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Wednesday, 19 October 2022 14:34

The 'David and Goliath' Claim: Can Technique Overcome Size and Strenght?

One of the most common claims in martial arts is that ‘our style will allow a smaller person to beat a larger, stronger opponent’, which I like to call 'David and Goliath Technique'.

It’s mostly prevalent in Krav Maga (and any other ‘reality based’ system), BJJ, and traditional grappling styles like Aikido, Jujutsu, etc., but is a common advertisement in most martial arts.

However, when we look at most combat sports, there are strict limitations on weight – and by extension on size and strength. The idea is to take two competitors who are similar so that the competition becomes one of skill.

So… Is there truth to that claim? Does size, so to speak, actually matter?

Let’s start with an analysis of attributes and skills.

Attributes mean pretty much everything outside of one’s technical base – strength, power, speed, endurance, etc. It can also mean intangibles, like fighting spirit, timing, toughness. Skills refer to the actual techniques that one knows.

All things being equal, attributes trump skill. Here’s a hypothetical for you:
Take two people who are identical in everything except skills and attributes – same age, size, weight, etc. The first has no skill, but is strong, fast, powerful, can get hit for days and doesn’t care, and has the endurance of an ultramarathon runner. The second has poor attributes (i.e. unfit, weak, etc.), but has an incredible technical base and knows all the techniques and can execute them well. Which would you put money on in a fight?

For me, it’ll be the former 99 times out of 100.

However, the core assumption in the above was ‘all things being equal’, which is the exact opposite of ‘smaller person can beat a larger, stronger opponent’. Is there a middle ground? What other things can impact this?

The answer, as always, is context.

So what things do we need to consider? Well, loads. But to start with, let’s look at the ruleset, disparity in skill, and the training methodology and preparation.
Let’s start with the ruleset and definition of winning.

Can a smaller person, highly skilled in BJJ defeat a larger, stronger boxer? Potentially. Are they in a BJJ match or a boxing match?
Can a smaller person, armed and highly skilled in the use of firearms, defeat a larger, stronger person who is unskilled and unarmed? Potentially. At what distance do they start the engagement? You may recall that's how David beat Goliath...
Even when taking these into account, the outcomes are not definite. However, by asking these questions we can get a pretty clear idea of the likelihood of certain outcomes.

I can hear the screams of discontent from many a practitioner already saying ‘this is not what we meant, we were talking about self defence’ or ‘what about Royce Gracie in the UFC’.

Well, self defence situations also come with a set of assumptions that affect the rules, though it maybe in a different way. For example, psychological attacks such as intimidation and distraction, as well as lack of consent to engage in violence (unlike a combat sport or martial art), as well as potential relationship or history with the person can impact the rules, even if that is not necessarily explicitly articulated. Add to that environmental factors, not to mention the critical fact that you can potentially defeat an opponent in the physical engagement of a self defense situation, and still lose in court, suffer from trauma, and/or be the victim of retaliation, means the definition of ‘defeating an opponent’ becomes very different.

And as for Gracie and the UFC, while the rules were looser than many combat sports today, there were still rules that were agreed upon in advance and given how the world has changed, unlikely to have the same result today given the fact that all fighters today know how to grapple (which is credit to the Gracies and the UFC’s early days).

And this is a nice segue to the next topic, which is that of skill disparity, though that still happens within a given ruleset.
Can a smaller BJJ practitioner defeat a larger, stronger opponent within a BJJ ruleset? Yes, but that will greatly on the level of skill of both combatants. If they are both of equal skill and experience, the answer is likely to be ‘no’. If we reframe this to ‘can a small BJJ black belt defeat a larger, stronger BJJ white belt’ then we start evening the odds a little bit. But the amount of training time required is significant for this to happen and is rarely advertised in the ‘get your black belt in one year’ circles.

Which opens another issue to consider, which is that of training methodology and preparation.

Many of the one-year-black-belts don’t test their techniques in any way that can be considered combatively effective. In other words, how you train a technique is often more important than the technique itself. The concept of aliveness as a methodology for effective realistic training is critical to things working or not, even more so when there is a distinct size disparity.

Can a smaller opponent defeat a larger, stronger opponent who offers zero resistance or intent to their attack? Mostly, yes. While the second part of the sentence (you can guess which one) is left unsaid and is unlikely to be what either the trainer or student meant, it is implied in the training methodology.

