Tips For Fighting A Larger Opponent In Judo
Pulling off a technique just right and scoring in judo is hard enough, but when you want to do the same thing on someone who is bigger and stronger than you, that may seem impossible.
But it’s not as bad as it seems, as long as you do a thing or two the right way, that is.
Go for less major throws
By that I mean ashi-waza, in particular, sweeps.
The thing about fighting larger players is that because they outweigh you by however much, doing stuff like uchi mata, o goshi, harai goshi can get you countered rather easy, and just in general, be harder to pull of because of the weight difference.
Focusing on catching your partner with foot sweeps like o uchi gari, ko uchi gari, sasae can work better, as you can do so without much kuzushi, if you can time it correctly, and it’s not as risky.
Throws like drop seoi nage can work well too, but the problem is, larger folks will expect you to capitalize on it.
I was always the taller dude in my club, and shorter judokas always tried the dreaded drop seoi nage on me, but eventually I caught up to it.
It’s not like you can’t do it, but you have to be more creative with it.
Maybe one randori session you only try to work for o uchi, ko uchi. Then, another time you guys meet, maybe sprinkle in some drop seoi nages here and there.
Even though drop seoi nages work very well against larger opponents, as you can fit just right into their inside pocket, you’ll get exposed eventually if you do it all the time.
Feinting with a form of seoi nage, whether it’s ippon, drop and then going for ko uchi makikomi is gold:
But don’t stress it
No matter how you cut it, you’re going to have a much harder time fighting someone either taller, heavier or both than you.
In judo, weight classes are of particular importance. To expect you’ll be manhandling someone who is even just 10 kilograms (22 pounds) heavier than you is an overstatement.
Sometimes the best course of action is working on your defense.
I mean, you shouldn’t be stiff arming and just going turtle mode. Just fight for grips, maybe look for openings, but don’t necessarily actively seek an opportunity to go for a throw.
This goes without saying if you’re sparring a player who is many belts above you. If you’re a green belt and want to take down a brown, you may want to think twice whether that’s really going to happen.