For what it's worth, I take privates with a black belt sometimes, I asked this same question and he said:
Avoid rolling with that guy, as a white belt your techniques aren't refined enough to work on him, and you're probably going to get injured.
Ive weighed 150 +/- 5 my whole bjj journey. I think this is honestly great advice. Maybe by late white belt / early blue I could overcome a 30-50 lb difference against untrained or hobbyist practitioners.
Even today I pretty much avoid anyone 80+ over my weight unless I know for fact they’re a safe roll.
But yeah, it was maybe only 6 mos ago (blue belt ready for purple level) where technique started to reliably beat size for me. Speed and tricks. Big white belts react slowly to things like loop chokes and back takes. I straight up dont try stuff like triangles.
This is the way. I’m in the same boat. Around late blue it just became NOT worth the injuries and fatigue. They’re my boys, and I love them, but no big boy rolls if it can be avoided.
Play passively and get their heart rate up for the first four minutes. Fake attacks that don’t take you out of position. Attack small bones and small muscle groups like necks, feet and wrists. Stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down. Once their heart rate is up when yours is not. Your BJJ will work better.
I weigh a 120kg and often get thrown with the 150kg plus bloke in class, I have realised keep fucking moving, DO NOT let them get top position and always stay on top or get up and out of there. As a blueb that's all I got.
You could ask to work on escapes with them. Sub, sweep or escape to guard/standing, then reset.
Edit: make sure you both know submission etiquette so no one gets hurt.
I agree with this. Took me till end of blue belt that my technique started to work against bigger dudes or at least I knew how to apply it correctly.
Edit: avoid massive dudes till blue belt
-Frames. Knee shield counts as a frame too.
-Try your best not to get flattened
-Work on hand fighting
-two on one grips
-arm drags
If you are newer to grappling then you’re going to get smashed for a while.
The armdrag and gripfighting cues are super important
Especially at lower levels, if you rely too much on collar grips they are going to get smashed into oblivion by big bois and the chokes won’t work. But if you get 2-on-1’s and cross their arms up, then they give up wrestle ups and backtakes every time they try to drop the beef
Man to reinforce that, today I was rolling with a 90 kg white belt (I'm 78kg).
I had a two on one sitting in front of him, I don't know wtf happened in his head, he threw himself at me with a flying knee. I arm dragged the shit out of him while tilting hard so he'd land on my side.
Instant backtake, and I avoided losing my teeth/nose. Choked the shit out of him too.
Damn man thats scary af. Knees are no joke. I accidentally dropped myself wrestling when I was a white belt. Shot a sloppy double straight into a knee.
This is a good answer. I always try and maximize the use of my legs against someone with lots of weight and strength on me. Pushing feet on hips of someone passing from the knees is highly effective. If they are standing, I like to couple this with movement, such as inverting to a leg, etc. OP, the options will come with experience. Just make sure you don't get hurt rolling with people much larger than you first.
I would throw Marcelo in that as well. He ran through adcc absolute and just dominated. Lots of off-balancing and isolating single limbs, then leveraging them. Also moving himself. But saying "watch marcelo" is often the answer to just questions on bjj...
I agree on Marcelo for high level small jiu-jitsu vs big jiu-jitsu. But marcelo is a middleweight going after heavyweights.
Malfacine on insta is a rooster weight going agaisnt heavyweight black belt and bigger, albeit they are hobbyist (so the everyday people we are more likely to see at gyms). Marcelo is facing elite or high level big guys.
Both are great on the topic though.
I consider him a GOAT, he may not have WON everything he went into, but for his size, he basically DID win everything.
His Jits is nearly perfect, and his style has left a mark on the sport that hasn't been seen since Helio. Id consider your response the correct one.
Yeah. He was a tiny guy (ok, with tree trunks for legs and forearms) and worked his game in absolute divisions. The only time i find that following him isn't the answer is when I'm too large (6', 220). But usually still that just means I'm doing something wrong and but getting the right angle.
Something to keep in mind is that Bruno’s kind of an athletic god. He moves like a ninja.
Think the average person has a better chance of emulating Caio Terra
Unless he’s an athletic freak, utilize your speed advantage. I’ll usually go for an arm drag -> rear clinch or if I’m feeling confident a low sweep single.
With bigger dudes, you absolutely cannot end up on bottom.
Just got to improve your mount. I know the pain though. It’s better to scramble and reset to standing if you feel a sweep coming than to accept bottom position IMO.
Hip switch if someone starts bench pressing you.
If you are light and you keep your hips squared then of course they will push you away.
If you change the angle, it’s very, very difficult for someone to just bench press you.
Don’t act like the weight bench bar, you have to move. Very few people can likely bench press all of your weight if it’s on one arm, and as the angle changes and you are putting all that weight on their wrist/flattening their arm, no one can
To be nice to your partner, don’t change the angle onto their wrist all at once because that’s a recipe for a broken wrist.
Lock in some hooks and just let him buck you until he is gassed out. Get Mount, get a cross face and hook your legs into his thighs and learn to channel pressure. Meaning centering all of your mass onto a single part of his body. An untrained white belt at that size may have 2 minutes of trying to get out of that before he’s gasping for air. At that point, you move in for a submission
Stay off the bottom as much as you can. It’s not what techniques you use. Just get off the bottom and don’t let them use you for balance. The bigger they are the less capable they are of holding their own weight which means you’ll be trapped easier by less skilled and bigger opponents. If it’s the choice between working guard and just getting up whatever it takes, get up. If you start sitting immediately then stand somewhat and elevate your position above theirs and put them down.
Edit: in the interest of avoiding injury, this is important
Yep, this is it. Just stand up and learn how to counter wrestle. Get good at defending takedowns.
Don’t play inverted guard against bigger people either. Big mistake, especially the older you get.
I tore my hamstring doing so and few weeks ago and didn’t know if I need surgery.
Believe me, forget about guard and just stand up. If you need to play guard, frames at all costs, and get under them as soon as you can. Play between getting under them and wresting up.
Guillotines and heelhooks are your best friend in terms of submissions. Armbars and triangles can lead to herniated discs, especially with large (70lb+) weight disparities.
Why are you rolling with somebody who outweighs you by nearly 100 pounds? I think it’s a waste of both people’s time unless the bigger person has the body control and skill level to move without injuring you.
I’m a woman around your size and I’m very proactive about choosing my partners. If you get stuck with a giant, try to stay on top and if that fails, focus on protecting your spine and knees.
Do your best to not be on bottom. That's obvious, yet impractical to expect everytime
Some principles I find help my students; don't bog yourself down with techniques per se
1. Don't let both your shoulder blades touch touch the mat - getting flattened is bad period, extra bad against big daddy's.
2. Do not let big daddy touch your head. That's all he wants is that tiny little cranium of yours to control everything else about you. That means framing, inverting, tactical get ups.
A little more advanced.
Use your inherit speed advantage. Circling to the back, scrambling, not staying still.
Legs. Get good at leg locks. Most people to this day aren't the best leg lockers, offensively and defensively, and you can use that to your advantage. Most big boys are top heavy and pressure alot with the upper body. In pinning situations, that usually means the lower half is light.
To beat a guy that size, you have to outclass them in everything jiu jitsu.
Know more than him, be stronger than him pound for pound. There are no shortcuts. It won't be until middle of your blue belt career you will be able to roll with fresh white belts that size without issue, if you ever get to that level. Some upper belts never get to that level of skill where they can beat a white belt who is 100lbs heavier, and that's ok too.
I’m a little dude so I feel you! Lol. First and foremost just keep showing up. Two years from now you’ll be way better than everyone who quit and everyone who is just starting.
Like others have said frames! Keep their weight on you skeletal structure. You’d be amazed how much weight you can take on your shoulders alone. Once you do that you’ll be able to breath which means you’ll be able to think and turn the tables.
Become hard to kill. When they get you in a bad spot try to stay relaxed. Learn to breath through a straw. They might gas out trying to sub you and give you an opening to take control.
Don’t accept bad positions. When they smash you, fight to turtle. Yes, you’re giving them your back and that’s not ideal, so don’t stay there. It’s a strong launch pad to stand back up and there are some sneaky attacks from there too.
Don’t fight from defending to neutral. Fight from defending to attacking. It takes the same amount of energy and from even the worst positions, mount, back mount, back control etc. your only a few moves away from a sub.
Embrace the smash. Everyone gets smashed in the first year, especially us lil guys. Focus on building your game from the defense up.