With all of that in mind… there are certain things that work better and can give someone an advantage. But the statement in itself, well, is highly unlikely.
A more realistic statement is ‘I have a technique that can help a smaller, highly skilled person who has been training for a long time and using specific training methods defeat a larger, stronger but unskilled opponent under very specific rules that were agreed upon in advance, with an unambiguous definition of winning, and with agreed upon levels of resistance’.

But that’s a bit of a mouthful and doesn’t sell as well…

So what’s the lesson here? Size matters. Training methodology matters. Rulesets matter. And there are no absolutes in training.

Stay safe, stay tuned!

Osu!

 

 

Monday, 17 December 2018 16:06

Don't Try This at Home: A Common Self Defence Mistake You've Probably Made

You walk into the dojo and tentatively go up to your instructor when you see he has a spare minute. In a hushed tone, almost apologetic, you ask the following question:


“I tried what we learned in class on my [boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife/mum/dad/friend] and it didn’t work. What was I doing wrong?”


This is a question I have seen and heard many times, and have also asked a couple of times when I first started training.
The people asking it can approach it in a variety of different ways. Some are almost apologetic, because they believe they didn’t do it right. Others are angry or upset, claiming that ‘it’ doesn’t work.


If you’ve ever tried something you learned in a martial arts or self defence class on a friend and it didn’t work, or if you’re an instructor who has heard this question, and you want to know what you did wrong, read on.

Monday, 27 August 2018 07:01

Situational Awareness Games: Tips and Tricks to Improve your Personal Safety

In the previous three posts I discussed some important issues concerning situational awareness and its importance. The first article discussed the importance of developing situational awareness as a key to the prevention of violence. The second article discussed why some people don’t listen to their gut instinct, with some entertaining and amazing stories to show both terrible awareness and excellent, literally life-saving awareness. The third article gave you some tips to help you know what danger might look like so you can identify it in time. 

Now that you know why it's important and what you need to look for, I am going to give you some simple and effective tools that can help you develop and improve your situational awareness. 

A little, but important, explanation first. The reason I refer to these as games is not to downplay their importance, but rather to emphasise the fact that this kind of training doesn't have to be scary, hard or cumbersome. It can be a lot of fun, and can challenge you in fun and interesting ways. 

Here we go!

Sunday, 12 August 2018 18:00

The Situational Awareness Trap: Do You Know What to Look For?

In the previous two posts I discussed some important issues concerning situational awareness and its importance.

The first article discussed the importance of developing situational awareness as a key to the prevention of violence.
The second article discussed why some people don’t listen to their gut instinct, with some entertaining and amazing stories to show both terrible awareness and excellent, literally life-saving awareness.

Before we get into how to develop better situational awareness, I think it’s important to stop and identify the situational awarness trap; we are often told we need to develop it, that it's important, that it can save your life... And that's all true. We may evn be given some tips on how to develop this (I'll discuss this int he next article). But even with all of this in mind, do you know what to look for?

Sunday, 28 January 2018 19:01

Not Just Like Riding a Bike - Thoughts on Longevity in Self Defence

There are many wonderful lessons to learn from the martial arts. Not just about how to move your body through space, but rather about who you are, who you can be and how to interact with others.

But is there one style that teaches this better than others?

Monday, 13 November 2017 21:04

CAIA Open Week Perth Dec 1st - 8th, 2017

1 week FREE unlimited Martial Arts & Fitness intro

Get fit, learn mad skills, train with great instructors and meet awesome people at CAIA!

From December 1 - 8, we are having an Open Week - and you can book as many classes as you can FOR FREE. Krav Maga, BJJ, Kickboxing, Japanese Jujutsu & Weapons, FMA, MMA, Wrestling, Yoga and more - all with dedicated, internationally accredited instructors.

 

>> Just click here to jump to our booking system and register online.

>> Click here to contact us for more info.

Class sizes are limited. You snooze, you lose. Don't miss this.

