Body Types

three60roundhouse · Pre-Black Belt

Do you think certain arts are better for certain types of people, like tall people and short people, slight people and muscualr people? I have noticed that tall people do exceptionally well in tae kwon do, and that in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu often skinnier people do well because they are able to slip out of holds. What part do you think physical build plays in your art?
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1st dan Tae Kwon Do
Yellow Belt Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
16 Years Old
Girls kick butt!

ZeRo · Black Belt

i think a taller person is better at contact sparring but i think a smaller thinnner person would be better at grappling.

LeaF · Black Belt

This is one of the great things I love about Goju ryu, it seems to fit all types of people. I am 5'9" and weigh about 150 lbs. So I am by no means a big guy but I am able to take advantage of my body type. On the other hand we have some guys that are 6'9" and weigh 300 lbs and Goju allows them to adjust some of the techniques to their advantage.
It holds a good mix of different elements. For instance a bigger person might have a difficult time doing some of the jump kicks but on the other hand a smaller person might a more difficult praticing some of the throws or resistance work we do.

I do agree though that some arts were designed for people of a certain build but through my expirence Goju does not appear to be one of these arts

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Goju Ryu Karate-do and Okinawan Kobudo, 17 Years Old 1st kyu Brown Belt in in Goju Ryu Karate-do, & Shodan in Okinawan Kobudo
Given enough time, any man may master the physical. With enough knowledge, any man may become wise. It is the true warrior who can master both....and surpass the result.
I AM CANADIAN

Karateka_latino · Black Belt

With hard work, you can make any art work for any body type.
But, its true that certain Arts works better for certain bodytypes.

Korean Arts, have a lot of kicking so person with long limbs and good flexbility are good on them. Girls use to be Great on TKD.
Sourthen Kung Fu and Shotokan karate, better for the stocky Small people.
Judo works fine for people with low center of gravity becuase the are hard to take down.
etc..
Physically Strong people have kyokushin karate, Muay Thai, Shidokan Karate,etc.

But as i say, isn't a Rule, you can train hard and be good in any Art.

Kensai · Black Belt

I agree that with a lot of work, any martial art can fit any body type.

psychospaz · Yellow Belt

lots of martial arts tho were developed in certain goegraphical regions by people on similar body types, so they optimize techinique based on certain body types, so some body types would be optimal for certain styles. now if you take what u want from the style and use what works for you thats not a problem.

inyctrotter · Yellow Belt

body type can matter....but its not always true that tall people do better in TKD...i noticed that they have less balance.

KickChick · Black Belt

I posted this in "Getting Started in the Martial Arts"
and it's worth repeating here because I am in total agreement that a certain body-type works best with certain styles.

Bill "Superfoot" Wallace wrote an article once in I believe BlackBelt mag about how to go about choosing a martial art. In it he explained that no one wakes up and decides what type of martial art to get into. You learn about those different systems only when you join a school and start reading books and magazines. He explains this is unfortunate because too many people end up studying an art that is not particularly well-suited to their body type and personal goals. Although they often find out whether they are gifted in the art they've selected or they should have picked a different style during their first three months of training. He suggests saving yourself some wasted time by reviewing the following guidelines for selecting a martial art.

"Because judo concentrates on throwing techniques, it is a good choice if you have a short, squatty physique. You won't be punching or kicking, so you'll have to rely on maneuvering close to your opponent, getting under his center of gravity and tossing him into the air and onto the mat. Judo is also a good choice if you are tall and lanky and don't want to wrestle or get down on the ground because you've got too many limbs in the way. However, even if you are highly skilled, you will have trouble keeping a shorter opponent away from you.

If you are small, you may want to study jujutsu, but you must not have an aversion to going to the ground, rolling around on your back and getting covered with sweat-both yours and your opponent's. While you struggle to get your opponent into position for an armbar or choke, you will probably have to crawl between his legs and under his arms and contort your body in all sorts of directions. Having sustained a back or neck injury could preclude you from doing that.

Tae kwon do is best-suited for you if you're tall, slender and flexible. Those qualities will enable you to execute fast high kicks all day long. However, if you're heavily muscled or significantly overweight, you may find that your legs get awfully heavy after a while and that your kicks become slower and slower. You may also have to contend with poor endurance and flexibility.
(Note: Not all Tae Kwon Do schools are "sport" and geared towards just competitions)

If you have a strong, stocky build, consider practicing shotokan or shorin-ryu karate. Those arts will allow you to showcase your strong hand technique and stances, and you can become very successful in competition and self-defense once you master them.

Wrestling is a good choice if you are compactly built, strong for your size and have a good sense of balance and movement. "

True, these may all be generalizations and not the "norm" by any means.
I believe certain body types are prone to work best with certain styles.

LeaF · Black Belt

cool article KickChick

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Goju Ryu Karate-do and Okinawan Kobudo, 17 Years Old 1st kyu Brown Belt in in Goju Ryu Karate-do, & Shodan in Okinawan Kobudo
Given enough time, any man may master the physical. With enough knowledge, any man may become wise. It is the true warrior who can master both....and surpass the result.
I AM CANADIAN

hobbitbob · Purple Belt

there is a great article in the current issue of "Black Belt" by Phillip Ameris, discussing adapting your martial art to your body type.
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There have always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm!

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