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“Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not”-Yoda.

There is a myth among Martial Arts.

The myth is that size does not matter.

In boxing, however, there is a saying that contradicts this.

“A good biggen will always beat a good littlen.”

While the words might not be grammatically correct, but the context is.

Size matters in fights.

It is for this reason that combat sports evolved to have weight divisions. However, there is a solution, and in this article, we will explain what that solution is.

Royce Gracie Changed The World

On November 12, 1993, in Denver Colorado, a skinny Brazilian named Royce Gracie changed fighting forever.

His style of Jiu-Jitsu saw him defeat much larger opponents like the muscled Ken Shamrock to be crowned the first Ultimate Fighting Champion.

He would repeat this feat several times, beating numerous opponents that outweighed him.

And so, the global thirst for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was born.

Finally, there was a proven system of self-defence that helped a smaller person beat a bigger person.

There was just one issue; it had to be on the ground.

Over the years the UFC evolved as did it’s entrants.

We had hardcore Brazilian Vale Tudo competitors, giant Hulks of wrestlers and of course kickboxers who learned to stop takedowns.

And now, we no longer have a single Martial Arts style that dominates the sport; we have athletes who cross train.

We have weight divisions but at its core is still the belief that a good grappler has the ability to beat a good striker.

This is not hard to understand why as the sport of MMA was in many ways created by the Gracies themselves.

The ‘Octagon’ is designed to help with takedowns as the fighters can be backed up against it.

The format of 5-minute rounds allows for grappling to take place once on the ground, and they are only stood up when a lack of action happens.

If a good grappler can get the takedown, he can work his magic on the ground.

But how does this translate into the street?

Can You Take A Person Down In A Street Fight?

I have witnessed a BJJ player fight in the street.

They shot in with a double leg takedown, got them down, mounted and then spun for an armbar.

It took 2 doormen to pull the BJJ player of the person.

Yes, it worked that time, but what if the doormen were the person on the floors best mates?

What if they decided to boot the BJJ players in the head.

There is no doubt, you are vulnerable on the ground, and as such unless you are fighting one on one, a takedown is not a good idea.

And so, the street arena takes BJJ mostly out of the equation.

It is essential that you know how to fight on the ground as in fights people do end up there.

But focusing 100% of your time on the ground game is definitely not wise if you want a broad self-defence skill base.

This brings us back to the striking arena, and again we are faced with the issue of skill.

Size and weight mater in striking.

This is based on the laws of physics; if the attacker is bigger and has some small amount of striking skill, they will strike with more force.

They have more weight behind the strike and thus can create more impact.

So what is a smaller person supposed to do to win the fight?

Wait it gets worse.

What if you are faced with not one but 3 bigger attackers?

And yes this could be a likely scenario.

And let’s shake this up, they might not be physically bigger but have been taking drugs, so are more aggressive and stronger.

Just what are you going to do?

You can’t take them down; you can’t outstrike them?

Well if you think this scenario isn’t like to happen, you are wrong.

I witnessed this type of thing for 17 years as a police officer working in the city centre.

Bigger people attack smaller people, and bigger people in groups attack people on their own.

People who are stronger and use steroids and are high on cocaine, attack people too.

And so, if you are attacked, you face your worst nightmare.

A situation where your traditional training is ineffective.

Where you are outweighed, out ‘gunned’ and outnumbered.

Fortunately, there is a solution.

How Defence Lab Solves The Issue

In my years as a serving police officer, I faced this issue a lot.

I found myself surrounded by football hooligans or gangs wanting my blood.

It was, for this reason, I realised I needed more.

As a former boxer and Judo black belt, I had the skills, but the skills were being nullified on a regular basis by size and or numbers.

I would have to arrest people who spent their ‘free time’ in a gym, who were always high on drugs, were experienced fighters and were also using steroids.

This is reality.

Nasty people often like violence and being violent, so they try and stack the odds in their favour.

My research for a solution lead me to Andy Norman and eventually Defence Lab.

Defence Lab takes this scenario and starts with it from day 1.

The worst case scenario is where their training begins from.

And so, the syllabus first off deals with defence.

How can you make your defence as protective as possible?

This is where the ‘shape-shifting’ system of defensive hand and arm placement comes in.

The second step is, how can you attack while still being able to defend your self from blows.

And so, the unique defence in attack style (which leading Hollywood star Liam Neeson loves) has evolved from this question.

And finally the question of ‘how can you neutralise the attacks’ needs answering.

Defence Lab has done that by creating a series of tactics that focus on smashing the limbs of the attackers.

It is via these stages that Defence Lab has turned the tables.

They have given a route forward for people to fight back.

They have created a system that increases not only your odds of surviving the worst of the worst but also making them pay for attacking you.

Yes, the size of the attacker matters in a fight.

But there are always going to be bigger attackers.

You can rarely count on being the biggest or ‘the best striker’ or the most effective on the ground’.

The number of attackers and the danger of being on the ground make these options invalid.

But there is a choice, and that choice is to be able to defend and attack at the same time.

That choice is Defence Lab.

Thanks for reading.

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