Why do so many short people excell in martial arts?

I've been looking at getting into martial arts again (I only know Krav Maga) but I can't use that because it's desinged to kill and not defend lol. Anyway I recently went to a Tae Kwon Do class and as soon as I entered I noticed that all of the higher ranking belt people were short. I'm about average height fora man but I thought this was kinda strange, anyway I did a few practice spars and they asked us to pick our opponent, so I went over to the short guys thinking they would be easy to take down. But I was wrong! I got my ass kicked lol.

After spending some more time practicing I'm getting frustarated, there is simply no way I can compete with them. Even the begginers who are shorter than me are out perfoming everything I do and I don't understand why. I can't move as fast as they can and I'm feeling like I should quit to be honest. The only time I ever win in a spar is with an opponent who is either larger than me or around my height, and they are few and far between in there.

Anyone have any advice? My instructore keeps telling me that I need to learn and accept my body but I think he's just saying that so he can kick my ass. I have no idea what to do, he tellls me not to give up and never under estimate people, but I think he's full of BS.

because you dont see us coming

I'm not a martial artist but I'd suggest that the reason is that shorter people can react faster and more accurately than taller ones.

because you dont see us coming

[QUOTE="spawnassasin"]

because you dont see us coming

Frame_Dragger

lol thank you! Very helpful, it just makes me mad because Ijust know I am having a harder time trying to hit these guys. They strike faster than I do and I can't do much about it. And my girlfriend is scared because she's watching me get my ass kicked and I feel ashamed :(

Having done karate for many years, as well as a few years of shootwrestling and some BJJ, here are my thoughts:

I have noticed this trend too, especially in karate. A lot of short guys, as well as a lot of dorks, guys with ponytails, etc.

I think it's honestly because most of the tall, athletic people are playing hockey, football, baseball, basketball, or wrestling instead.

A lot of short and dorky guys, who aren't competing in other sports, are looking for an exotic martial art (usually Japanese, Chinese or Korean) to make themselves feel like (and hopefully become) the badasses they aren't.

(I fit the bill myself, as I was quite unathletic)

are you calling me a martial art expert?

why thank you :oops:

lower center of gravity? less to hit? I dunno.

lower center of gravity? less to hit? I dunno.

lowkey254

The lower center of gravity may have something to do with it. I noticed it in Judo that shorter people can be quite formidable opponents. They seem to fit in faster. However, there are larger guys that just apply the best moves for their size, so size is not a be all/end all advantage. I'm average height so I get thrown around by both.

This guy would like a word with you.

I didnt know they did.

Their all asian?

1. certain physical activities are 'easier' for those with smaller frames (see gymnasts) 2. who is more likely to take a self defense type courserawsavon

I've been looking at getting into martial arts again (I only know Krav Maga) but I can't use that because it's desinged to kill and not defend lol. Anyway I recently went to a Tae Kwon Do class and as soon as I entered I noticed that all of the higher ranking belt people were short. I'm about average height fora man but I thought this was kinda strange, anyway I did a few practice spars and they asked us to pick our opponent, so I went over to the short guys thinking they would be easy to take down. But I was wrong! I got my ass kicked lol.

After spending some more time practicing I'm getting frustarated, there is simply no way I can compete with them. Even the begginers who are shorter than me are out perfoming everything I do and I don't understand why. I can't move as fast as they can and I'm feeling like I should quit to be honest. The only time I ever win in a spar is with an opponent who is either larger than me or around my height, and they are few and far between in there.

Anyone have any advice? My instructore keeps telling me that I need to learn and accept my body but I think he's just saying that so he can kick my ass. I have no idea what to do, he tellls me not to give up and never under estimate people, but I think he's full of BS.

ShadowMoses900

Shorter people get bullied, parents often encourage it to build confidence and allow them to defend themselves.

Just because they are shorter doesn't mean they are weaker.

shorter limbs. fast movements. Martial arts.

shorter limbs. fast movements. Martial arts.

parkurtommo

[QUOTE="parkurtommo"]

shorter limbs. fast movements. Martial arts.

Frame_Dragger

shorter limbs. fast movements. Martial arts.

Oooook... lets make this simple then: do you think having the greater reach can be an advantage in a fight?Frame_Dragger

Of course... why the heck else would they put that stat before every boxing match along with weight and height? The key word is "CAN". This thread is kinda naive as it assumes that all shorter people should be weaker those who are taller.

[QUOTE="Frame_Dragger"]Oooook... lets make this simple then: do you think having the greater reach can be an advantage in a fight?Meat_Wad_Fan

Of course... why the heck else would they put that stat before every boxing match along with weight and height? The key word is "CAN". This thread is kinda naive as it assumes that all shorter people should be weaker those who are taller.

Napoleon Complex DivergeUnify

[QUOTE="DivergeUnify"]Napoleon Complex markop2003

[QUOTE="Meat_Wad_Fan"]

[QUOTE="Frame_Dragger"]Oooook... lets make this simple then: do you think having the greater reach can be an advantage in a fight?Frame_Dragger

Of course... why the heck else would they put that stat before every boxing match along with weight and height? The key word is "CAN". This thread is kinda naive as it assumes that all shorter people should be weaker those who are taller.

