Being the "Big Guy"

Everyone always touts Jiu Jitsu as being a gentle art. They also tout it as being a discipline that smaller people can use to conquer bigger opponents. For smaller guys this is awesome, but what if you're the big guy? Every technique is designed to take our advantage away. Then the second a big guy uses his strength, everyone claims that's the only reason he gets one over.

I'd like to look at this from another angle. A smaller competitior, in general, can move faster than a larger practicioner.  They counter all the bigger guys moves by being evasive and eluding positions where the bigger opponent has the advantage. They use their speed and quickness and wait for their moment to strike. Nobody will come to that smaller person and tell them they only won due to speed. So why is a bigger guy penalized for being big? 

One other thing about being the big guy. As one of the bigger guys in my gym I rarely get to try my technique against bigger people. When my fellow gym mates work on moves they get to routinely attempt them against me, or other bigger people. I hear all the time "nobody in my division will be as big as you" or "I'll only see someone like you in the Absolute". As someone who has had 350-400lbs guys in my division, this is very hard to simulate in practice. Being the bigger guy, you don't always have 100% certainty of the technique until you try it against someone bigger. When do we get that option? 

I pride myself in two things. Doing Jiu Jitsu with high level technique, and I try to never let conditioning be the determining factor between who wins. I am admittedly less successful at the second one than the first, but I like to believe the more skilled person with the best technique will win in Jiu Jitsu.  

I don't ask for pitty. I don't want this to become a big against small debate. I just ask that next time you roll with the Big Guy in your school, understand what it's like to walk a mile in his shoes.......his really big shoes!