Exhausted and frustrated after fighting the tallest guy in the gym?
This is tricky since your opponent’s head is out of range and your opponent’s jab usually has a longer reach than yours.
Keep reading our tips below so you’ll have a solid strategy next time you fight a taller opponent!
How To Fight A Taller Opponent
To fight a taller opponent:
- Take Away Your Opponent’s Jab
- Close The Distance And Get Inside
- Aim For The Body
- Make Him Punch Down At You
- Use Overhand Punches
Take Away Your Opponent’s Jab
First, take away your taller opponent’s jab.
Your opponent will use height to her advantage and won’t allow you to walk in easily.
She wants to keep you outside with the jab and wait for the right moment to counter.
Your taller opponent will most likely keep a firm base, and not use a leaping lead hook or a power jab on a shorter opponent.
You can use this to your advantage and time the jab.
Either slip to get inside or parry to create openings, both of which can make your opponent overreach and get off balance.
Keep your head moving so you don’t present an easy target, and keep changing the angle to test your opponent’s footwork.
Another strategy you can use is to follow your opponent’s jab as it returns to its original position. This is a tricky technique to time, but if you get it right, it will smother his jab.
Close The Distance And Get Inside
Next, close the distance and get inside against a taller opponent.
When you’re inside, this takes away your opponent’s main advantage of length.
Your power punches won’t work until you get in range, unless your attack closes the distance very quickly, like a leaping lead hook.
Bob, slip, and weave to avoid your opponent’s stiff jab, and take steps forward with each miss.
Once you’re inside, stay inside and make the most of it! Don’t drive out or else you’ll have to start all over again.
When you’re inside, this takes away your opponent’s length. Before, long reach was your opponent’s advantage.
Now it becomes his weakness! Stay close and tight with your shots. Get him to overextend on his hooks and uppercuts to force him off balance.
Aim For The Body
Next, aim for the body of a taller opponent.
One of our old coaches loved to tell us: “Chop down the tree by chipping away at its base.”
If you aim for the head, you’ll be aiming upwards which is a much greater distance when compared to the distance to the body. You’ll be less likely to hit and more likely to overextend yourself.
So aim for the chest and body, which is an easier target.
An effective punch here is the slip jab, which allows you to hit his body while avoiding his jab.
Once you hit that target, your opponent will bend over and/or lower his guard. Now you can focus on hitting the head.
Make Him Punch Down At You
Next, make your taller opponent punch down at you.
This tip is specifically for when you’re in mid-range.
At this distance, your opponent will be able to land his best combinations.
Instead of giving him an easy target to hit, continue to use all of your defensive tactics available: head movement, parries, footwork.
Level changes in particular will be effective, since punching downwards is always weaker than punching straight.
Also, making your opponent punch downwards will open up his head for attack.
Use Overhand Punches
Lastly, use overhand punches against a taller opponent.
Since your opponent will be aiming down at you, the shoulder that protects his head when he throws a jab or cross may be relaxed.
He may also get lazy with keeping his hands up to block shots, since he thinks he’s out of range.
Especially after receiving a body shot, he will bend over and drop his hands, leaving his head wide open.
After a slip jab, an overhand right here can be very effective. It’s a punch that fits best here, as you rarely see opponents with the same height using it.
Another useful move is the leaping lead hook, though it leaves you wide open for a counterattack.
Conclusion
Now that you know these tips, you’re better equipped to fight a taller opponent.
See the video above to see Mike Tyson chop away at the Tyrell Biggs tree over and over again, leading to a knockout.
Facing a taller opponent can be exhausting and frustrating if your strategy is to charge in every time, only to meet stiff jabs to the face.
The next time you face a taller opponent, you’ll have a strong strategy.
Keep these same ideas in mind if you’re facing a shorter opponent, as he’ll use these strategies on you.
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