The Truth About Beating Taller Opponents in Boxing, Kickboxing and MMA

The Truth About Beating Taller Opponents in Boxing, Kickboxing and MMA

Self-Defence 45 Comments

In his video, “The Truth About Beating Taller Opponents in Boxing, Kickboxing and MMA,” Icy Mike of the Hard2Hurt YouTube channel slays combat sport myths with a staggering uppercut of truth. Quelling erroneous claims regarding default strategies for squaring up with taller opponents, Mike articulates nuances of strategic positioning and distance management. Assertively overturning the ‘all the way in, all the way out’ tactic, he stresses the proper application of smart footwork and tactical head movement. Debunking combat misinformation with the precision of a blackbelt, Mike teaches the art of flirting with danger. Watch him dismantle falsehoods and carefully craft winning strategies against taller opponents.



Modern Self Defence Strategies: Understanding The Realities of Engaging Taller Opponents

One popular topic in the combat sports and self-defence community that is often fraught with misunderstandings, myths, and outright fallacies is the potential strategies for taking on a taller opponent. Any seasoned martial artist will tell you that size and build do play a significant role in how a fight can unfold. But, it’s important to clarify some of the misconceptions circulating about certain strategies, particularly countering a taller adversary. This piece is based on a lucid video tutorial made by Icy Mike at his YouTube channel, Hard2Hurt. Firstly, one must dispel the all too common suggestion that “you either need to be all the way in or all the way out” while taking on a taller opponent. The rationale often provided is that by staying at an extreme end of your adversary’s reach, you’re either inside their power arc, thus significantly disarming their much-vaunted reach advantage, or outside their striking range altogether. But as Mike aptly puts, such a strategy “just helps you lose more slowly” rather than positioning you for a decisive victory. In contrast, the tactical truth is that you need to stay in that optimal mid-range. It’s imperative that a fighter maintains an uncomfortable closeness to the end of their opponent’s strikes, constantly flirting with their reach to create openings. This elusive balance of danger and safety, this dance on the knife’s edge of striking range is fundamentally integral to winning a combat sports engagement or a self-defence encounter. Critical elements for mastering this challenging ballet include superior tactics, positioning, footwork, and distance management. As Mike argues, the trick is paradoxical, the key to victory often lies in the apparent danger zone of being within the strike range of a taller opponent. This risky manoeuvre is achieved through the artful use of superior footwork and continuous movement to mislead your opponent into thinking you are within their striking distance, allowing you to counterattack when they commit to their strikes. And as Mike pointed out, “the truth is you gotta be right out there in the end, you gotta flirt with it…be close, be composed.” Good footwork is characterised by short, fast movements. Similarly, effective head movement is minimal, quick, and precisely coordinated to subtly avoid incoming strikes while staying within range to land your own. Combat athletes and martial artists must perpetually train to find their balance within this delicate dance. This effective and realistic fighting strategy applies to a variety of combat sports and martial arts contexts, from boxing and kickboxing to more integrated disciplines like Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and Muay Thai. In conclusion, it’s crucial for martial artists and combat athletes to dispel common misconceptions about fighting taller opponents and focus on practical and effective strategies. Engaging a taller opponent is undoubtedly challenging. Still, the right mix of tactics, positioning, composure, and movement can tip the scales in favour of the technically superior fighter. Regardless of the physical disparities, situation awareness and strategic action will always be your most robust line of defence…or offence.

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Hard2Hurt is a popular YouTube channel run by Icy Mike. The channel specialises in self-defense and fitness tips. Icy Mike, an ex-law enforcement officer, shares practical training techniques, emphasizing realistic simulations and mental preparation. His charismatic and straight-to-the-point approach to content delivery makes his videos both educative and engaging.

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45 Comments

  1. Lol now I’m new to your channel I think your wrong in a funny way because Mike Tyson wore shoes with no socks and he knows how to fight 😅😂

  2. Something I wish you would do is change your profile picture to you smiling, and it doesn't have to be a toothy grin, just anything that's slightly less hostile looking. I saw your content recommended to me, but I avoided until I saw you interact with Sensei Seth. I started watching Sensei Seth because he's not intimidating in appearance. I understand that in self-defense that is what you need, but purely in terms of marketing, I think it would do you and by proxy others a lot of good. I avoided your content because I thought it might be some manosphere nonsense, but it is obviously not that upon watching. That "legal first punch" video is amazing!

