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Is it true that being short gives me a brutal advantage of exploiting particular vulnerability of a tall opponent's belly in case of a fight? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 day ago by anneSong@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

29 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I (21f) am 5'5" and skinny. I recently attended a self-defense class, and there I was tought how to use a pocket knife. And as I have some male friends 6'5"+ tall, I thought that that height actually makes your belly particularly vulnerable in case of a fight (in comparisson with short people):

a short person's shoulder height is around the same level as your belly making it easier to stab/hit;
your belly is proportionally a larger target.

And in general, if a 6'5"+ guy stands in front of me with his stomach released (even if he has just a bit of a belly) it feels like having an exposed, large and squishy punching/stabbing bag right in front of me, into which, if needed, I can easily harshly and deeply plunge anything straight away.

I also practice historical fencing (rapier) and most of the times I stab tall opponents into the belly - my favorite thrusts are ducking counterattacks when I duck while they attack, go low and impale a tall guy's unprotected belly right onto my rapier.

What do you think about it?

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[–] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 16 points 1 day ago (2 children)

As a retired martial arts instructor, I can't really say that being shorter gives you much of an advantage when targeting an opponent's belly...but it does mean you will have a lower center for gravity compared to larger opponents.

In grappling terms, this gives you a slight advantage in applying leverage for most shoulder throws. Your natural pivot point at the hip is lower than theirs so they will be top heavy compared to you.

Unfortunately, if your arms are proportional to your height, then larger opponents will have a reach advantage over you, which may negate the advantage you have due to your lower center of gravity. They will be able to keep you from closing the distance needed to apply your leverage.

But, if you happen to have unusually long arms relative to your height, then you can still get a hold of them before they can get a hold of you...and more effectively position them for a throw.

[–] communism@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 day ago

The short arms thing is real as fuck. I'm 5'1 and am constantly inconvenienced by how short my arms are (elbows don't reach armrests, can't reach the back of the cupboard, can't reach the corner of the kitchen countertop, etc). I think in a fight with a taller person they would have the advantage: faster due to longer legs and longer range arm reach.

[–] MajorMajormajormajor@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 day ago

Solution? Return to monke and enjoy the fruits of your long armed labour.