Advantages of being tall in combat sports

Being exceptionally tall has many advantages, but what about when it comes to athletic endeavor, particularly when it comes to combat sports? So what are the pluses and minuses of height when it comes to boxing, wrestling, mixed martial arts, etc. How can a competitor use the added height to gain a competitive advantage over an opponent who has a different physical build?

Let’s look at the key attributes of the tallest athlete. First and foremost is the ability to reach out and go one step further. Being taller means longer arms and legs, which in turn means greater reach and stride ability. This is a tremendous advantage in many sports, but particularly combat sports. In most fighting sports, the ability to hit your opponent and not get hit is the key to winning. Using a higher scope is the most common way to do this. If, for example, in boxing, the taller boxer has the ability to keep the fight at a long distance, that is, both boxers are always separated by a distance that allows the taller boxer to land his punches, but the shorter boxer little one falls short with his punches, the taller boxer must win. This is easier said than done. Mike Tyson would be a classic example of a relatively small boxer who regularly defeated opponents much taller than himself. Tyson, in his youth, had enough power and strength to close the gap on his opponents, going in and often striking, to land his own blows, usually to devastating effect. Thomas Hearns would be a classic case of a tall boxer, usually fighting much smaller men. His fights against Hagler, Hearns and Duran during the 1980s are classic matchups between tall fighters and smaller fighters. Things didn’t always go well in all those fights, but he was up against some of the best middleweights of any generation.

A sport like wrestling (Olympic, not staged WW, whatever the events) is a classic case of being tall not much of an advantage. In fact, shorter levers, a more compact powerful physique, and excellent balance are probably more advantageous in this sport. Similarly, with Ju-Jitsu and all those grappling-type combat sports, being taller than your opponent is not a significant advantage at all. The recent popularity of Mixed Martial Arts events like the UFC demonstrates the advantage that the taller fighter has when the fight is on the feet and strikes. But this advantage is usually negative when the competition turns into a grappling-style fight, on the ground.

Like many things in life, being tall has many advantages. Being tall in combat sports is no different.