How to Defeat taller opponents on the street

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This article was co-written by Adrian Tandez. Adrian Tandez is the founder and principal teacher of Tandez Academy, a world-renowned self-defense training center. He is a teacher of Bruce Lee’s Trieu Quyen Dao, Filipino martial arts and legendary martial arts master Dan Inosanto’s Silat. He has more than 25 years of experience in teaching these martial arts.

There are 21 references cited in this article that you can view at the bottom of the page.

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Accept it – size doesn’t matter! So if you have to fight a larger opponent, you need to know how to apply offensive and defensive tactics to overcome their advantage of height and reach. Assuming you have no choice but to get up and fight, you need to know how to knock your opponent down with perfect movements and precise attacks. This situation is quite scary, but if you know to keep a cool head and make reasonable movements, you will definitely win.

Table of Contents

Protect yourself

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Don’t hit unless you have to. When faced with a larger opponent, you are at a disadvantage from the start. Unless there is really no other option, you should avoid violent conflict at all costs. Do your best to keep calm or walk away if you can. There’s no shame in running away, especially when you don’t know what the consequences will be. Opponents may be hiding weapons in their bodies, or have friends waiting to fight the council. Your main goal is to get out of a dangerous situation. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Successfully fleeing before a violent situation occurs can be seen as a victory.
If you can’t avoid a fight, you should stay calm. Panic will make you lose your ability to judge the surrounding factors and be unable to apply effective tactics.

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Hand guard. Always keep your hands in front of you to protect your head. The forearms should be kept upright and parallel to each other, palms facing the cheeks. Squeeze your hand into a fist until you’re ready to return the punch. Bend slightly to bring the elbows closer to the stomach, to protect the ribs and abdomen from blows to the body. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Do not lower the guard or keep it loose, even if you are tired. Lowering the guard will create space for the opponent to strike accurately, which means the end of the fight.
Keep your hand guard so you can quickly and easily throw punches or elbow attacks.

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Dodge attacks instead of blocking them. Bigger opponents are also usually stronger, so you shouldn’t try to block his attacks. Instead, you should move often to stay out of their reach. He will get tired of chasing you, and his strength will decrease with each missed hit. If there is no chance to keep a safe distance, you dodge your head to the side to let the punch graze without causing damage, then immediately move forward and fight back. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Dodging is always the preferred option over blocking as it doesn’t require you to absorb force with any body part.
Dodging punches just by swerving is a basic defense in boxing. Dodging punches can help you avoid being hit while consuming the least amount of energy. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Overcome the size difference

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Use dodge tactics. Move continuously so that the opponent can’t catch you, or can’t hit. Keep your body light and balanced on the tips of your feet, so that you can change direction quickly and force him to constantly guess your movements. Because his arm span is longer, you have to keep a safe distance until you are ready to close to counterattack. ^{[9] X Research Source}

One method you can use is “dancing”, which means moving in a circle around your opponent while staying out of his range. When you feel they’re about to punch, lower your head or move away to make sure their hand doesn’t reach. ^{[10] X Research Source}
Since your legs are longer than your arms, a good kick can help you overcome your opponent’s arm span advantage.
No matter what you do, don’t let your larger opponent touch you. One wrong move can end the battle with their victory.

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Get close to your opponent. When the opponent is least defensive, get close to them. This will nullify their advantage in size and reach, putting him in range so you can land some powerful hits. Finding the right timing and the right approach is the most important factor in winning – you can’t beat a bigger opponent by playing against their strengths. ^{[11] X Research Source}

As you seek to keep your distance from larger opponents, the most important thing to remember is to stay out of the “danger zone”. This is the range where they can hit you but you can’t hit back due to the span disadvantage.
Unexpectedly close after dodging or launching a fake attack, or following the opponent’s punching arm while they are retracting.