Class Timetable

Mon

Monday Martial Arts and Fitness Classes

  • 06:00: Kickboxing
  • 09:30: Open Mat
  • 12:00: BJJ (all levels)
  • 17:00: Sparring (invitation only)
  • 17:30: Kickboxing (Beginners)
  • 17:30: Kickboxing (Int/Advanced)
  • 18:30: MMA
  • 18:30: FMA
  • 19:30: Krav Maga (beginners)
  • 19:30: Krav Maga (all levels)
More info
Tue

Tuesday Martial Arts | Yoga | Fitness

  • 09:15: Yoga
  • 15:30: Kids Jujutsu & Krav Maga
  • 16:30: Teenagers Jujutsu & Krav Maga
  • 17:30: Japanese Jujutsu & Weapons
  • 17:30: Boxing (all levels)
  • 17:30: BJJ (beginners intro)
  • 18:30: BJJ - Gi (all levels)
  • 18:30: Krav Maga (all levels)
More info
Wed

Wednesday Martial Arts and Fitness Classes

  • 06:00: Kickboxing
  • 09:30: Open Mat
  • 12:00: BJJ (NoGi - all levels)
  • 17:00: Sparring (invitation only)
  • 17:30: Kickboxing (Beginners)
  • 17:30: Kickboxing (Int/Advanced)
  • 18:30: Krav Maga (Beginners)
  • 18:30: Krav Maga (all levels)
  • 18:30: Wrestling
  • 19:30: Krav Maga (Int/Advanced)
More info
Thu

Thursday Martial Arts | Yoga | Fitness

  • 09:15: Yoga
  • 15:30: Kids Jujutsu & Krav Maga
  • 16:30: Teenagers Jujutsu & Krav Maga
  • 17:30: Krav Maga (all levels)
  • 17:30: BJJ (NoGi - all levels)
  • 18:30: Japanese Jujutsu & Weapons (90 min)
  • 18:30: Yoga
  • 18:30: BJJ (Int/Advanced)
More info
Fri

Friday Martial Arts and Fitness Classes

  • 06:00: Kickboxing
  • 09:30: Open Mat
  • 12:00: BJJ (all levels)
  • 17:00: Sparring (invitation only)
  • 17:30: Kickboxing (Beginners)
  • 17:30: Kickboxing (Int/Advanced)
  • 17:30: FMA - Filipino Martial Arts
  • 18:30: BJJ - Beginners
  • 18:30: Fight Tech
  • 19:30: BJJ - Intermediate
More info
Sat

Saturday Martial Arts & Sparring Session

  • 09:30: BJJ Sparring - Gi 'n NoGi (Intermediate)
  • 09:30: Krav Maga (all levels)
  • 10:30: Krav Maga Scenario Training (by invitation)
  • 10:30: Boxing (all levels)
  • 11:30: MMA Sparring
More Info

 

CAIA OPEN WEEK - Martial Arts Perth

Monday, 27 February 2017 16:29

Perth Knife Workshop March 2

KnifeWorkshopPoster2017NNO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY - THURS MARCH 2nd

With 6th Dan Noah Greenstone

Challenge yourself in a fun, safe and adrenaline filled evening exploring Perth's #1 weapon used by violent offenders and street thugs. We'll focus on elements from Krav Maga & Filipino Martial Arts:

  • Knife Defences
  • Knife Arts
  • Knife Fighting drills
  • and more!

Where: at CAIA Leederville - 341 Oxford Street

When: Thurs March 2, 6:30 - 8:30PM

General Public: $50 Early Bird, $65 at the door

Spaces are limited - click this link to book

Members please book via the app

For more info please ring us on 08 9389 9489

Thursday, 03 September 2015 12:20

Perth Knife to Knife Charity Workshop 29 September

Knife skills and tactics
with Noah Greenstone, 5th Dan

Open to all styles and levels

Date: Tues 29 Sept 2015

Time: 5:30 - 7:30PM

Cost: $50 | All proceeds to benefit Operation Rainbow Australia, who perform free surgery for impoverished children with facial deformities in the Philippines twice a year. Each $50 donation covers a full surgical procedure that will change the life of an entire family.

More info: ring 08 9389 9489

Book now securely with PayPal

Participant name
Tuesday, 17 March 2015 00:00

Perth Krav Maga Bootcamp April 19

Sunday April 19th 9AM - 12PM

Three hard hitting hours covering crucial elements of the Krav Maga curriculum. Great for self defence and will be a fantastic cardio workout as well.

No experience is necessary.

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