Just remember that nobody rooted for Goliath when David laid him out with a slingshot. Everybody talks about the plight of the smallest guy or gal on the BJJ mats and all of the inequalities they face on the mats on a daily basis. We often here the hardships of the rooster weights who constantly say “I have to roll with guys that weight 40 to 50 lbs more than me.” The squeakiest wheel tends to get the oil and everybody supports and cheers on the little guy that could.
On the flip-side of the equation is the over 200 plus pound beginner. Yeah, he is a big guy, but he is far from a Hercules like Greek God. In most cases, the new big guy is overweight and joined BJJ to get in shape, meet some new friends, and learn his favorite part of watching UFC. Usually, this guy is a gentle giant who is looking to get into better shape and learn something new and exciting. Unfortunately, there are a few barriers and burdens that the new heavyweight faces that usually go unnoticed. Here are 5 burdens you face when you are the new big man on the mat.
You Are Everybody’s Proof That BJJ Works: While everybody appreciates and respects the white belt rooster weight as if he or she was the second coming of Rudy, the big guy is viewed as a punching bag. In most cases every guy under 150 lbs will go 100% against you to make up for the size difference just to prove that a smaller guy can beat a larger opponent with technique and skill. After tapping out the new big guy, the smaller upper belts will internally gloat about successfully using their BJJ against a larger adversary, but look past the fact it was against an out-of-shape and overweight guy that is used to spending his evenings drinking Mountain Dew while playing League of Legends.
You Stand Out As as The Out of Shape Guy: When you are small and out of shape, you can hide the fact you are out of shape by hiding in the back of the room while regaining your cardio composure. When you are the new big guy, people know you are gasping for air. In between rounds, people will assume you are either having an asthma attack or on a brink of a heart attack as sweat is pouring down your face and the entire room can hear your wounded animal like heaving patterns as the coach attempts to demonstrate a new technique. People will ask you if you are alright and will have to reassure people you are just gassed. Your gassing while training will look like blood in the water for the rooster weights who call you out for the next round so they can go all out in their own Gracie Challenge against you.
You Are Criticized For Using Your Size/Only Advantage: When you are a new big man, your play book is limited and your only asset is your size. You are damned if you do and damned if you don’t if you use your size against a smaller opponent. If you use your size, you are the big spazzy guy that just lays on people, if you don’t use your size you get outpaced and destroyed by your training partner. Its a no-win situation for the big guy, while everybody will celebrate the triumph of the little guy that beats the larger opponent with technique, heart, and determination. Welcome to the world of Gabi Garcia.
You have to treat smaller training partners like delicate Flowers: While your smaller training partner can go 100% on you with no remorse, the new big guy has to show restraint and go light without using his weight. If you do manage to get a choke or an arm bar that requires a little bit of strength and cranking, all of sudden you are viewed as the non-technical jerk that muscles everything on the small guy.
You are expected to play a Small Man’s Game: Have you ever seen a big guy drill a transition from inverted guard into a kiss of the dragon? It is as painful and awkward as hippo doing ballet. A small guy can do both small and big guys moves, while a big man in most cases can only do big man moves. There is a reason why big guys look sad when the coach announces the class will be drilling berimbolos from 50/50 guard for the next 45 minutes. It is an exercise in frustration and thought of never having the skill or guts to actually trying this technique during live rolling.
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