How do you fight a taller person?

[Trey]

That's all good and well, assuming that your opponent doesn't have particularly good body awareness. In JKD, we have what is called a 'Critical Distance Zone', which is basically an area in which your opponent can hit you. An adaquate JKD man could simply keep you at bay with something so simple as a sidekick to your knee.
If your fighting a Judo or Jiu Jutsu man, making a B line for them would simply give them another weapon. They will use the extra force of your thrusted body weight, and use it against you.
Your low stance is a good technique, assuming you know how to do it and not give away your intention. Your opponent may be able to see what you plan to do by such seemingly inconspicuous things as your footwork. Also, if you're in a public place, lets say a bar, for arguments sake, taking a stance may not be a good idea. If you want your attack to be as inconspicuous as possible, taking no-stance would be a better idea.

Well I guess youd just have to see how I fight then to understand. There would be no added force by me charging in, as it is a contolled movement, not unweildy and wild in nature. The way my stance is, again youd have to see it, it would prevent a side kick or any other kick for that matter to my knee. Lastly it doesnt matter if he knows what to do or if he wants to strike me, im not particularly worried about taking a shot or two in order to knock him out, if I were to attck this tall fictional character it would be a continuos onslaught, not a well here I go, im gonna tap you lightly now. Also im not worried about being inconspicuous, if im going to attack someone in defense, im going to let them know that I have every intention of bringing them down.

[Zaharia]

Firstly, such a large movement would tell your opponent straight away that you are goingt to attack them. If you are fighting an experienced opponent, he may not nescessarily keep you at bay, but allow you to charge, only to strike you down when you do, as he has read your intention.
Also, you say that you don't care if you take a shot or two, but what if that shot or two comes from someone who's got a very good shot, i.e. a boxer. The fact that you are charging towards them would only make the effect of their strike greater, as you are moving towards it. And, an experienced martial artist would/should be able to throw a punch with the same degree of power, speed and accuracy as when his/her opponent is stationary.

[Trey]

Well considering the fact that I am an ex-boxer, who has been trained by a well renouned trainer (Giachetti; trained tyson, holmes, and 6 other world champs), then I would have to say that ive been hit by some pretty d a m n good boxers ( I sparred with almost only proffesionals). I came into martial arts simply due to the fact that its better, and more all encompasing ( in my opinion).
Like I said, I dont care if he knows my intention, I want him to, it makes no difference whether or not he knows what im doing.
You are almost right in saying that an experienced martial artist should be able to hi with the same degree of power speed and accuracy when stationary as when moving. Except two things, one is that experience does not always prevail. Yes most of the time it does, but there are exceptions. Two is that when the principles of Baji Quan are applied, an individual can get much more out of a punch (specifically the one punch).

[Zaharia]

Like I said, I dont care if he knows my intention, I want him to, it makes no difference whether or not he knows what im doing.

If you are fighting a SKILLED fighter, the fact that he has read your intention will give him a major advantage, and you a major disadvantage. If that's what works for you, then so be it. All I'm saying is that if you were to go up against a talented JKD'er and try that, he'd just knock you on your ass.
Also, when I said strikes, I didn't only mean a punch. It can be any strike, even, especially in JKD, an eye poke, or a tigers claw. It doesn't matter how tough you are, if you get caught with one of those, you'll be rolling around like a bowled over skittle.

[Trey]

Thats true... no one can train to resist an eye poke lol. But thats just another advantage to the way my stance is, it does make it slightly harder to pull off an eye poke. A tiger claw would be slightly easier, if he could get to my ear or neck (since my face is mostly covered) before I get in a shot in.

Also it was never clarified what kind of individual this imaginary man is, i was assuming just some tall crazy guy you run into on the street. Regardless, I believe the technique that i stated would work 99% of the time, as long as the individual was in peak condition, and trained to fight out of it. I was just saying how I would do it, not reccomending it.