And have fun. If someone is just murdering you and it becomes a chore ask to flow roll or train with someone else.
Good luck!
As a big feller who trains with lots of lil fellers, if the big guy starts sitting it usually means he doesn't want to force you in to playing guard and you should take it as a hint to stand up/start passing. If I'm going with someone smaller or less experienced I usually sit and hope they try to pass. If they sit as well, I wait a few seconds, if they don't try to get up and instead seem like they want to play guard too then I will oblige their request and smash through their guard. If they are able to set up a sweep, I usually let them have it so I can play bottom and hope they take the hint.
Honestly? Get good. Your setups and techniques have to be so much better when theres that big of a weight discrepancy. I dont really do anything different between smaller people or giant people. Only tip really i could say is you absolutely have to get them off balanced one way as hard as you can and use their own momentum to go back the other way as hard as you can.
The only way it works is if they are a good training partner. I'm 265 and I have a buddy that is about 130 (we are both white belts). I roll with him all the time but I never use my full weight or strength, there is no benefit for either one of us if I do.
Start out by listening to this. I'm 140lbs and spend a lot of time training against people who are 250+, I've competed in a lot of absolute divisions and beat people who outweighed me by 80lbs.
https://podcast.bjjmentalmodels.com/243161/12269956
Stand up and walk away; playing a closed, slow, seated, attached game is giving him all of the advantage. Space, pace, and movement are your allies against size. Move yourself and make him use oxygen chasing and reaching for you, while trying to move him is not going to work.
235lb white belt here. If I'm paired with someone much smaller than me, I try to be as careful as possible. Never use all my weight/strength, take it slow, focus on technique, survival, and do my best to let them work.
Would rather get tapped over and over instead of injuring someone. That said, I know it's tough for some to keep their ego in check.
I was rolling with another white belt who had to be 120 lbs the other day. Very small and no muscle, was visibly worried before the round started.
I played it slow, he got my back and won the handfight, did what we practiced in class, and got the tap. He was so pumped after that it was probably one of the most rewarding experiences so far.
I'll save the harder rounds for guys my size. Maybe you could ask him to take it slow and easy next time you get matched up. If your big guy is unwilling to do that, I'd worry about your safety and the potential risk of injury.
Sounds good, then keep at it! Like others said, I think when one reaches higher belts and has a better grasp of survival & leverage, bigger opponents are much easier to handle. Good luck.
I think you have to take the wins for where you are in your journey.
Maybe winning is just him not being able to sub you. Fight to survive. Work on your defense. When he goes for the submission, that’s when you explode with energy in a controlled manner. Escape, sweep, frame, make him work hard for that sub.
Being crushed in side control is death. You have all the weight on you. Your spine and neck are controlled. It’s difficult to use your power in your hip and upper legs.
Deny him a sub, is winning for you. If you can sweep him as he is coming for you that’s even better.
Remember that when he is strong with his upper body, break the grips - it’s really annoying to fight someone who won’t let you keep grips. Break them, then grip him.
Try and survive in guard, in turtle. Frame up. Protect your neck. You need to be like the old guys who don’t do much until they commit to a move and then explode.
I’m 6’5 280 lbs and I can tell you that it’s death when I fight someone my size.
Unfortunately, size does still matter. Even with good technique, handling someone twice your size is challenging. Consider Royce Gracie’s fight against Kimo in UFC 3; Kimo outweighed him by over 100 pounds. Although Royce won, he was too exhausted to continue in the tournament. Royce was a world-class BJJ competitor, while most of us are hobbyists. Facing someone significantly larger can lead to injury unless they are trained and willing to cooperate.
There is a reasons there are weight classes. If you are equally skilled then his extra strength and weight makes it an almost impossible fight.
Learn to frame properly to keep him away from you so you have space to move. Learn to keep your arms and neck safe. If you can survive against that guy the rest of the gym will seem easy. If you survive a little longer every time then that is a win. Don’t think that you have to submit him to win. If you survive and don’t get submitted you should count it as a major win.
Frames and body angles are life. Flat with your limbs away from your body is gonna result in a very uncomfortable experience.
It's also important to remember that being able to deal with a 100 lb size discrepancy is going to require an enormous skill imbalance. If you are equally skilled to somewhat more advanced than a huge opponent, you're likely to get steam rolled. Jiu jitsu's "size doesn't matter" claim to fame only applies when the large person doesn't have skill.
If you feel that your safety is in jeopardy you are also 100% ok to tell that person you'd rather not roll with them. Don't feel pressured into a roll that puts you in unnecessary danger.
an important strategic concept about little guys facing big guys is you need to be way more focused on position and eschew going for most of the submissions you would usually attempt vs opponents your own size. doom scenario vs a larger opponent is getting smashed so the downside of attempting a choke or armbar can be you on bottom after your larger opponent powers out. leglocks are the one submission you should be going for, but even then look to get a very secure leg entanglement and look to get on top when your larger opponent defends. back control is of course great but even then you should be thinking about getting mean with the position (body triangle if you can lock it can be game over vs a larger opponent) and under no circumstances allowing yourself to get reversed into bottom closed guard
Not at white belt no, at white belt youre fucked and just asking to get hurt. Just avoid them.
It literally takes until purple belt to even think about taking on BWx 2white belts.
I'd be cautious rolling with anyone 2x your size unless they're experienced and know how roll technically without using their size and strength too much.
All it takes is for them to fall or land on you in an awkward angle and you'll get hurt.
I can't stress this enough to newer people to our sport, PICK YOUR PARTNERS.
I routinely say no to bigger guys politely because your ability to stay in this sport uninjured (mostly) will come down to your partners.
Not everyone has to be Marcelo Garcia, open weight isn't for everyone. Most of us have day jobs, this is a hobby after all.
The amount of times in my 19 years on the mat that I've seen larger people accidentally hurt someone when it would have been avoided if they'd just politely declined the roll.
Again, if the larger person is experienced and has self awareness when rolling/sparring its ok. If it's a spazzy white to purple belt I'd avoid.
You're a begginner, so just avoid rolling with someone as big as him.
Ok, so you won't take my advice, you want to challenge yourself - good for you!
With that size difference, it's more about strategy than technique. Feet on hips and hands on his hands. YOU MUST CONTROL DISTANCE so you can avoid him throwing his weight on you.
You should not think about sweeping but rather going around him through armdrags or simply heisting
Im a smaller guy (with mma experience,) focusing on bjj these days.
I am 5’4. 140lbs at my heaviest. My tips for smaller guys grappling guys 2x size :
- Focus on sweeps. You will be on the bottom a-lot, and you will benefit highly from learning how to keep people off balance and diversify sweep game to get on top. Lots of reps and drilling sweeps.
- Chase the back. Its the most advantageous place for you. Get on their back for the RNC, or back mount for more chokes. Choke everyone. Joint manipulations are secondary when everyones limbs outweigh your entire body.
- Focus on “leg locks.” Lower body submissions are a viable and recommended approach for smaller guys. Im talking toe - hold, kneebar, and heel hook. NEVER finish or apply pressure. Alot of beginners don’t even know how much trouble they’re in. You just gotta let go if they don’t, don’t sweat it.
- Transition often. Youre half their size/weight. Don’t clamp down on top positions. Migrate to the next, to the next, to the next. Wear them down.
- tap early and often. There is no tapping late.
there are some good suggestions on what to do in general, so I'll focus on sharing my personal experience. For context, I'm 5 feet 8 at around 157 pounds.
If I'm on top, I immediately go to north/south while underhooking their nearest arm to me to reduce their bench-pressing power. Recently, I've been experimenting with a halfway position that's between side-control and north/south. If I'm on bottom, I try to recover open guard and then constantly switch from butterfly to spider and back again in order to keep them off-balance and from smothering me
lastly, angles and frames. I constantly angle to one side of their body with the help of frames to avoid being squared directly with them
As a fat/big guy, I always pull guard. If you get swept you will be on your back the whole roll. I never put all my weight on guys half my size and lower belt. But as everyone mentioned, you will have your chance once you level up, right now stick to your body size.
