In my observation and my personal experience in a BJJ club or MMA club
etc, the littler guys get less respect and go up through the belt ranks
slower.
For eg take 2 guys, one is 65 kg's and one is 85 kgs. Both are in good
shape, the 85 kg guy has been training a year or so less but both are
purple belts. The 85 kg guy will usually be trashign everyone in the gym
that is blue white and purple whilst the 65 kg guy will be beating
everybody but not with the ease the 85 kg guy will be.
The 85 guy will take the coaches attention quicker whilst the 65 kg guy
will be more skilled but wont be tossing everyone around as easily.
its because in bjj the way to advance usually is to win tourneys along with other reasons. And it is much harder for smaller guys to win tourneys because their tends to be way more of them.
I hear you I'm little too. But screw the big guys. Unlike them, I am forced every day to be more technical not only because i want to but because i have to. The only way to win is to be smart, use leverage, and a good strategy.
As far as I'm concerned i could care less about my belt color. As a 6.5 year blue I tap purples and browns on a regular basis and yes, they are bigger than me.
Well, honestly it depends on how good each guy is...
For example, in my BJJ school, we have a brown belt who is MAYBE 150 lbs at best if he lifts weights but his technical precision allows him to sub pretty much everyone at the gym, regardless of size...I've seen him handle 200+ quality purples and browns...He's sick...
It really depends on WHO we are talking about.
You can't really put a number to the size of the fight in the dog as much as the size of the dog in the fight.
The 85 guy will take the coaches attention quicker whilst the 65 kg guy will be more skilled but wont be tossing everyone around as easily.
This is another problem. My coach is a big buy and doesn't give me the time of day. Oh well. I do my homework outside of the academy and come in to try to beat his favorite heavier guys who he gives literally free private lessons to all the time.
I think the most common guys neglected in grappling are the heavyweights.
The guys 175-200 get the most work in (because they have both bigger and smaller guys to roll with... yet sometimes you have guys that are 200-300 that many guys won't roll with because they don't like rolling with the bigger guys as much, so they get less work.
It's harder for a big man to be as coordinated as the lighter guys who are deemed more athletic.
Because in real sports size is an advantage. If a big guy can outgrapple you only because he is big, he is still better than you, and deserves a higher rank.
Weight classes are artificial. Combat sports are the only sports with weight classes. This serves 2 purposes. One, it keeps matches/ fights safe. Two, it allows more people to compete.
Instead of complaining, be glad that you compete in a sport that caters to smaller people. If a 5'6" 145 lb man wanted to play football, basketball, soccer, hockey, or anything else, he would never find himself on a level playing field. In combat sports, you'll never be kicked off the team or out of the gym because you are too small. In other sports, you better be fast as hell or youre gonna be sent packin.
I think 65 kg's and below counts as small. Thats about 140 LBs. Above
that you have the athleticism to deal with bigger guys. Below that you can
still beat them but your athleticism doesnt count as much.
I never EVER said the big guy can outgrapple the smaller guy.
I said that the bigger guy destroys everyone in the gym with ease. The
smaller guy beats EVERYone but not in the same devestating fashion.
Thus he looks better than the little guy to the coach.
If we made a NBA for people under 6 feet or a NHL for people under 150 lbs, we probably wouldn't respect it as much even though the athletes involved would be just as skilled (maybe more so as the potential talent pool of basketball players under 6 feet is greater than over 6 feet)...
the reason being that we want to see the best regardless of weight/height, etc.
If the 85kg guy can beat the 65kg guy, he is BETTER.
BJ Penn can win at 155, 170, could probably beat a lot at 185, and got decisioned by a great 205er in Lyoto. People flock to see him fight at any weight, and actually prefer it to be the lower of two ones (he won the Mundials at about 145 too).
Lindland medaled at the Olympics at 167, the worlds at 187, did well in MMA at 185, fought Rampage at 205, and Fedor at HW. People have come to accept that Lindland is a badass as well.
However, someone like Hughes was never as popular as someone like Couture, even though Hughes is WAY more dominant. A big reason is the fact that Couture would beat Hughes in a fight.
None of those examples are BJJ ones, but BJJ doesn't exist in vacuum. People still want to watch giants dunk. This rubs off in the BJJ world as well.
At least there are weight classes as basketball lacks height classes.
Not me Will, just an observation. As an 80 kg purple belt you wouldnt
understand :)
lemme give u an example. Take Baret Yoshida, he is awesome, but you
look at his counterparts like Enson Inoue and Egan. They get way more
respect as fighters, yet Baret is more technical by far has more Abu Dhabi
achievements and has as many MMA wins.
Same with Royler Gracie. He is as good as Rickson pound for pound but
he doesnt get even HALF of the respect. Technically i am sure he would be
as good.