I really have no idea how you came to that conclusion. The OP has no experience yet he expects to take down people on his first day just because they are smaller. He was in so much disbelief he made a thread about short people having some magical martial art powers. Maybe you didn't read the OP?

[QUOTE="Frame_Dragger"][QUOTE="Meat_Wad_Fan"]

Of course... why the heck else would they put that stat before every boxing match along with weight and height? The key word is "CAN". This thread is kinda naive as it assumes that all shorter people should be weaker those who are taller.

I really have no idea how you came to that conclusion. The OP has no experience yet he expects to take down people on his first day just because they are smaller. He was in so much disbelief he made a thread about short people having some magical martial art powers. Maybe you didn't read the OP?

Shorter people get bullied, parents often encourage it to build confidence and allow them to defend themselves.

tenaka2

Ah, no. He opens with, "as I entered I noticed that all of the higher ranking belt people were short..." which is just an observation. He then mentions practicing, and still getting his butt kicked. So... yeah. Really, read the whole thing and his responses... he's not somehow confused that short people aren't weak, and he has no experience in TKD, but DOES in Krav Maga. Beyond that, I'm still baffled that you answered the question of reach as though it weren't simply a rhetorical point made, and question for parkurtommo. Still, to each their own.Frame_Dragger

So after a few practice spars on his very first night of TKD he's surprised his first opponent is better than him? So the guy he picked was the shortest in the room, it's not like he was a midget or had a disability we know of which crippled him. The instructor's are shorter than he OP and I don't see anything interesting about that either. Really I have no idea why you keep telling me to read his whole post when I've read this whole thread over. And I wouldn't put it past somebody on GS to ask such a stupid question about reach advantage, but you could have been more sarcastic if it really was a rhetorical question.

[QUOTE="Frame_Dragger"]Ah, no. He opens with, "as I entered I noticed that all of the higher ranking belt people were short..." which is just an observation. He then mentions practicing, and still getting his butt kicked. So... yeah. Really, read the whole thing and his responses... he's not somehow confused that short people aren't weak, and he has no experience in TKD, but DOES in Krav Maga. Beyond that, I'm still baffled that you answered the question of reach as though it weren't simply a rhetorical point made, and question for parkurtommo. Still, to each their own.Meat_Wad_Fan

So after a few practice spars on his very first night of TKD he's surprised his first opponent is better than him? So the guy he picked was the shortest in the room, it's not like he was a midget or had a disability we know of which crippled him. The instructor's are shorter than he OP and I don't see anything interesting about that either. Really I have no idea why you keep telling me to read his whole post when I've read this whole thread over. And I wouldn't put it past somebody on GS to ask such a stupid question about reach advantage, but you could have been more sarcastic if it really was a rhetorical question.

He said, "after some practice," and then strongly implied that this happened over a period of time, not just some sparring on one day. And... wait... Right.... you know I'm going with, "Whatever you say chief," rather than continue this with you. You're right, you were right all along, what was I thinking. Now... maybe parkurtommo will respond and this will return to the real topic.

@Bucked20: Tall doesn't mean strong, or knowing how to fight. I was fat as a kid, so people tried to bully me; I got around that without having to fight though. It may be trite and often repeated, but the best fight, and the one you always win is the one you don't have. Just draw a line; you can say whatever you want, but don't even think of touching me. It's kind of hard to meaningfully bully someone if they dictate the terms of that bullying, or at least that's my experience.

[QUOTE="Meat_Wad_Fan"]

[QUOTE="Frame_Dragger"] Hmmmm... I don't think you read the OP, or the posts of mine prior to the one you responded to. My point was that different body types represent... differences, coming with advantages and drawbacks. In the end, in most activities related to martial endevours it evens out given proper training. parkurtommo said it was, "most certainly not" an advantage, I responded. This whole thread is based on a question by the OP from a single experience, not a claim about short vs. tall peopleFrame_Dragger

I really have no idea how you came to that conclusion. The OP has no experience yet he expects to take down people on his first day just because they are smaller. He was in so much disbelief he made a thread about short people having some magical martial art powers. Maybe you didn't read the OP?

Correct, I wasn't bashing people's height or anything like that. That's discrimination, I just noticed that in this particular martial art style that the shorter people seemed to have an advantage over the taller people. It's the complete opposite with Krav Maga where it doesn't matter what size or height you are, hell there were even little kids in there that could kill an adult. The reason why I seeked out Tae Kwon Do is because I like the philosophies behind it and it's GREAT excercise, with Krav Maga you don't really get to practice too much because the whole point of it is to kill people, where as Tae Kwon Do is more about self defense and purifying your body, mind, and spririt. I feel more refreshed after Tae Kwon Do and it helps me focus and deal with other aspects of my life, I just get upset because I'm not as good as the shorter people so I feel disadvantage.

I will say this though, fighting people who are more skilled than you helps you become better. Even though I lose I still learn about how I lost and observe the movements and styles of the better students. It does help oddly...

