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SHOCKING MUAY THAI REAL FIGHT NO GLOVES

TALLER & BIGGER ISN’T ALWAYS A WINNER

Fighting someone taller than you can be extremely frustrating, especially when you’re not sure what to do to lessen the reach advantage your opponent has on you.

Getting jabbed in the nose or front kicked in the sternum is no fun, particularly when you’re not able to return fire since you’re out of range.

Fortunately, throughout the history of Muay Thai and other combat sports, there has been a ton of fights where we can learn a lot of strategies, tactics and techniques to overcome a height disadvantage.

There are a few key fight strategies to consider whenever dealing with a taller opponent.

Top 5 Muay Thai Tactics To Beat A Taller Opponent

1) Find Your Range

Stay inside or outside your opponents range… not in the middle!

As the shorter fighter, you’re going to want to avoid the middle ground at all costs because that is the range where your opponent’s range will be most dangerous. Either stay on the outside where you can’t be reached or get in tight so you crowd your opponents strikes and make it difficult for him to extend his strikes and land any solid shots.

2) Use Footwork and Movement

Utilizing your footwork and lateral movement will usually be an effective strategy to use against a taller opponent.

Pushing your opponent up against the ropes and staying on the inside is a great way to take away your opponents reach advantage.

In theory, you should be able to bounce in-and-out of striking range by using quick footwork so you can deliver strikes and avoid counters. Switching stances, moving laterally and circling out are just a few of the things you can do to create more opportunities for you to find an opening.

Head movement is key too especially if your opponent is sticking out the jab to keep you at bay. Be sure that you limit your head movement though because if you’re bobbing-and-weaving to get inside, your opponent may be able to time your weave with a kick right to the face.

Also, creating different angles to engage (and disengage) from will be crucial in landing powerful, effective strikes without taking much damage in return. However, chances are you will get hit at some point, so learning how to roll with the punches and learning how to counter off your opponents initial strike will be key.

3) Use Feints

Throw some bait out there for your opponent to bite on and see how he reacts. In an ideal situation you’ll have your opponent react to one of your feints and commit to throwing a heavy strike. Once they throw this strike (and miss) chances are that they will be off-balance and out of position to defend… which is perfect timing for you to attack.

This is another instance where having good footwork comes into play. If you’re able to shuffle your feet in-and-out of your opponents range and get them to react to one of your movements,  then you will have a prime opportunity to land strikes without taking much damage in return.

So, do you want to get inside range without taking any damage? Then get your opponent to commit and throw a strike!

This is what you DO NOT want to do when your taller opponent has you in the plum position.

At some time in the fight you will get hit, so being able to weather a couple jabs to the face or teeps to the body is a tolerance that needs to be developed through training and conditioning.

Regardless whether you are fighting a taller opponent or not, taking a hit is a skill that you need to learn one way or another.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to develop the tolerance to take punches to the face or kicks to the body. If you haven’t already, try these sparring drills and tips to improve your chin and body conditioning.

5) Double Underhooks in the Clinch

Since you’ll be fighting on the inside, chances are you’ll find yourself clinching at one point or another during the fight.

Getting an advantageous position on a taller opponent can be rather difficult, so learning how to utilize the double underhooks position will be key to your success on the inside.

Source:  http://www.muay-thai-guy.com/muay-thai-strategy.html

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