[quote=265lbsfist;2177326]I’m an Ultra HW in BJJ and my bottom game mostly revolves around sweeps.
I feel a bit embarrassed by the fact that only white belts fall for my subs on a consistent basis but on the other hand my sweeps are pretty handy even vs higher ranked guys.
But I’m a short and eh, “stout” guy and most subs involving the use of my legs are too slow when I apply them opening me up for the pass.
I get the occasional omoplata but in 9 out of 10 instances I get the sweep instead of the tap.
I’ve had pretty good results at my weight in competitions winning several regional tourneys but I was just wondering if this was an issue for other big guys or even just “stout” guys for their weight?
From what I’ve seen in most competitions only the long-limbed ultra HW’s are sub-savvy from their backs while the rest usually rely on winning the top position and then work for the tap.
Am I correct in this observation?
If correct is this the same for other grappling sports such as sambo, judo, etc?[/quote]
Disclaimer - I’m quite new at the grappling game - my viewpoint may reflect this.
As a tall, slim guy with long limbs I’ve noticed a couple things regarding body types / styles. (I’m 6 ft 1 and 170ish)
Like the OP the bigger, heavier guys at my school tend to have slower hips and rely more on sweeps than technical attacks (subs). My understanding of grappling is that more contact with the mat to your body = slower movement. So it makes sense that the guys with ahmmm more surface area on the mat would be slower on their backs, right? And whenever I get mount on a bigger guy they have more trouble escaping. The best I can figure is that I’m more in contact with the big guys, therefore I’m heavier on them and more in control. There is more of my body in contact with more of theirs - their physical build sort of closes gaps that a smaller guy could use to escape.
If I’m on target, doesn’t it follow that it is easier for a big guy on the bottom to sweep (which requires more solid base and off-balancing of your opponent) than to submit (which often requires more speed and flexibility)?
Maybe it’s just the guys at my school, but the smaller guys seem to attack more, and with greater success rates on the bottom.
So to me it seems reasonable, almost likely, that a person’s physical build would lead them down certain paths. That is until they improve their skill to a point where training overcomes physical attributes and natural instinct.