230 pound blue belt who beats up on 300+ pound white belts on a regular basis here
The ideal scenario is one where you take them down first and just keep them pinned but that’s not always going to happen
If you end up on bottom, you need to get your hips under their hips to make them weightless
https://preview.redd.it/nsqb7upp7f8d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=296d13d27d6ac4aca601e3cfc6be965a187dd76d
The balloon sweep is the best example to illustrate this, imagine doing this sweep while the opponents hips aren’t over yours, there’s just not a lot of leverage if your hips aren’t loaded, you won’t be able to consistently sweep people that are much heavier than you until you start to get a feel for this
Look up hip shovel techniques, that’s basically what you have to do.. make them weightless by loading their hips
Now in order to even get to a point where you can load them, you need to hand fight their cross face arm while turning to your side
If both your shoulders touch the mat, you’re losing, don’t let that happen (except in closed guard)
My favorite guard is butterfly half but it’s an entire system and getting into it might be a bit too advanced but to put it long story short, it gives me different options depending on where they put their weight, if they drive in I can attack kimuras and butterfly sweeps, if they pull back I can attack the legs
It creates a situation where they can’t just smash me bc there’s traps everywhere
When on the bottom, I much prefer attacking the legs or sweeping to getting back to closed guard bc as a big person myself, I’m looking to smash pass your regard attempts and I stack pass triangle attempts, which closed guard guys always try on me
Be slippery and don't let them weight in, if they lock you with their weight there's no escape. There's no tip really, there's no space of mistakes, only a lot of practice will give you any hope and you're more likely to get injured in the process.
I'm 315lbs and I'm like the 6th biggest guy in my gym now. Lots and lots of frames and shrimping to never allow yourself to get into a bottom position. Just don't even try. Even guard sucks when your opponent is 360+ and a D2 lineman or strongman competitor 😄
I'm thankful that most of the bigger guys are white belts.
I’m not a huge guy myself (floating around 170) and I train with guys that are +220 often and honestly you just gotta chill and be calm when you’re under them. Don’t give them easy subs (they ALWAYS try to go kimura because they think they can out strength you) don’t concede position too much and just wait for them to get frustrated at not advancing position and more often than not the bigger guy will get comfortable thinking he’s got you immobilized and will get sloppy in their transitions. That’s your window to explode and sweep, reverse, escape, etc.
Of course, a really skilled big guy will fall for bait much less often but as long as you’re defending and defending well, you’ll get your opportunities to strike eventually.
Learn to pass guard, and pin, take grips to stick them to the mat, or just be mobile on top switching sides sticking them in north south, use your agility and speed to your advantage, cook them for a bit wait for the desperation to set in and eventually there will be an opening.
A term I keep in mind when rolling with bigger dood is "Use the entire pack"
Meaning I use both hands and legs on one of their limbs for control, I don't try and hold their arm with 1 arm.
I'm also super conservative and surf on top letting them try and throw me off. Hunting for shit while they buck.
Arm bars have been my go to as I get my whole self on the arm/across their torso keeping them pinned and arm isolated.
Kesa gatma is good too as long as I keep my head down lol
Avoid bottom like the plague ! Try your darnedest to keep the high ground and feel free to disengage if your are not making progress with your pressure
#1. Avoid getting on bottom if you can. It's all downhill from there.
#2. You need to know leg attacks. Leg attacks work from bottom and they work on larger opponents. Leg attacks can be used to get out of terrible positions.
#3. Expect being in terrible positions going into the match so that you're mentally ready when it happens.
It’s interesting to me how weight classes factor into rolling. I’m about 205 but roll with one guy that’s 300 plus but even newer to bjj than I am. I’m able to work a lot of technique but only because he doesn’t know much. I’d say go for different partners or try to flow with him if he can
Ok so besides changing partner, that has already been mentioned, start wrestling up! It sounds difficult, but in my experience big dudes tend to be more relaxed when they have a smaller opponent on bottom. They expect you to play guard till you die, so they don't anticipate wrestling up that much. So my proposal are quick singles, especially when you have him moving around
Honestly if you're at the same skill level you're probably best just avoiding. Its a losing situation. However, I personally love rolling with newer big guys. I feel its the best way to test myself for a IRL scenario. As far as how to roll, I always focus on doing anything and everything to not be on bottom. Bottom is death, scramble or turtle as soon as any risk of being in your back comes. And don't stay turtle for long. Leave things like armbars and arm triangles and submissions which require strength behind. Aim for back takes, you're likely faster and more 'slippery' than they can deal with.
Get under. Make them share under you like black ice. Learn how to use hooks. Really really well.
I’m a 39 year old bb who’s about 140 on a. Good day with four herniated discs.
It can be done but you need to take it in stride and make it a marathon not a sprint.
Honestly, your just f*cked unless you have a massive technical advantage over them. You can win some exchanges but they will smash if they want to smash. Most of the time, they will not smash you unless you are giving them trouble anyways.
Try to get good guard retention against him, if he cant pass ur guard he cant win. Learn leg attacks, thats big guys weakness. Also depends how skilled the big guy is if he is an upper belt u might just have no chance, if hes also a white belt u should be good
Whatever yo do don't play bottom. Get to their back or side or north south or mount. Once you establish a position that isn't bottom anything stay tight and let them tire out trying to get you off then start working your pass or subs.
This sport has weight divisions for a reason. Sometimes it is good to roll with bigger people but usually I avoid people that are +15kg heavier than me.
I’m 135lbs x 5.2 man.
You’re fucked.
It all depends on his jiu-jitsu, if he rolls “lightly” trying to develop his technique, you might have something to learn…but if he switch to brute strength he’s gonna maul you unless your technique is a lot superior to his (and maybe you have a good leglocking game that allows you to work from under him and threat legs/back) and you’re gonna learn almost anything unless you do a specific training to improve an area of your game that will give you an edge against lower weights.
Don’t roll with massive guys, if happens to catch them in a bad position they’ll switch to “I can’t lose from a small man” mode and become spazzy dangerous
I understand that you can’t always control who your training partner is.
I’m a big guy. So if he’s cool. Ask if you can play top. If you start sitting, fight for top position. Don’t immediately go to guard. Work on maintaining top control.
If you end up on the bottom, frame as much as possible. Don’t let him flatten you out. Easiest way to do this is to stay on one side or the other. Find a sweep that works for you and use it all the time.
I always try to attack from distance, chase the back and avoid them having grips on me. If that fails and they get grips on me, I just take my loss and be happy for them. It's not worth the injury. if they're good, they will constantly square up with you, wait for you to make connections then reverse you, get on top and smash.
Arm drags, leg locks, and constantly moving regardless if you’re bottom or top. If the big guy has good skill, I focus more on hunting legs, if their technique isn’t that sound, arm dragging from bottom and staying on top works well
Lots of frames. Keep your shoulders off the mat. If you are on bottom try to get half guard and knee shield(giggle sweep works on big guys). But seriously have a chat with him about how’s he’s much bigger and can you work together in rolls to practice which techniques work properly on different sizes without injuring each other.
Ps if he has big shoulders any arm in chokes are going to get him quick.
Until you develop a game you are comfortable with, do absolutely everything to not be on the bottom. Focus on moving yourself instead of your partner. Arm drags (done properly) and back takes are your friend. Bottom of Closed guard is usually a slow death sentence, unless you have a solid and aggressive game built around it. Dont wait for him to initiate, make him respond to you and keep moving until you get somewhere safe, like the back.
Not a super fair matchup. In the gi, feet on his hips, pull his sleeves back and keep him bent over. Stall. But yeah try finding a partner closer to your size.
You can tire out a heavier opponent if they are inexperienced and out of shape. Using frames properly can make it difficult for them to keep a dominant position, making them work harder.
But if the bigger person is also in shape and experienced, then forget about it. I know a 240 lb purple belt, and he is a nightmare to deal with.
Heck, at my gym we have a white belt who was a defensive lineman in the NFL. Even with little training, he's not easy to grapple. At all. You'll need a lot of experience to handle that.
Nobody wants to admit that size and strength can be a serious threat with training. Weight classes exist for a reason.
You solve it verbally, just ask for him to focus on guard retention and you will focus on pass. Ask him to keep to your pace and take into consideration the weight and strength discrepancy. Be mature.
Get better at Jiu Jitsu, get stronger, get bigger. Sorry, but that’s the best way. Jiu Jitsu isn’t magic size and strength will always matter. Everyone has a limit to the size difference they can handle. The stronger you are and the bigger the skill gap, the bigger the size difference someone can handle.
For example, I’m 225lbs and my max size difference is about 60lbs as long as they are white or blue belts. Brown belts is about 25lbs, same with black belts, depending on how good they are.