[Sifu Darkfist]

Well I guess youd just have to see how I fight then to understand. There would be no added force by me charging in, as it is a contolled movement, not unweildy and wild in nature. The way my stance is, again youd have to see it, it would prevent a side kick or any other kick for that matter to my knee. Lastly it doesnt matter if he knows what to do or if he wants to strike me, im not particularly worried about taking a shot or two in order to knock him out, if I were to attck this tall fictional character it would be a continuos onslaught, not a well here I go, im gonna tap you lightly now. Also im not worried about being inconspicuous, if im going to attack someone in defense, im going to let them know that I have every intention of bringing them down.

herein lies the concept of the relentless attack encompassed by the phrase "something that is given and thrust upon the target not negotiated or defended into existance"
THis style of fighting is the one feared worldwide without exception.
Consider the beszerkers in nordic folklore, these men entirely naked ran into combat to kill without any fear or thought about the possible outcome or what may become of them.
Doe this mean they were unruly?
Not at all, they were skilled killers with the heart of killers and nothing in mind but killing no other outcome occurs to them except victory through the destruction of their enemies at all physical cost.
that is the Mike Tyson, Ali or Li Shu Wen of Baji.

[bcbernam777]

Have you considered platforms






seriously dont look at their size, forget about their size and dont be so obsessed about their face, I have no idea why people have a fascination with the face, they think it is the best place to hit, it is the last thing on my list, Lets see, you have the throat (brochial stun), you have the heart, you have the diaphragm, you have the testicles, you have the kidneys, all much more effective than a head shot.

[Zaharia]

True.... but it all depends on what kind of damage you want to do to your opponent. Certainly, the most humane way to disable ones opponent is to hit him in the face to achieve a knockout. This is a flawed technique, however, as it depends on the toughness of your opponent. If you were to try that on a skilled boxer, he'd 'take it on the chin' and ensue in demolishing you (assuming that you can not hit as hard as other boxers, of course). That is why you must READ YOUR OPPONENT'S INTENTION before attacking.

[SevenStar]

seriously dont look at their size, forget about their size and dont be so obsessed about their face, I have no idea why people have a fascination with the face, they think it is the best place to hit, it is the last thing on my list, Lets see, you have the throat (brochial stun), you have the heart, you have the diaphragm, you have the testicles, you have the kidneys, all much more effective than a head shot.

here's a litmus test. Go find a boxer. tell him you want to fight him and have those targets available. Then see how easy it is to hit his throat. the throat is a moving target, like the head - and it is much smaller. This makes it harder to hit. I've had a match with someone under such a rule - and they never touched my throat. small, moving and defended targets aren't easy targets. As for the heart, do you realize how hard you would have to hit a person to hurt them seriously?? you'd be better off hitting them in the jaw. the diaphragm is easier, but you can train to absorb body shots well enough. You're still gonna have to hit him mad hard to drop him there. I've been hit in the nads while in a confrontation. Guess what - I didn't feel it at all until after the confrontation had ended. hitting there is not an end all.

However, I do agree with you on one thing - there is a fascination with the face. This comes from the notion (albeit a true one) that you can KO someone by hitting them in the jaw. a good liver punch can do the same thing, but if you are off the mark, it will merely hurt. a good head rattling will drop a person easier.

[SevenStar]

True.... but it all depends on what kind of damage you want to do to your opponent. Certainly, the most humane way to disable ones opponent is to hit him in the face to achieve a knockout. This is a flawed technique, however, as it depends on the toughness of your opponent. If you were to try that on a skilled boxer, he'd 'take it on the chin' and ensue in demolishing you (assuming that you can not hit as hard as other boxers, of course). That is why you must READ YOUR OPPONENT'S INTENTION before attacking.

meh. that's more an issue of neck strength than skill. There are several sucky guys who have a decent chin.

