - a light person trying to root a heavy persons energy has a very tough time (in comparison to a heavy person rooting a lighter person_
my advice - use the toolbox you have - light, quick and agile - get them off balance, frustrate them and attack the joints (especially knees) - once they start getting flat-footed you can go for the body and head shots as they won’t be absorbing them too well
remember - whatever you weigh, you can learn to put all of it into your hits and that will be enough to stop most people
Well trained skills will serve you well against most big guys - but if you get someone a lot bigger than you who also has skills then you’re at a disadvantage - fight as dirty as you can
“If ignorance is bliss, why aren’t more people happy?”
One of the most heinous fighters I ever knew was a fly weight.
The smaller guy really needs to be superior, especially if he is fighting bigger, skilled opponents.
Anyone who says size and strength does not matter, has never fought anyone bigger and stronger. Size and strength are great compensators - you can blow through mistakes in a fight. But, as cited above about Royce Gracie, superior technique, attitude and attributes can be used to defeat a bigger, stronger opponent.
“Poor is the pupil who
does not surpass his
master” - Leonardo Da
Vinci
Merryprankster, it’s exactly like when a Judoka drops his base to prevent a throw. I’ve noticed that wrestlers and Judoka will come into our school with a much better “root” than most of the guys that have been practicing the same amount of time. I guess they just worked harder to acheive the same results.
A smaller fighter would also have to be smart and choose when to be aggresive. You can’t play defense as a smaller guy. You have to watch for, or set up an opening, and attack hard and fast. I would say that Praying Mantis is a good system for this. Either that, or Wing Chun (Wing Chung if you’re talking to Ralek :)). Your strikes won’t have as much power as the larger guy, so you have to unload on them and keep them on their heels to prevent them from counter striking with any power. If at all possible, take them down. It’s your choice after that to follow (if you’re a very sharp/technical grappler), or stay up and start pimp kicking (stomps) the guy.
Jaguar Wong
[i]“If you learn to balance a tack hammer on your head
then you learn to head up a balanced attack!”
Jaguar, we don’t necessarily work any harder at it, it’s just that our whole sport is oriented about going to the ground under YOUR terms, not their’s, so either you get good at it or you lose a lot.
I needed to know because I needed to point something out to Repulsive Monkey:
Having a good root as a little guy is useful, but if I remove you from the ground, no root. And a small person, on the neighborhood of 120 lbs, is one that I can lift, bodily, even without proper positioning, thanks to sheer size differential. I can stand in front of somebody that is 120 lbs with my arms STRAIGHT out, grab under their arms pits with my hands, and lift them to their tippy-toes, even if they have a decent base. God help them if I get an underhook.
Example: I shoot a single, and the 120 lb guy does everything correctly w/regards to hips and what not. Problem is, I’m too big, and it’s like trying to crush a brick. Instead of forcing my body down, he’s lifting his UP.
On the other hand, we have a 120 lb gymnast in our class who is unthrowable Not much of a root, but he doesn’t need it.
I’m personally 5’4" and 120 lbs training in Northern Praying mantis. In this style (as in all kung fu), you learn how to use the opponents movement against him/her. So, in those situations it’ll be your weight plus the person’s own weight against him/her. You also get conditioning–in drills and sparring.
While I admit that if I get sucker punched by someone larger than I, I’m going down for the count, if I can avoid it I’ll be able to use it against him.
Robin
Surrender yourself to nature and be all that you are.
Mantis…I’m only 140lbs and 5ft 7inches…the questions u’re asking were questioned I ask myself years ago. From my experience it depends on 2 things…no. 1 do u have KO power…not just 1 punch KO…combo KO…the only way to find this out is to get in the ring and box and u’re partner or trainer will judge for you. I have been KNOCK DOWN by a stocky white guy that weight only 120lb…he has a MEAN right hook! So it’s possible.
No. 2…wrestling can help neutralize and takedown any bigger person!!! Especially if that person doesn’t know how to defend takedowns!!! Most peeps look at wrestling as POWER vs. POWER. Not true…wrestling is ALL TECHNIQUE and LEVERAGE!!! The double leg takedown when broken down to DEMO. is an incredible tool for us LITTLE guys. It’s hard for me to sit here and tell u…find a wrestling coach…ask him to show u step by step the DOUBLE LEG…and u’ll understand how u can takedown a big guy! U have to feeeeeeeeelllllllll it! From there u’re in the GROUND GAME and guys like KNIFEFIGHTER, JWT, Merryprankster can help u further.
Royce Gracie opened a can of shizkit on all the kung fu guys who have challenged him at his academy. I have the challenge matches on video tape. The kung fu guys all outwieghed him but Royce still opened a can of shizkit and smashed this one guys head in with elbows. Royce is the shizkit.
I’ve seen a little white guy not more than a buck 30 get blasted in the face and then proceed to unload hellicious blows on a much bigger guy 6’ 200lbs (or so, steriod freak wanna be).
I had to fight a bigger guy 6’4"+(it was at night, he looked huge to me). He announced he was going to kill me and took a swing, I deflected and took out his knee. The fight was over that quick. I walked away (nervous and faster than normal) but I walked away.
If martial arts can’t teach you to take down the bigger guy, why study? Of course if the big guy studies as hard as you…doh!