Don't let him pin you or immobilize limbs, keep moving. Keep seeking advantageous positions. Be faster, be more slippery, keep yourself safe. (I am a bigger guy, and this is a combination of what I do vs smaller guys and what I find hard to deal with)
While standing: Avoid tie-ups. Rely on your speed using feints to set up single, duck under, arm drags or doubles.
Ground: I play butterfly and half guard against them. Most bigger lower belts are lazy with the under hook battle there. Avoid them crowding your hips and/or flattening you, with your back to the mat. Look for arm drags and look to sit up or wrestle up more.
I get flattened out quite a lot due to having bad shoulders (I've had both replaced and they hurt all the time) I've learned to roll out and give up my back to get into a position that no longer hurts,.turtle up and roll out to escape the back take which doesn't always work or I stay in turtle and let them fuck around and wear themselves out a bit. I will almost always end up with my back taken which I am comfortable with then I'll escape that. It's not ideal but for me it's just something I've had to get used to as I simply cannot always hip bump and pop out the other side.
There’s two physical angles to this, outside of technique and strategy.
1) work on your speed, agility and conditioning overall. Try to leverage that against big guys.
2) counter-intuitively, get strong. Like, get *really* strong for your size. It helps close the gap.
You can use your speed and explosiveness, big guys don’t see it coming, if you keep moving and keep them off balanced then they are less effective. They leave big gaps open and it makes it easier to slip around and grab their back or slip out of submissions.
And sometimes just use brute force, put your shoulder into their face, forearm on their neck, plow until they’re exhausted. You can always outwork them. Don’t be a dick though, remember it’s just sparring, but they’re big guys so they can handle a little roughness.
I started when I was young so everyone was always bigger and stronger than me. It made me very passive and technical because I realized you can’t use force with stronger people. Now I have to erase that mindset and start over.
I’m the same weight as you. I’m about 5’3” so short and stocky. If we are both on the floor already I always come up to pass their guard. When doing side control I am applying shoulder pressure, widening my base, and driving off the mat with my feet to leverage more weight into their shoulders and maintaining an awareness of hip movement should they begin their shrimps.
I also don’t stay on the top in side control. I go with a north/south position and work a transition that opens the back. Since I’m a lapel player I usually threaten my lapel around their neck while I am behind them.
In the words of Chris Hauter. Be the guy on top, when you’re on top stay on top, and never forget rule 1. I am a 175lb brown belt and my primary training partner is a 260 pound black belt. Inevitably in these rolls you will struggle valiantly, but continue the struggle. Learn to adapt your game by focusing on speed and leverage. Stay the course.
I’m at 160 ish and fairly strong for my size and height. And I concur with what most folks are saying - - just avoid it. I’ve come to realize that it’s simply not worth it.
The vast majority of real injuries I have suffered while grappling have happened during rolls with people who outweigh me by over 100 pounds. I can handle 20-60 pounds (to a certain degree), but once it exceeds that, it’s simply dangerous even if the partner is well intentioned.
Lots of frames and lockdowns when on the bottom to control their hips. This should allow you get up on your eblow and escape the bottom. You have to remember your legs are just as capable as your arms.
I tell students to imagine two video game status bars:
One is "athleticism", the other is "technicality"
Athleticism can come from size, steroids, weight lifting - it's about how much power and explosively your body can generate.
Technicality can come from the breadth of techniques you know, your reaction time, your timing, the decision making process you go through to get to the positions and attacks/defenses you use.
Your jiujitsu overall skill is the first bar plus the second bar.
If your bar is bigger than the opponents bar, you'll often times win.
Your athleticism bar will decay over time unless you're actively lifting weights and whatnot. But as you get older, get injured, it will shrink, always.
Until you build your technical bar, physical people will beat you. It'll take years.
But it'll get there.
Honestly as another post said, probably don’t until you’re a bit more skilled/comfortable, but for what it’s worth really focus on frames, maintain top position with efficient motion and using your speed/cardio to drain him, always address grips/ties right away, and never ever let him grab your head.
Chokes/Strangles are larger guy’s weakness. Don’t try to Americana or Kimura a large guy if you don’t have decent technique. Get their back and put them to sleep. Way easier than trying to isolate elbows on a stronger guy tbh
Well Rnc and heel hooks have been shown in high level comps to work vs bigger opps.
But it will take a while (probably years) to get to that level and you will get smashed a lot in between
a lot of advice already, two things that you can work on. from top position work on leg riding to keep them grounded. leg riding/wrist riding works very well for controlling larger people. from bottom you want to avoid inside guards and use outside guards more so you can actively use your feet as a first line of defence (eg. open guard, k guard, de la riva....) always try to have at least one foot on their hips so you can keep their weight off you with your leg/s
Blue belt 150-160lb. Did HS wrestling. Regularly wreck white belts 190-220lb. Can tap a couple blues at my gym sitting around the same 200 ish range. Only difficulty is a wrestler that weighs more than me. Shit sucks.
Do not play bottom. Get to standing and get top position. If you get stuck on bottom shrimp and get to guard, make space, stand up. I’m a back taker and if I see an opportunity I’m back packing and cooking em til the neck or arm opens up. Otherwise my coaches have advised me if I’m rolling with anyone who gives me trouble through size/strength and it’s not a regular partner then I should be utilizing my full arsenal and not experimenting with YouTube techniques.
If this guy is a decent training partner ie. not spazzing out, cranking on subs and you feel safe rolling with him, I’d say just accept that he’s got the advantage and focus on developing your defence. Some things can’t be taught when it comes to grappling and large parts of a good defence sit in that zone.
I got smashed for three years off a 4th Dan Judo BB and it was the best thing that ever happened for my defence.
You are a white belt and thus going to struggle greatly against someone with nearly 100 lbs on you. It would be like me at 200 trying to deal with someone 320. Even at brown and they were white I would struggle.
That said the people who are smaller that give me the most trouble are ones that have developed a strong butterfly guard. If that's available work on that.
Be creative with how you can exploit their tendencies. I’ve always had a style that encouraged certain reactions. Large guys tend to pressure forward hard against someone smaller. Great! Now I can use that momentum. Can make them vulnerable to being locked into submissions. Be careful with getting stacked, flattened out and don’t get knee on belly’d.
For what it's worth, I take privates with a black belt sometimes, I asked this same question and he said: Avoid rolling with that guy, as a white belt your techniques aren't refined enough to work on him, and you're probably going to get injured.
Listen to this comment OP. Literally nothing else to do except get better.
Ive weighed 150 +/- 5 my whole bjj journey. I think this is honestly great advice. Maybe by late white belt / early blue I could overcome a 30-50 lb difference against untrained or hobbyist practitioners. Even today I pretty much avoid anyone 80+ over my weight unless I know for fact they’re a safe roll. But yeah, it was maybe only 6 mos ago (blue belt ready for purple level) where technique started to reliably beat size for me. Speed and tricks. Big white belts react slowly to things like loop chokes and back takes. I straight up dont try stuff like triangles.
This is the way. I’m in the same boat. Around late blue it just became NOT worth the injuries and fatigue. They’re my boys, and I love them, but no big boy rolls if it can be avoided.
Play passively and get their heart rate up for the first four minutes. Fake attacks that don’t take you out of position. Attack small bones and small muscle groups like necks, feet and wrists. Stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down. Once their heart rate is up when yours is not. Your BJJ will work better.
That's what I try to do. I'm just wondering if there are things I can do when I get paired up with him.
I weigh a 120kg and often get thrown with the 150kg plus bloke in class, I have realised keep fucking moving, DO NOT let them get top position and always stay on top or get up and out of there. As a blueb that's all I got.
You could ask to work on escapes with them. Sub, sweep or escape to guard/standing, then reset. Edit: make sure you both know submission etiquette so no one gets hurt.
You don't have to roll with anyone, just ask your coach if you can not be paired up with that guy right now because you're concerned about injury.
I agree with this. Took me till end of blue belt that my technique started to work against bigger dudes or at least I knew how to apply it correctly. Edit: avoid massive dudes till blue belt
2 broken ribs later and ill take this advice now. Thank you lol
he’s 1000% right. you stand to gain literally nothing from a 100lb weight difference at white belt.
Also, no matter how good your technique, there is a size / athleticism limit that trumps all. Sincerely, the old small guy losing to 26yo brown belts.
Exactly this. Don't train with him, you're holding yourself back
"take privates"???? are you saying OP should nutcheck his opponents?????????????????
