Character Size and Fighting Styles

Okeedoke, we are finishing this fighting style series today! Be sure to check out the previous posts on the subject because several things can influence which fighting style is best for your character. Today, we are looking only at the character size and fighting styles that might suit each hand-to-hand combat. I will mention bleeding out however which is usually a product of weaponry.

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Character Size and Fighting Styles

Larger characters (height and weight):

Advantages:

Reach – Taller characters can reach farther and thus land a strike from farther away. They can also cover a distance with fewer strides.

 

Weight – Mass has a direct impact on the creation of force. A heavier person has the potential to create more force than a person who weighs less and is the same speed. That weight also gives them ability to hold a smaller person down. Yes, there are techniques the smaller person can use to deal with that weight. But, anyone who says technique always beats size and strength is either not a fighter or hasn’t been fighting long enough. Also, the bodies of heavier people have adapted to carrying more weight which in turn allows that heavier person to carry more weight. This is why power lifters tend to be heavier.

 

Internal structure – Taller people don’t necessarily have larger organs. When that is the case, the person literally has more room in their body. This may mean that they are better able to survive penetrating injuries.

 

Blood volume: Larger people have more blood. It takes them longer to bleed out.

 

Strength: A person with more muscle mass has a greater potential for more strength.

 

Disadvantages : 

Speed – The more something weighs, the more work it takes to get it going. This isn’t to say that larger/taller people are not fast. It is to say that they require more effort to get going. They simply have more to move which can equate to less explosive speed. This is why Usain Bolt, the fastest man on record, tends to be in last place for the first thirty yards (27 meters) of the race. Usain is several inches taller than the average sprinter. It takes more to get him moving. Once he gets going, that greater height gives him a greater stride length and he makes up for lost time.

 

High Center of Gravity –  The center of gravity for a man is his chest. For a woman, it is the hips. The higher that center of gravity is from the ground, the more difficult it can be to maintain balance. From a physics standpoint, taller people are easier to upend. Also, their length requires more torque for rotation. This combined with their higher center of gravity, makes a sudden change in direction more difficult. In essence, from a scientific standpoint, taller people have less potential for agility.

 

Space Requirements – Larger people need more room to move and more room to fight both standing and on the ground.

 

Holes in their game – Larger people have larger holds which can be problematic. Think about trying to pick up a screaming toddler. They have the diabolical ability to slip out of our grasp. That is because our hold is larger than what we are trying to hold on to.

 

Open Targets – The bigger the body, the bigger the target.

 

Making the most of being big:

As a whole, the larger person has the advantage. Larger characters should capitalize on their mass and reach while being mindful of the speed of the smaller opponent. In other words, don’t underestimate the danger of a smaller opponent. When the smaller person moves in to strike, the larger opponent might be better off grabbing the smaller by the hair or clothes rather than just punching. Smaller opponents are great at evading so getting a grip on them is a good idea. It’s also advantageous to cut off the escape routes of the smaller person and to take the fight to an area where there are few buffers for the smaller person to use defensively. Trying to out maneuver a smaller character is maybe not the best idea for a larger opponent. It could compromise balance.

Punching a smaller opponent will likely be productive. Their body is generally not as sturdy as they have a smaller frame. So, a larger opponent can really do a lot of damage. If the fight goes to the ground, the larger person needs to stay on top to crush the smaller and be mindful of the space they are giving the smaller to escape.

The larger fighter should also be patient. Sometimes it’s best to let the smaller fighter tire out.

 

Smaller characters:

Advantages:

Speed: Smaller people have greater potential for more explosive speed. They have less to move and can just be quicker. That speed allows them to bridge a little of the disparity of force with larger opponents. What a larger person has on the mass side of the equation (F = ma), the smaller has the potential to make up for in speed.

 

Low Center of Gravity: Smaller people have a the potential for greater balance and agility. They are far better able to change direction quickly. A taller person may be able to catch a shorter in a straight run, but the smaller person may out-maneuver the larger.

 

Space Requirements: Smaller people need less room to move

 

Closed Targets: Smaller people are better able to hide their vital targets.

 

Rely on Technique: Smaller fighters know they probably won’t out-muscle an opponent and rely heavily on technique. Proper technique is efficient and allows the fighter to use less energy while still maximizing the effectiveness of the technique.

 

Negatives:

Reach: Because of their shorter reach, a smaller person has to get closer to strike. This makes them more vulnerable to attacks. It also means that to cover the same

distance as a longer limbed opponent, the smaller will have to have a much greater foot turn over. More steps require more energy.

 

Weight: Less weight = less potential to create force. It also means the fighter will have less of an ability to hold the larger down. The smaller combatant can pin the larger opponent down, but their technique has to be on point. And, even then, if the larger opponent is a lot larger, no amount of technique in the world may keep them down. Smaller fighters are also more susceptible to being picked up and carried away.

 

Blood volume: Less blood volume means less time is needed to bleed out.

 

Strength: Less muscle mass can equate to less strength. While from a strength to weight ratio the smaller fighter may be stronger than the larger, they probably won’t be able to carry as much weight.

 

Frailty: Smaller frames tend to more breakable than larger ones. Smaller people are easier to injure.

 

Making the Most of Being Small:

Look, I’m a little fighter so I know from experience that, as a whole, being the smaller opponent isn’t better. If at all possible, against a larger fighter, the smaller fighter’s wisest course of action is to not engage. They should get away and seek out buffers to put between them and their bigger combatant. If that’s not possible, smaller fighters have to use their speed. They have to out maneuver the larger to evade their more force strikes and hopefully upset the balance of the larger combatant as well. When the larger character opens their body up to maintain balance, they will likely leave targets open.

If the smaller character gets in close, they need to make their strike count: kick the front or side of the knee, gouge the eyes, punch the throat – that last one could kill an opponent. I don’t suggest groin attacks because when adrenaline is running high, groin strikes just aren’t as effective.

If the smaller person ends up on the ground with the larger, they need to make every effort to get away: Kick the larger character’s face, bite them, gouge the eyes, tear at the ears, go completely bonkers. The smaller character can hold a larger character down from top position in high mount (sitting astride, high on the chest, knees on the ground pushing up the arms). The smaller person may also do well utilizing north/south or kesa gatame (pics at end). In all of these positions, the smaller character needs to watch out for strikes and keep their face and arms away from the larger character’s mouth. That said, if the opponent is a lot bigger, they can get still get up from these positions when the smaller character is doing everything right. So, when the smaller character finds themself in a dominant position, they need to do damage quickly. Chokes are great as are attacks to the knees. I don’t suggest taking the back at all if the larger opponent is twice as big. My larger opponents (100 pounds larger) have stood up with me on their back choking them and they could have thrown themselves down on top of me. On that same note, if a smaller character is choking a larger from the back, the larger can lose consciousness and fall on top of the smaller.

 

Consider these things as you peruse fighting styles for your characters. There is no best martial art or fighting style and no skill is ever wasted. Just because your character is short doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be a Muay Thai fighter. They just have to consider their strategy since they have a shorter reach. And, a larger character can still be fast and agile. You just have to remember physics isn’t on their side.

Until the next round at FightWrite™, get blood on your pages!

 

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