  3. I feel like Mike at this point just talks… lots of sound effects now lol. "Mike the camera is on!" MIke – "AHAHHA" "URRRRGGG" "Blarrrghgh"

  4. I'm not totally sure what my muay thai coach said but it was something like, you gotta dodge what they throw and then punish them for it. I really appreciate this video because it goes into much more detail about that idea. Thanks! I also find it funny how a couple of the tips are just, "Be a better fighter than the other guy" lol "Just be better at positioning". 4:43 I guess at the end of the day there's no magic pill, but I wish there was.

  5. Great video Mike, thank you. "Iron Mike" Zambidis would be a good person to watch, he is only 5'6" 155 lbs. Almost everyone he fought is taller than him and he was always in the mix.

  6. If the big dude goes donkey Kong on your ass, your screwed. You better be a pro bjj to lock him up but even then weight advantage is nuts.

  7. I find it so funny snyone would try to find “the safe way” to fight. Mike gets it right when he says you have to flirt with danger. You cant expect it to go safe, easy, or pretty. If you are in a fight, especially one where leaving isnt an option. You just have a job to do. Break your opponent, dont let them break you. Youre gonna get hit, be ready to hit them harder. Skill and all does play into who hits harder or more accurate, but at the end of the day. If your coach is teaching you to “not get hit” they arent teaching you to fight

  8. Yeah.. I gotta let the shorter guys get close. I could really just bat them down np. I think reach is pretty critical. Theres only one Mike Tyson everyone else better learn jujitzu.

  9. As 1,64m and 64kg of lean muscles thai boxer I've often had to be stronger, more resistant and faster.
    I have abs and chest strong enough that I could just get a tip in body and not moving back by a centimeter, which scared the fuck out taller guys.
    The moment they are shocked caused you totally absorbed hit and are capable of throwing powerful hooks, or low kicks or pulling them down in clinch.

    In this 15 years of swimming have helped me so much, cause it gives you incredible endurance and power concerning back muscles.

    It's still tough, though, and if for some reason I'm not in shape, I tend to be punished way more…tough life 😀

  10. When I was in school I got into fights with guys who was taller than me luck it was always 1v1 and they didn't know how to fight properly so I would trip them and hit them while they're down. However in a fight against taller opponents that are actually trained is next to impossible.

  11. I think you're right but I think you need to keep changing ranges. Also, the more tools you have the more effective you can be at different ranges. I have a great side kick and can cover ground from outside someone else's kicking range because I can slide in quick with a side kick. Which sets up for fake side kicks to round house or hook kicks. Aggresive counter fighting is key but hitting someone from different ranges and tools keeps you unpredictable which against a bigger opponent is key to landing the hard shot they don't see.

  12. This was one of the greatest parts of Prince Naseem's style of boxing. He had remarkable sway capacity and ridiculous footwork. And he stayed out on the end so that he could do the counterstrike. One of his trademark strikes, that long upper cut with a hop in it, is a good counterstrike that can very easily lead to a knockout. So, absolutely, in terms of figuring out how to approach the fight in a way that you can win, you need to be able to counterstrike. You have to be able to take advantage of an opening in your opponents guard, and they are the most vulnerable when they go out to attack. Loki this is something that is a huge part of hunter x hunter. The main character, Gon, figures out that in order to take an opponent that's stronger than him by leagues, he has to wait until that opponent is hunting and the minute he catches his prey, he can counterstrike.

  13. And on the you have to wear socks with your shoes. Yes, because nobody wants you to be on the mat barefoot after wearing shoes without socks all day. In all of us are dead, there's a joke about this. One of the characters, the nickname Baresu purely because of this.

  14. This is even more pronounced in epee fencing against tall lanky people. You can't get close or they'll stab you. If you stay far, they have a huge stride and huge reach to snipe you from far away. You have to be close enough to tempt them to try to hit so that they'll extend their arm for you to hit.

  15. Now do one for tactics vs someone with your exact reach. That can be the hardest matchup cause often you both are firing at the same time as you enter eachothers range

  16. I was going to disagree with the premise but then you sprinkled it with a bunch of nuance.

    Distance management is probably one of the easiest ways to figure out how good an opponent you're dealing with. It's great to have knockout power, but can you realize it?

    All that said, a taller opponent who can manage distance well is going to be a big problem and you probably want to fight them on the inside when you can. Getting in will be tough for sure but once you're inside their strikes will be less heavy and you can still use yours.

    Basically, to have success against a taller opponent you need to have better distance management than they do. But let's be real. If you have better distance management than your opponent you're probably going to win anyway unless you get caught hard. 🤷

    Short or tall. Distance management is one of the biggest factors.

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