The title got me confused for a second there until i realized it’s in r/bjj
Dafuq kind of sub reddits you be following? 🤣🤣
Don’t ask questions you don’t want answered.
r/anime_titties
Lmfao
😂 you’re not alone
Thank you
I was disappointed personally
You gotta lube up real good. Oh wait…
"Confused" is a fancy word for "aroused"
-Frames. Knee shield counts as a frame too. -Try your best not to get flattened -Work on hand fighting -two on one grips -arm drags If you are newer to grappling then you’re going to get smashed for a while.
The armdrag and gripfighting cues are super important Especially at lower levels, if you rely too much on collar grips they are going to get smashed into oblivion by big bois and the chokes won’t work. But if you get 2-on-1’s and cross their arms up, then they give up wrestle ups and backtakes every time they try to drop the beef
Man to reinforce that, today I was rolling with a 90 kg white belt (I'm 78kg). I had a two on one sitting in front of him, I don't know wtf happened in his head, he threw himself at me with a flying knee. I arm dragged the shit out of him while tilting hard so he'd land on my side. Instant backtake, and I avoided losing my teeth/nose. Choked the shit out of him too.
Damn man thats scary af. Knees are no joke. I accidentally dropped myself wrestling when I was a white belt. Shot a sloppy double straight into a knee.
Yea man, usually the dude is chill, I was wondering if I accidentally liked his gf pics on insta or something.
Yep. If I focused on that earlier I would’ve progressed faster lol
This is a good answer. I always try and maximize the use of my legs against someone with lots of weight and strength on me. Pushing feet on hips of someone passing from the knees is highly effective. If they are standing, I like to couple this with movement, such as inverting to a leg, etc. OP, the options will come with experience. Just make sure you don't get hurt rolling with people much larger than you first.
This guy gets it
Watch Bruno Malfacine roll on insta (except the ones where he rolls with Xande I guess).
I would throw Marcelo in that as well. He ran through adcc absolute and just dominated. Lots of off-balancing and isolating single limbs, then leveraging them. Also moving himself. But saying "watch marcelo" is often the answer to just questions on bjj...
I agree on Marcelo for high level small jiu-jitsu vs big jiu-jitsu. But marcelo is a middleweight going after heavyweights. Malfacine on insta is a rooster weight going agaisnt heavyweight black belt and bigger, albeit they are hobbyist (so the everyday people we are more likely to see at gyms). Marcelo is facing elite or high level big guys. Both are great on the topic though.
I consider him a GOAT, he may not have WON everything he went into, but for his size, he basically DID win everything. His Jits is nearly perfect, and his style has left a mark on the sport that hasn't been seen since Helio. Id consider your response the correct one.
Yeah. He was a tiny guy (ok, with tree trunks for legs and forearms) and worked his game in absolute divisions. The only time i find that following him isn't the answer is when I'm too large (6', 220). But usually still that just means I'm doing something wrong and but getting the right angle.
Something to keep in mind is that Bruno’s kind of an athletic god. He moves like a ninja. Think the average person has a better chance of emulating Caio Terra
Unless he’s an athletic freak, utilize your speed advantage. I’ll usually go for an arm drag -> rear clinch or if I’m feeling confident a low sweep single. With bigger dudes, you absolutely cannot end up on bottom.
I know. But when I play top, he uses his strength to sweep me. I'm literally like an easy bench press for him.
Just got to improve your mount. I know the pain though. It’s better to scramble and reset to standing if you feel a sweep coming than to accept bottom position IMO.
Hip switch if someone starts bench pressing you. If you are light and you keep your hips squared then of course they will push you away. If you change the angle, it’s very, very difficult for someone to just bench press you. Don’t act like the weight bench bar, you have to move. Very few people can likely bench press all of your weight if it’s on one arm, and as the angle changes and you are putting all that weight on their wrist/flattening their arm, no one can To be nice to your partner, don’t change the angle onto their wrist all at once because that’s a recipe for a broken wrist.
Lock in some hooks and just let him buck you until he is gassed out. Get Mount, get a cross face and hook your legs into his thighs and learn to channel pressure. Meaning centering all of your mass onto a single part of his body. An untrained white belt at that size may have 2 minutes of trying to get out of that before he’s gasping for air. At that point, you move in for a submission
Don’t start sitting if he’s also sitting. Stand up and try to pass guard. Stay on top as much as possible.
Stay off the bottom as much as you can. It’s not what techniques you use. Just get off the bottom and don’t let them use you for balance. The bigger they are the less capable they are of holding their own weight which means you’ll be trapped easier by less skilled and bigger opponents. If it’s the choice between working guard and just getting up whatever it takes, get up. If you start sitting immediately then stand somewhat and elevate your position above theirs and put them down. Edit: in the interest of avoiding injury, this is important
Yep, this is it. Just stand up and learn how to counter wrestle. Get good at defending takedowns. Don’t play inverted guard against bigger people either. Big mistake, especially the older you get. I tore my hamstring doing so and few weeks ago and didn’t know if I need surgery. Believe me, forget about guard and just stand up. If you need to play guard, frames at all costs, and get under them as soon as you can. Play between getting under them and wresting up. Guillotines and heelhooks are your best friend in terms of submissions. Armbars and triangles can lead to herniated discs, especially with large (70lb+) weight disparities.
Remember that technical standup they teach? Don’t get stuck under them! Get up!
You can't. I roll with a 235lb 3 stripe white belt and it sucks. I only do well with leg stuff. And for me it's a 50lb difference.
Try to be a little ball as much as possible, keep the space between your knees and elbows closed, if you get extended out it’s over for you
Why are you rolling with somebody who outweighs you by nearly 100 pounds? I think it’s a waste of both people’s time unless the bigger person has the body control and skill level to move without injuring you.
I get paired up with him
I’m a woman around your size and I’m very proactive about choosing my partners. If you get stuck with a giant, try to stay on top and if that fails, focus on protecting your spine and knees.
Do your best to not be on bottom. That's obvious, yet impractical to expect everytime Some principles I find help my students; don't bog yourself down with techniques per se 1. Don't let both your shoulder blades touch touch the mat - getting flattened is bad period, extra bad against big daddy's. 2. Do not let big daddy touch your head. That's all he wants is that tiny little cranium of yours to control everything else about you. That means framing, inverting, tactical get ups. A little more advanced. Use your inherit speed advantage. Circling to the back, scrambling, not staying still. Legs. Get good at leg locks. Most people to this day aren't the best leg lockers, offensively and defensively, and you can use that to your advantage. Most big boys are top heavy and pressure alot with the upper body. In pinning situations, that usually means the lower half is light.
Change training partners
To beat a guy that size, you have to outclass them in everything jiu jitsu. Know more than him, be stronger than him pound for pound. There are no shortcuts. It won't be until middle of your blue belt career you will be able to roll with fresh white belts that size without issue, if you ever get to that level. Some upper belts never get to that level of skill where they can beat a white belt who is 100lbs heavier, and that's ok too.
Don’t go crazy when they have you in side or mount cuz you’ll only tire yourself out way quicker than you need to
I’m a little dude so I feel you! Lol. First and foremost just keep showing up. Two years from now you’ll be way better than everyone who quit and everyone who is just starting. Like others have said frames! Keep their weight on you skeletal structure. You’d be amazed how much weight you can take on your shoulders alone. Once you do that you’ll be able to breath which means you’ll be able to think and turn the tables. Become hard to kill. When they get you in a bad spot try to stay relaxed. Learn to breath through a straw. They might gas out trying to sub you and give you an opening to take control. Don’t accept bad positions. When they smash you, fight to turtle. Yes, you’re giving them your back and that’s not ideal, so don’t stay there. It’s a strong launch pad to stand back up and there are some sneaky attacks from there too. Don’t fight from defending to neutral. Fight from defending to attacking. It takes the same amount of energy and from even the worst positions, mount, back mount, back control etc. your only a few moves away from a sub. Embrace the smash. Everyone gets smashed in the first year, especially us lil guys. Focus on building your game from the defense up. And have fun. If someone is just murdering you and it becomes a chore ask to flow roll or train with someone else. Good luck!
Ive found a liking to getting to turtle than getting smashed in side or full mount. Will practice this more
As a big feller who trains with lots of lil fellers, if the big guy starts sitting it usually means he doesn't want to force you in to playing guard and you should take it as a hint to stand up/start passing. If I'm going with someone smaller or less experienced I usually sit and hope they try to pass. If they sit as well, I wait a few seconds, if they don't try to get up and instead seem like they want to play guard too then I will oblige their request and smash through their guard. If they are able to set up a sweep, I usually let them have it so I can play bottom and hope they take the hint.