[SevenStar]

If you are fighting a SKILLED fighter, the fact that he has read your intention will give him a major advantage, and you a major disadvantage. If that's what works for you, then so be it. All I'm saying is that if you were to go up against a talented JKD'er and try that, he'd just knock you on your ass.
Also, when I said strikes, I didn't only mean a punch. It can be any strike, even, especially in JKD, an eye poke, or a tigers claw. It doesn't matter how tough you are, if you get caught with one of those, you'll be rolling around like a bowled over skittle.

eyes go into the same category as throat. not only that, but this thread is about fighting a taller guy - that means it will be that much harder to hit his eyes.

[SevenStar]

That's all good and well, assuming that your opponent doesn't have particularly good body awareness. In JKD, we have what is called a 'Critical Distance Zone', which is basically an area in which your opponent can hit you. An adaquate JKD man could simply keep you at bay with something so simple as a sidekick to your knee.
If your fighting a Judo or Jiu Jutsu man, making a B line for them would simply give them another weapon. They will use the extra force of your thrusted body weight, and use it against you.
Your low stance is a good technique, assuming you know how to do it and not give away your intention. Your opponent may be able to see what you plan to do by such seemingly inconspicuous things as your footwork. Also, if you're in a public place, lets say a bar, for arguments sake, taking a stance may not be a good idea. If you want your attack to be as inconspicuous as possible, taking no-stance would be a better idea.

how hard is it for a trained person to stop or evade a side kick to the knee? Anyway, you are missing his point. As I stated earlier in this thread, the taller person has an advantage at the outside - he likely has longer limbs. this means that HIS sidekick will be keeping YOU at bay, unless you can get inside of him, as the inside is the only way you will be able to hit him.

[SevenStar]

Going down to the ground is fine - assuming that you are in a safe environment i.e. there is no glass, or any other hazardous material on the ground, and that you are only facing one opponent. Needless to say, if you go to the grount when your opponent is part of a gang, the chances are you're going to be massacred. Like I said earlier - go for the balls. Or, you can go for the legs, in particular the outer thigh, as this will give your opponent a 'dead leg', thereby debilitating him, and subsequently finishing the opponent off with a vast aray of 'weapons'.

It may seem like I'm picking on you, but I'm not... I just don't like any of your posts

"safe ground environment" is about as overused as the "all fights go to the ground" thing. I work in a bar and have gone to the ground several times. Only once have I been scraped, and it was minor. Also, only once have I been hit by another person while on the ground... that was the same day I got the scrape. Not to say those things can't happen - sure they can - but they don't happen as much as everyone thinks. especially in a crowded bar.

as stated earlier, don't depend on the balls.

as for the leg, I'd rather roundhouse them on the front of the quadricep, right above or on the knee, as opposed to the side of it. the dead leg you are referring to comes from kicking the sciatic nerve - for one, you may not hit it properly or with enough impact, and secondly, people have different pain tolerances. It may take several of those to make his leg go numb.

[SevenStar]

True. However, if one can get inside the opponent and make contact with the upper forearm, e.g. by blocking a punch, the effect of kicking the outer thigh will be devastating. This is taken from Chinese accupuncture - they believe that the meridians in the upper forearm are the element *metal*, and the meridians in the outer thigh are *wood*. Metal cuts wood, and therefore the effect is greater. Trust me, it works.

the punching hand is in motion. You would have to be blindingly fast to kick him while keeping contact with the arm. AND you'd still have to kick him with sifficient force. I'd love to see you pull it off though. really.

By the way, to roundhouse kick someone directly to the kidneys is practically suicide, as your opponent can easily grab your leg. This would be good for a progressive/follow up attack, though.

by the very nature of the kick - arcing - the sidekick is easier to catch than say a front or side kick.

[SimonM]

here's a litmus test. Go find a boxer. tell him you want to fight him and have those targets available. Then see how easy it is to hit his throat. the throat is a moving target, like the head - and it is much smaller. This makes it harder to hit.

Also keep in mind that most boxers keep their chin tucked just a bit, making the throat a sheltered target and even harder to hit.