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Tired the opponent. One of the disadvantages of being taller and heavier is that it takes more effort for them to move, and as a result, they get tired faster. Use this to your advantage. Keep swerving back and forth, dodging attacks and moving until they start to slow down. At this point, you use speed to get into close range and launch some punitive counterattacks. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Working out to improve your heart health can help prepare you for a situation where you need to maintain your strength longer while waiting for your opponent to get tired.
The strategy of letting the opponent drain their own strength before you deliver the finishing blow is also known as the “defensive-counterattack” principle. Muhammad Ali used this scheme to win the championship in a match (called The Rumble in the Jungle) against the taller George Foreman in 1974. ^{[13] X Research}

Actively inflict injury

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Use the element of surprise. If you suspect things are about to take a turn for the worse, be the first to strike. End the tension with a sudden, precise blow to the jaw or abdomen below the ribs (the soft flesh on the outer edge of the diaphragm below the breastbone). Put all your energy into the shot to end the fight with a single hit. If you do it successfully, the opponent will lose the ability to fight back, the confrontation ends. If not then at least you have a chance to escape. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Do your best to assess the situation before deciding to launch a surprise attack. In many cases, the opponent is simply angry and has no real intention to challenge. First you must be sure to consider all other options.
Be careful when choosing a hook to the stomach. If you miss or the punch doesn’t work, a fierce fight is inevitable.

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Hit fast and then back off. It’s worth repeating that you shouldn’t just stand there and try to hit a bigger guy. You won’t be able to resist his arm span and strength. Calmly stay out of their range, wait for them to reveal a gap, then get close and hit hard. Alternate between defensive stances and surprise attacks, and you’ll eventually defeat him. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Must be patient. Losing patience will cost you dearly.
Attack on people when you can’t accurately aim the opponent’s head. The abdomen below the ribs is a sensitive area when hit, it causes the air in the opponent’s lungs to bounce out and force them to breathe. The ribs are also relatively easy to break with just a punch with a force of a few kilograms per square centimeter.

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Target sensitive targets. Unlike a boxing match with rules about where to hit an opponent, fighting in real life has no rules. Target the most sensitive areas of the opponent’s body to make each shot work. All you need is to hit to win the bigger opponent. Most people do not anticipate these types of attacks, so they will be vulnerable. ^{[16] X Research Source}

Everyone has the same anatomical weakness, regardless of body size.
Hitting the senses temporarily stuns the opponent, giving you the opportunity to escape or continue fighting.
A slap is just as effective as a hook punch for knocking an opponent off balance, and can even stun them more strongly. Punching them in the nose will temporarily blind them from tears, giving you the opportunity to deliver the finishing blow. Kicking in the groin will reduce the opponent’s flexibility and immediately demoralize them.

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Choose ground object technique. Let’s say the opponent is pressing you on the ground, and you can’t get up. In this situation you must find a technique of grazing, clamping, or locking to incapacitate the opponent, by disabling a part of their body. By using a knuckle lock, hand lock, or stranglehold, you can inflict significant damage on them to end the fight. No matter how big or strong they are, they can’t harm you if they lose consciousness or break their arm. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Strap in the back or buckle in a triangle, depending on your position. Choking disrupts the opponent’s circulatory system or breathing ability, leading to unconsciousness. You just need to squeeze for a while to put them to sleep. ^{[18] X Research Source}^{[19] X Research Source}
The hand lock is a locking position to put pressure on the elbow joint or shoulder joint. This technique is effective when the opponent leaves their arms straight after throwing the punch. Moreover, when their hands are locked, they can’t hit you. ^{[20] X Research Source}

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Don’t be afraid to get dirty. Forget about honor or fairness: there are no rules on the street. You don’t know how badly you will be injured if you fail, so you shouldn’t be afraid to hit the dirt. Bite, poke eyes, pull hair, chop throat, bend fingers, knee to groin and do whatever it takes to stay alive. ^{[21] X Research Source}

Use surrounding objects such as bottles, chairs, bricks, pens or even phones to make weapons. In the case of luck, the opponent may be discouraged when he sees you holding a weapon. ^{[22] X Research Source}
To avoid escalation of violence, run quickly when you see your opponent wobbling.

Advice

Always look at your opponent. You will find their opening points to attack, while avoiding their attacks.
Always choose a reasonable attack in the right range. You should kick the knee, groin or stomach when standing away, punch the head and body when standing closer, headbutt, attack with the knee or elbow when standing close to the opponent.
If given the opportunity, practicing boxing with larger people can help you train your offensive and defensive abilities against tall opponents.
Lower your chin so that if you get punched, you won’t pass out.

Warning

By nature, fights are always unpredictable. There is no guarantee you will win, even with practice and mental preparation.
If you are injured in a fight, you must seek medical attention immediately.
You should avoid violent encounters whenever possible. Fight only if you feel you are about to be attacked and have no other choice.

Steps

Protect yourself

Overcome the size difference

Actively inflict injury

Advice

Warning

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