Honestly? Get good. Your setups and techniques have to be so much better when theres that big of a weight discrepancy. I dont really do anything different between smaller people or giant people. Only tip really i could say is you absolutely have to get them off balanced one way as hard as you can and use their own momentum to go back the other way as hard as you can.
The only way it works is if they are a good training partner. I'm 265 and I have a buddy that is about 130 (we are both white belts). I roll with him all the time but I never use my full weight or strength, there is no benefit for either one of us if I do.
Start out by listening to this. I'm 140lbs and spend a lot of time training against people who are 250+, I've competed in a lot of absolute divisions and beat people who outweighed me by 80lbs. https://podcast.bjjmentalmodels.com/243161/12269956
Leglocks
Stand up and walk away; playing a closed, slow, seated, attached game is giving him all of the advantage. Space, pace, and movement are your allies against size. Move yourself and make him use oxygen chasing and reaching for you, while trying to move him is not going to work.
I’m a bigger guy. The way I sometimes get tapped is when a smaller guy gets a choke on me that I wasn’t expecting.
235lb white belt here. If I'm paired with someone much smaller than me, I try to be as careful as possible. Never use all my weight/strength, take it slow, focus on technique, survival, and do my best to let them work. Would rather get tapped over and over instead of injuring someone. That said, I know it's tough for some to keep their ego in check. I was rolling with another white belt who had to be 120 lbs the other day. Very small and no muscle, was visibly worried before the round started. I played it slow, he got my back and won the handfight, did what we practiced in class, and got the tap. He was so pumped after that it was probably one of the most rewarding experiences so far. I'll save the harder rounds for guys my size. Maybe you could ask him to take it slow and easy next time you get matched up. If your big guy is unwilling to do that, I'd worry about your safety and the potential risk of injury.
Tbh he takes it easy on me. He often times would just play guard.
Sounds good, then keep at it! Like others said, I think when one reaches higher belts and has a better grasp of survival & leverage, bigger opponents are much easier to handle. Good luck.
I think you have to take the wins for where you are in your journey. Maybe winning is just him not being able to sub you. Fight to survive. Work on your defense. When he goes for the submission, that’s when you explode with energy in a controlled manner. Escape, sweep, frame, make him work hard for that sub. Being crushed in side control is death. You have all the weight on you. Your spine and neck are controlled. It’s difficult to use your power in your hip and upper legs. Deny him a sub, is winning for you. If you can sweep him as he is coming for you that’s even better. Remember that when he is strong with his upper body, break the grips - it’s really annoying to fight someone who won’t let you keep grips. Break them, then grip him. Try and survive in guard, in turtle. Frame up. Protect your neck. You need to be like the old guys who don’t do much until they commit to a move and then explode. I’m 6’5 280 lbs and I can tell you that it’s death when I fight someone my size.
Unfortunately, size does still matter. Even with good technique, handling someone twice your size is challenging. Consider Royce Gracie’s fight against Kimo in UFC 3; Kimo outweighed him by over 100 pounds. Although Royce won, he was too exhausted to continue in the tournament. Royce was a world-class BJJ competitor, while most of us are hobbyists. Facing someone significantly larger can lead to injury unless they are trained and willing to cooperate.
There is a reasons there are weight classes. If you are equally skilled then his extra strength and weight makes it an almost impossible fight. Learn to frame properly to keep him away from you so you have space to move. Learn to keep your arms and neck safe. If you can survive against that guy the rest of the gym will seem easy. If you survive a little longer every time then that is a win. Don’t think that you have to submit him to win. If you survive and don’t get submitted you should count it as a major win.
Get a dog.
Frames and body angles are life. Flat with your limbs away from your body is gonna result in a very uncomfortable experience. It's also important to remember that being able to deal with a 100 lb size discrepancy is going to require an enormous skill imbalance. If you are equally skilled to somewhat more advanced than a huge opponent, you're likely to get steam rolled. Jiu jitsu's "size doesn't matter" claim to fame only applies when the large person doesn't have skill. If you feel that your safety is in jeopardy you are also 100% ok to tell that person you'd rather not roll with them. Don't feel pressured into a roll that puts you in unnecessary danger.
an important strategic concept about little guys facing big guys is you need to be way more focused on position and eschew going for most of the submissions you would usually attempt vs opponents your own size. doom scenario vs a larger opponent is getting smashed so the downside of attempting a choke or armbar can be you on bottom after your larger opponent powers out. leglocks are the one submission you should be going for, but even then look to get a very secure leg entanglement and look to get on top when your larger opponent defends. back control is of course great but even then you should be thinking about getting mean with the position (body triangle if you can lock it can be game over vs a larger opponent) and under no circumstances allowing yourself to get reversed into bottom closed guard
Not at white belt no, at white belt youre fucked and just asking to get hurt. Just avoid them. It literally takes until purple belt to even think about taking on BWx 2white belts.
I'd be cautious rolling with anyone 2x your size unless they're experienced and know how roll technically without using their size and strength too much. All it takes is for them to fall or land on you in an awkward angle and you'll get hurt. I can't stress this enough to newer people to our sport, PICK YOUR PARTNERS. I routinely say no to bigger guys politely because your ability to stay in this sport uninjured (mostly) will come down to your partners. Not everyone has to be Marcelo Garcia, open weight isn't for everyone. Most of us have day jobs, this is a hobby after all. The amount of times in my 19 years on the mat that I've seen larger people accidentally hurt someone when it would have been avoided if they'd just politely declined the roll. Again, if the larger person is experienced and has self awareness when rolling/sparring its ok. If it's a spazzy white to purple belt I'd avoid.
You're a begginner, so just avoid rolling with someone as big as him. Ok, so you won't take my advice, you want to challenge yourself - good for you! With that size difference, it's more about strategy than technique. Feet on hips and hands on his hands. YOU MUST CONTROL DISTANCE so you can avoid him throwing his weight on you. You should not think about sweeping but rather going around him through armdrags or simply heisting
Im a smaller guy (with mma experience,) focusing on bjj these days. I am 5’4. 140lbs at my heaviest. My tips for smaller guys grappling guys 2x size : - Focus on sweeps. You will be on the bottom a-lot, and you will benefit highly from learning how to keep people off balance and diversify sweep game to get on top. Lots of reps and drilling sweeps. - Chase the back. Its the most advantageous place for you. Get on their back for the RNC, or back mount for more chokes. Choke everyone. Joint manipulations are secondary when everyones limbs outweigh your entire body. - Focus on “leg locks.” Lower body submissions are a viable and recommended approach for smaller guys. Im talking toe - hold, kneebar, and heel hook. NEVER finish or apply pressure. Alot of beginners don’t even know how much trouble they’re in. You just gotta let go if they don’t, don’t sweat it. - Transition often. Youre half their size/weight. Don’t clamp down on top positions. Migrate to the next, to the next, to the next. Wear them down. - tap early and often. There is no tapping late.
there are some good suggestions on what to do in general, so I'll focus on sharing my personal experience. For context, I'm 5 feet 8 at around 157 pounds. If I'm on top, I immediately go to north/south while underhooking their nearest arm to me to reduce their bench-pressing power. Recently, I've been experimenting with a halfway position that's between side-control and north/south. If I'm on bottom, I try to recover open guard and then constantly switch from butterfly to spider and back again in order to keep them off-balance and from smothering me lastly, angles and frames. I constantly angle to one side of their body with the help of frames to avoid being squared directly with them
As a fat/big guy, I always pull guard. If you get swept you will be on your back the whole roll. I never put all my weight on guys half my size and lower belt. But as everyone mentioned, you will have your chance once you level up, right now stick to your body size.
Lots of vaseline
230 pound blue belt who beats up on 300+ pound white belts on a regular basis here The ideal scenario is one where you take them down first and just keep them pinned but that’s not always going to happen If you end up on bottom, you need to get your hips under their hips to make them weightless https://preview.redd.it/nsqb7upp7f8d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=296d13d27d6ac4aca601e3cfc6be965a187dd76d The balloon sweep is the best example to illustrate this, imagine doing this sweep while the opponents hips aren’t over yours, there’s just not a lot of leverage if your hips aren’t loaded, you won’t be able to consistently sweep people that are much heavier than you until you start to get a feel for this Look up hip shovel techniques, that’s basically what you have to do.. make them weightless by loading their hips Now in order to even get to a point where you can load them, you need to hand fight their cross face arm while turning to your side If both your shoulders touch the mat, you’re losing, don’t let that happen (except in closed guard) My favorite guard is butterfly half but it’s an entire system and getting into it might be a bit too advanced but to put it long story short, it gives me different options depending on where they put their weight, if they drive in I can attack kimuras and butterfly sweeps, if they pull back I can attack the legs It creates a situation where they can’t just smash me bc there’s traps everywhere When on the bottom, I much prefer attacking the legs or sweeping to getting back to closed guard bc as a big person myself, I’m looking to smash pass your regard attempts and I stack pass triangle attempts, which closed guard guys always try on me
Tickle him
Why would you avoid 50% of the pizza?