[QUOTE="Frame_Dragger"][QUOTE="Meat_Wad_Fan"]

I really have no idea how you came to that conclusion. The OP has no experience yet he expects to take down people on his first day just because they are smaller. He was in so much disbelief he made a thread about short people having some magical martial art powers. Maybe you didn't read the OP?

Correct, I wasn't bashing people's height or anything like that. That's discrimination, I just noticed that in this particular martial art style that the shorter people seemed to have an advantage over the taller people. It's the complete opposite with Krav Maga where it doesn't matter what size or height you are, hell there were even little kids in there that could kill an adult. The reason why I seeked out Tae Kwon Do is because I like the philosophies behind it and it's GREAT excercise, with Krav Maga you don't really get to practice too much because the whole point of it is to kill people, where as Tae Kwon Do is more about self defense and purifying your body, mind, and spririt. I feel more refreshed after Tae Kwon Do and it helps me focus and deal with other aspects of my life, I just get upset because I'm not as good as the shorter people so I feel disadvantage.

I will say this though, fighting people who are more skilled than you helps you become better. Even though I lose I still learn about how I lost and observe the movements and styles of the better students. It does help oddly...

[QUOTE="ShadowMoses900"]

[QUOTE="Frame_Dragger"] Ah, no. He opens with, "as I entered I noticed that all of the higher ranking belt people were short..." which is just an observation. He then mentions practicing, and still getting his butt kicked. So... yeah. Really, read the whole thing and his responses... he's not somehow confused that short people aren't weak, and he has no experience in TKD, but DOES in Krav Maga. Beyond that, I'm still baffled that you answered the question of reach as though it weren't simply a rhetorical point made, and question for parkurtommo. Still, to each their own.Frame_Dragger

Correct, I wasn't bashing people's height or anything like that. That's discrimination, I just noticed that in this particular martial art style that the shorter people seemed to have an advantage over the taller people. It's the complete opposite with Krav Maga where it doesn't matter what size or height you are, hell there were even little kids in there that could kill an adult. The reason why I seeked out Tae Kwon Do is because I like the philosophies behind it and it's GREAT excercise, with Krav Maga you don't really get to practice too much because the whole point of it is to kill people, where as Tae Kwon Do is more about self defense and purifying your body, mind, and spririt. I feel more refreshed after Tae Kwon Do and it helps me focus and deal with other aspects of my life, I just get upset because I'm not as good as the shorter people so I feel disadvantage.

I will say this though, fighting people who are more skilled than you helps you become better. Even though I lose I still learn about how I lost and observe the movements and styles of the better students. It does help oddly...

So basically losing to someone better makes you better in a way?

[QUOTE="Frame_Dragger"][QUOTE="ShadowMoses900"]

Correct, I wasn't bashing people's height or anything like that. That's discrimination, I just noticed that in this particular martial art style that the shorter people seemed to have an advantage over the taller people. It's the complete opposite with Krav Maga where it doesn't matter what size or height you are, hell there were even little kids in there that could kill an adult. The reason why I seeked out Tae Kwon Do is because I like the philosophies behind it and it's GREAT excercise, with Krav Maga you don't really get to practice too much because the whole point of it is to kill people, where as Tae Kwon Do is more about self defense and purifying your body, mind, and spririt. I feel more refreshed after Tae Kwon Do and it helps me focus and deal with other aspects of my life, I just get upset because I'm not as good as the shorter people so I feel disadvantage.

I will say this though, fighting people who are more skilled than you helps you become better. Even though I lose I still learn about how I lost and observe the movements and styles of the better students. It does help oddly...

So basically losing to someone better makes you better in a way?

You don't have what it takes OP. Give up now. If you're worried about somebodies performance based on their size, then you'll never be a good fighter because you're easily distracted by trivial factors outside of your control.UniverseIX

Shorter people are generally more flexible and quicker than taller folk.

[QUOTE="UniverseIX"]You don't have what it takes OP. Give up now. If you're worried about somebodies performance based on their size, then you'll never be a good fighter because you're easily distracted by trivial factors outside of your control.Frame_Dragger

^that is his flaw by the way. Not that the size of his body.

[QUOTE="Frame_Dragger"][QUOTE="UniverseIX"]You don't have what it takes OP. Give up now. If you're worried about somebodies performance based on their size, then you'll never be a good fighter because you're easily distracted by trivial factors outside of your control.UniverseIX

^that is his flaw by the way. Not that he's not short.

[QUOTE="UniverseIX"]

[QUOTE="Frame_Dragger"] Wow... and no way to improve that even if it WERE a major flaw? You just identify a flaw, and bail, eh? Frame_Dragger

^that is his flaw by the way. Not that he's not short.

Shorter people are generally more flexible and quicker than taller folk.

LazyMushroom

[QUOTE="Frame_Dragger"][QUOTE="UniverseIX"] fighting is all about attitude. this guy doesn't have it if he's worried about why short people appear indestructible at marital arts.

^that is his flaw by the way. Not that he's not short.

UniverseIX

I told him to give up. That doesn't mean he has to. I would suspect if he's serious about wanting to learn something that he wouldn't give up when some person on the internet tells him too. He can choose to grit his teeth and be more determined to improve himself. I mean, we could coddle him on this, but I don't see the point.