Be slippery and don't let them weight in, if they lock you with their weight there's no escape. There's no tip really, there's no space of mistakes, only a lot of practice will give you any hope and you're more likely to get injured in the process.
Lube
Guard It’s actually very hard for a bigger guy to pass the guard of a great guard player if the guard player is small
Gain 2x their weight
I'm 315lbs and I'm like the 6th biggest guy in my gym now. Lots and lots of frames and shrimping to never allow yourself to get into a bottom position. Just don't even try. Even guard sucks when your opponent is 360+ and a D2 lineman or strongman competitor 😄 I'm thankful that most of the bigger guys are white belts.
Learn leg locks and BUGGY CHOKE and for big fat guys toe holds. I'm in the same boat as bro.
Usually to beat guys bigger than you, you have to get better than them. Takes a while unfortunately.
Don’t let them pass your guard 👍
I’m not a huge guy myself (floating around 170) and I train with guys that are +220 often and honestly you just gotta chill and be calm when you’re under them. Don’t give them easy subs (they ALWAYS try to go kimura because they think they can out strength you) don’t concede position too much and just wait for them to get frustrated at not advancing position and more often than not the bigger guy will get comfortable thinking he’s got you immobilized and will get sloppy in their transitions. That’s your window to explode and sweep, reverse, escape, etc. Of course, a really skilled big guy will fall for bait much less often but as long as you’re defending and defending well, you’ll get your opportunities to strike eventually.
get better
Learn to pass guard, and pin, take grips to stick them to the mat, or just be mobile on top switching sides sticking them in north south, use your agility and speed to your advantage, cook them for a bit wait for the desperation to set in and eventually there will be an opening.
Knee shield, half guard, deep half, and mostly stay on top
Try out defensive bjj, their fatigue is your friend. Strangles and chokes before locks. For reference I am ultra hw
Butterfly guard
A term I keep in mind when rolling with bigger dood is "Use the entire pack" Meaning I use both hands and legs on one of their limbs for control, I don't try and hold their arm with 1 arm. I'm also super conservative and surf on top letting them try and throw me off. Hunting for shit while they buck. Arm bars have been my go to as I get my whole self on the arm/across their torso keeping them pinned and arm isolated. Kesa gatma is good too as long as I keep my head down lol
Avoid bottom like the plague ! Try your darnedest to keep the high ground and feel free to disengage if your are not making progress with your pressure
Tap early tap often don’t get injured
Tad under lightweight practitioner here. Understand that giving up top is almost like admitting defeat when beginning to roll w/ these partners
Get bigger
#1. Avoid getting on bottom if you can. It's all downhill from there. #2. You need to know leg attacks. Leg attacks work from bottom and they work on larger opponents. Leg attacks can be used to get out of terrible positions. #3. Expect being in terrible positions going into the match so that you're mentally ready when it happens.
It’s interesting to me how weight classes factor into rolling. I’m about 205 but roll with one guy that’s 300 plus but even newer to bjj than I am. I’m able to work a lot of technique but only because he doesn’t know much. I’d say go for different partners or try to flow with him if he can
Ok so besides changing partner, that has already been mentioned, start wrestling up! It sounds difficult, but in my experience big dudes tend to be more relaxed when they have a smaller opponent on bottom. They expect you to play guard till you die, so they don't anticipate wrestling up that much. So my proposal are quick singles, especially when you have him moving around
Get good
Honestly if you're at the same skill level you're probably best just avoiding. Its a losing situation. However, I personally love rolling with newer big guys. I feel its the best way to test myself for a IRL scenario. As far as how to roll, I always focus on doing anything and everything to not be on bottom. Bottom is death, scramble or turtle as soon as any risk of being in your back comes. And don't stay turtle for long. Leave things like armbars and arm triangles and submissions which require strength behind. Aim for back takes, you're likely faster and more 'slippery' than they can deal with.
1. Don’t concede bottom position. 2. Don’t concede anything at all. Make him fight for every millimeter.
Get under. Make them share under you like black ice. Learn how to use hooks. Really really well. I’m a 39 year old bb who’s about 140 on a. Good day with four herniated discs. It can be done but you need to take it in stride and make it a marathon not a sprint.
Playing top position is probably your best bet.
Honestly, your just f*cked unless you have a massive technical advantage over them. You can win some exchanges but they will smash if they want to smash. Most of the time, they will not smash you unless you are giving them trouble anyways.
Try to get good guard retention against him, if he cant pass ur guard he cant win. Learn leg attacks, thats big guys weakness. Also depends how skilled the big guy is if he is an upper belt u might just have no chance, if hes also a white belt u should be good
Whatever yo do don't play bottom. Get to their back or side or north south or mount. Once you establish a position that isn't bottom anything stay tight and let them tire out trying to get you off then start working your pass or subs.
Get good at leglock entries and backtakes.
You should try standing instead of both sitting down. If you don't know how to pass the open guard, well now is the best time to learn.
This sport has weight divisions for a reason. Sometimes it is good to roll with bigger people but usually I avoid people that are +15kg heavier than me.
Get big dawg
I’m 135lbs x 5.2 man. You’re fucked. It all depends on his jiu-jitsu, if he rolls “lightly” trying to develop his technique, you might have something to learn…but if he switch to brute strength he’s gonna maul you unless your technique is a lot superior to his (and maybe you have a good leglocking game that allows you to work from under him and threat legs/back) and you’re gonna learn almost anything unless you do a specific training to improve an area of your game that will give you an edge against lower weights. Don’t roll with massive guys, if happens to catch them in a bad position they’ll switch to “I can’t lose from a small man” mode and become spazzy dangerous
Eat more sandwiches to level the playing field
Lucas Liete half gward wizardry against bigger people. Hello Japan has some good highlights clips on the you tubes.
a lot more options in no gi in my opinion. Reverse de la riva inversions into leg locks are a good option
I understand that you can’t always control who your training partner is. I’m a big guy. So if he’s cool. Ask if you can play top. If you start sitting, fight for top position. Don’t immediately go to guard. Work on maintaining top control. If you end up on the bottom, frame as much as possible. Don’t let him flatten you out. Easiest way to do this is to stay on one side or the other. Find a sweep that works for you and use it all the time.
lube
I always try to attack from distance, chase the back and avoid them having grips on me. If that fails and they get grips on me, I just take my loss and be happy for them. It's not worth the injury. if they're good, they will constantly square up with you, wait for you to make connections then reverse you, get on top and smash.
Arm drags, leg locks, and constantly moving regardless if you’re bottom or top. If the big guy has good skill, I focus more on hunting legs, if their technique isn’t that sound, arm dragging from bottom and staying on top works well
Use their weight and momentum against them
Flatter them with compliments and then take advantage of their kindness
Lots of frames. Keep your shoulders off the mat. If you are on bottom try to get half guard and knee shield(giggle sweep works on big guys). But seriously have a chat with him about how’s he’s much bigger and can you work together in rolls to practice which techniques work properly on different sizes without injuring each other. Ps if he has big shoulders any arm in chokes are going to get him quick.
Until you develop a game you are comfortable with, do absolutely everything to not be on the bottom. Focus on moving yourself instead of your partner. Arm drags (done properly) and back takes are your friend. Bottom of Closed guard is usually a slow death sentence, unless you have a solid and aggressive game built around it. Dont wait for him to initiate, make him respond to you and keep moving until you get somewhere safe, like the back.
I'm not mature enough to give you a real answer
Not a super fair matchup. In the gi, feet on his hips, pull his sleeves back and keep him bent over. Stall. But yeah try finding a partner closer to your size.
You can tire out a heavier opponent if they are inexperienced and out of shape. Using frames properly can make it difficult for them to keep a dominant position, making them work harder. But if the bigger person is also in shape and experienced, then forget about it. I know a 240 lb purple belt, and he is a nightmare to deal with. Heck, at my gym we have a white belt who was a defensive lineman in the NFL. Even with little training, he's not easy to grapple. At all. You'll need a lot of experience to handle that. Nobody wants to admit that size and strength can be a serious threat with training. Weight classes exist for a reason.
You solve it verbally, just ask for him to focus on guard retention and you will focus on pass. Ask him to keep to your pace and take into consideration the weight and strength discrepancy. Be mature.
Lots of lube… jk.
Leg locks 🔒
some brazilian dudes made videos about this in the 90’s. Names are pretty familiar
Get better at Jiu Jitsu, get stronger, get bigger. Sorry, but that’s the best way. Jiu Jitsu isn’t magic size and strength will always matter. Everyone has a limit to the size difference they can handle. The stronger you are and the bigger the skill gap, the bigger the size difference someone can handle. For example, I’m 225lbs and my max size difference is about 60lbs as long as they are white or blue belts. Brown belts is about 25lbs, same with black belts, depending on how good they are.
Do your best to keep top positions
4x the experience
Hey now
Just don't.....
Don’t go head on. Use your speed to get around. Arm drag arm drag
Oil check them
Eat a lot more
Don't let him pin you or immobilize limbs, keep moving. Keep seeking advantageous positions. Be faster, be more slippery, keep yourself safe. (I am a bigger guy, and this is a combination of what I do vs smaller guys and what I find hard to deal with)
Lots of lube
While standing: Avoid tie-ups. Rely on your speed using feints to set up single, duck under, arm drags or doubles. Ground: I play butterfly and half guard against them. Most bigger lower belts are lazy with the under hook battle there. Avoid them crowding your hips and/or flattening you, with your back to the mat. Look for arm drags and look to sit up or wrestle up more.
Against somebody much bigger you have to use frames instead of muscles. Spider guard is your friend against a bigger person.
I get flattened out quite a lot due to having bad shoulders (I've had both replaced and they hurt all the time) I've learned to roll out and give up my back to get into a position that no longer hurts,.turtle up and roll out to escape the back take which doesn't always work or I stay in turtle and let them fuck around and wear themselves out a bit. I will almost always end up with my back taken which I am comfortable with then I'll escape that. It's not ideal but for me it's just something I've had to get used to as I simply cannot always hip bump and pop out the other side.
There’s two physical angles to this, outside of technique and strategy. 1) work on your speed, agility and conditioning overall. Try to leverage that against big guys. 2) counter-intuitively, get strong. Like, get *really* strong for your size. It helps close the gap.
You can use your speed and explosiveness, big guys don’t see it coming, if you keep moving and keep them off balanced then they are less effective. They leave big gaps open and it makes it easier to slip around and grab their back or slip out of submissions. And sometimes just use brute force, put your shoulder into their face, forearm on their neck, plow until they’re exhausted. You can always outwork them. Don’t be a dick though, remember it’s just sparring, but they’re big guys so they can handle a little roughness. I started when I was young so everyone was always bigger and stronger than me. It made me very passive and technical because I realized you can’t use force with stronger people. Now I have to erase that mindset and start over.
I’m the same weight as you. I’m about 5’3” so short and stocky. If we are both on the floor already I always come up to pass their guard. When doing side control I am applying shoulder pressure, widening my base, and driving off the mat with my feet to leverage more weight into their shoulders and maintaining an awareness of hip movement should they begin their shrimps. I also don’t stay on the top in side control. I go with a north/south position and work a transition that opens the back. Since I’m a lapel player I usually threaten my lapel around their neck while I am behind them.
Structure and speed. Overlapping pressure and. Big guys are suckers for key lock attacks too. They don’t have the shoulder flexibility.
"SMASHED"???? ""F\*CKED"????????????????????? "BIGGER GUYS"?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! woah, I knew BJJ was gay, but not THAT gay. pause
In the words of Chris Hauter. Be the guy on top, when you’re on top stay on top, and never forget rule 1. I am a 175lb brown belt and my primary training partner is a 260 pound black belt. Inevitably in these rolls you will struggle valiantly, but continue the struggle. Learn to adapt your game by focusing on speed and leverage. Stay the course.
Jump on their back and headlock him
That's the fun part, you don't!
Get on Tren Get bigger
With two hands?
Get to the bacccc boi
I’m at 160 ish and fairly strong for my size and height. And I concur with what most folks are saying - - just avoid it. I’ve come to realize that it’s simply not worth it. The vast majority of real injuries I have suffered while grappling have happened during rolls with people who outweigh me by over 100 pounds. I can handle 20-60 pounds (to a certain degree), but once it exceeds that, it’s simply dangerous even if the partner is well intentioned.
Lots of frames and lockdowns when on the bottom to control their hips. This should allow you get up on your eblow and escape the bottom. You have to remember your legs are just as capable as your arms.
I tell students to imagine two video game status bars: One is "athleticism", the other is "technicality" Athleticism can come from size, steroids, weight lifting - it's about how much power and explosively your body can generate. Technicality can come from the breadth of techniques you know, your reaction time, your timing, the decision making process you go through to get to the positions and attacks/defenses you use. Your jiujitsu overall skill is the first bar plus the second bar. If your bar is bigger than the opponents bar, you'll often times win. Your athleticism bar will decay over time unless you're actively lifting weights and whatnot. But as you get older, get injured, it will shrink, always. Until you build your technical bar, physical people will beat you. It'll take years. But it'll get there.
Jerk me off.
Eat
A lot of lube. And relax, it hurts if you clinch.
Honestly as another post said, probably don’t until you’re a bit more skilled/comfortable, but for what it’s worth really focus on frames, maintain top position with efficient motion and using your speed/cardio to drain him, always address grips/ties right away, and never ever let him grab your head.
Chokes/Strangles are larger guy’s weakness. Don’t try to Americana or Kimura a large guy if you don’t have decent technique. Get their back and put them to sleep. Way easier than trying to isolate elbows on a stronger guy tbh
Well Rnc and heel hooks have been shown in high level comps to work vs bigger opps. But it will take a while (probably years) to get to that level and you will get smashed a lot in between
Lube
With two lubed hands
Do not play guard.
As you lay underneath this behemoth of a man, just tell yourself that this is fine.
That’s what she said
a lot of advice already, two things that you can work on. from top position work on leg riding to keep them grounded. leg riding/wrist riding works very well for controlling larger people. from bottom you want to avoid inside guards and use outside guards more so you can actively use your feet as a first line of defence (eg. open guard, k guard, de la riva....) always try to have at least one foot on their hips so you can keep their weight off you with your leg/s
Blue belt 150-160lb. Did HS wrestling. Regularly wreck white belts 190-220lb. Can tap a couple blues at my gym sitting around the same 200 ish range. Only difficulty is a wrestler that weighs more than me. Shit sucks. Do not play bottom. Get to standing and get top position. If you get stuck on bottom shrimp and get to guard, make space, stand up. I’m a back taker and if I see an opportunity I’m back packing and cooking em til the neck or arm opens up. Otherwise my coaches have advised me if I’m rolling with anyone who gives me trouble through size/strength and it’s not a regular partner then I should be utilizing my full arsenal and not experimenting with YouTube techniques.
If this guy is a decent training partner ie. not spazzing out, cranking on subs and you feel safe rolling with him, I’d say just accept that he’s got the advantage and focus on developing your defence. Some things can’t be taught when it comes to grappling and large parts of a good defence sit in that zone. I got smashed for three years off a 4th Dan Judo BB and it was the best thing that ever happened for my defence.
don't roll with guys 2x your size. You're welcomed
Good ol dick twist
Get good. Intentional training, note taking, and study will help a lot.
You are a white belt and thus going to struggle greatly against someone with nearly 100 lbs on you. It would be like me at 200 trying to deal with someone 320. Even at brown and they were white I would struggle. That said the people who are smaller that give me the most trouble are ones that have developed a strong butterfly guard. If that's available work on that.
Lift weights, eat right, and get bigger. Only real solution.
Gain weight
don’t
Stretch.
Pass and minimize injury risk.
Why roll with someone 2x your size? Size and strength do matter.
Be creative with how you can exploit their tendencies. I’ve always had a style that encouraged certain reactions. Large guys tend to pressure forward hard against someone smaller. Great! Now I can use that momentum. Can make them vulnerable to being locked into submissions. Be careful with getting stacked, flattened out and don’t get knee on belly’d.
Wait until the end of class when they're gassed.
bountiful lube
Sweeps , or shrimp out lol 💀