Does Height Matter in Judo? The Truth About Height In Judo


Does height matter in judo?

Judo is a highly technical sport that requires perfect positioning, execution, timing, and leverages to perform dazzling throws and trips against an unwilling opponent. Because of the need to manipulate gravity and balance to defeat your opponent, body types and proportions play a significant role in how a player will perform in Judo. Does height matter in Judo?

Height does matter in Judo, as shorter Judokas have an advantage because their center of gravity is much lower, making their stability better. However, by widening their stance and lowering their center, tall Judo players can negate this disadvantage. There are many tall world-class Judokas.

This article will cover:

  • The pros and cons of being a tall Judo competitor
  • Strategies to help Judokas overcome their disadvantages
  • The most effective tips, principles, and techniques for tall players to become successful in Judo

How Does a Judo Player’s Height Affect Their Performance?

Whether a Judoka is short or tall makes a difference in how they perform because they can use their own body as a lever to gain the ideal position for throwing their opponents. Their center of gravity will either be a strength or a weakness and how long their limbs are will determine their reach limits.

Let’s look at these differences in detail.

Center of Gravity

Shorter Judokas have an advantage over their taller counterparts, by default, because their center of gravity is lower to the ground. Having a low center of gravity provides a body of mass with more stability. 

For example, think of two stacks of books where one is 10 books high and the other is 100 books high. The stack of 100 books is much more likely to topple over because its center of gravity is higher from the ground.

Limb Length and Leverages

While shorter Judo players have a more stable base and thus hold the advantage, there is another factor that gives them a disadvantage over taller Judokas. Long arms and legs offer many advantages that, when used properly, can negate and even surpass any height disadvantage that a Judo player may possess.

An example of this is a boxing legend, Mike Tyson, who had a billed height of around 5’10” (178cm) and thrived in a division where some of his opponents were half a foot taller. In boxing, having a reach “advantage” means having a longer reach or wingspan than your opponent. 

Having a long reach is advantageous in boxing because it allows a fighter to land punches at a greater distance. However, Mike Tyson knew exactly how to use his short stature to get inside the range, close the distance, neutralize his opponent’s height, and pulverize them without hardly breaking a sweat.

Taller Judokas can do the same thing with the right understanding and approach, but they must be more careful than their shorter opponents. Making a strategic mistake is much more unforgiving to the taller player. While shorter Judokas will get away with a little more laziness in form, being the taller fighter demands flawlessness.

Let’s now take a closer look at the pros and cons of being a tall Judo player.

The Pros and Cons Of Height In Judo 

While being a short and stocky Judo practitioner may grant an athlete a balance advantage, there are also advantages to being tall in Judo competitions. 

Among the top-ranking Judokas, you will find many examples of both tall and lanky, as well as short and compact athletes, showing that success is more about maximizing what you have than relying on a genetic predisposition. 

The Pros of Being Tall in Judo

Tall Judo competitors have the ability to grab hold of their opponents Gi first and gain control of the clinch a lot faster. Having long arms allows tall Judokas to control the distance and range better, which means they have more ability to dictate when and how the clinches occur.

Tall Judo players can also set trips from further out, which can be very difficult for your opponent to prevent, even if they can anticipate it. They can wrap and control their opponents in several unorthodox ways while in the clinch, making them unpredictable and very difficult to counter-throw.

The Cons of Being Tall in Judo

The main drawback to being the taller competitor in a Judo contest is that, as we already briefly discussed, the margin of error you are permitted is very small. Taller Judokas have the burden of modifying their style to work against their opponent and not the other way around.

It is much easier for a shorter player to “get under” a tall one, which means they can drop lower to gain an advantage when throwing. Both are trying to get lower than the other by dropping their center and making themselves a more stable target.

Brute strength and force-of-will get you nowhere in Judo. The one who possesses the superior knowledge of biomechanics will emerge the victor on every occasion.

How To Overcome Height and Leverage Disadvantages in Judo

There are two considerations that a tall Judo player must account for when game-planning to defeat shorter opponents. The first is how to manipulate their own center of gravity to reinforce their base of support, and the second is the selection of techniques they choose to implement.

These two factors will be the key determinants of success for tall Judo practitioners.

Adjust Your Stance Width

Altering the width of your stance will alter your height. A wider stance with slightly bent knees will artificially make a tall fighter shorter and bring their center of gravity lower to the earth, making them much more stable. In this position, the taller fighter will become shorter and negate any advantage their shorter opponent holds over them.

The key for the taller athlete is to never get caught standing up tall. Posturing up tall and bringing the stance in too close will make it very easy for a shorter player to throw you.

If you find yourself competing against a short opponent, adjust your stance outwards and bring yourself down to their level. You will still have longer arms and legs, but the height will be equal.

Use the Best Techniques

One brief but highly insightful study, which examined videos of 518 Judo matches, showed a correlation between height and the preferred techniques implemented by competitors. 

Shorter players preferred using arm/hand techniques, while taller players were more successful in utilizing leg attacks. Tall fighters are more susceptible to being thrown than tripped and are more offensively effective with trips and other leg techniques.

The same study also showed very little correlation between height and success, which affirms our earlier assertion that it is a mixed field amongst the top athletes. The following list provides the techniques shown to be most effective for use by tall athletes, including links on how to properly perform each technique step-by-step:

While the above techniques are likely to be used very successfully by tall Judo players, personal preference and experience will play a large role in strategy.

The Truth About Height In Judo 

Height is important in Judo because the center of gravity plays a key role in the struggle for positioning and dominance. Shorter judokas are more balanced because their center of gravity is lower, but this could just as easily be turned into a disadvantage with the right approach on the part of the tall fighter.

World-class Judokas have a wide range of different heights and body types. That said, many people have noticed that shorter people ofter do better in judo than others. It has even helped to continue the false rumor that judo stunts growth. However, if you are tall don’t be discouraged, you simply need to learn how to use it to your advantage. 

Joshua Paul

Joshua Paul is a BJJ purple belt who lives in Austin, Texas. Joshua loves all forms of grappling and when he is off the mats he is likely spending time with his wife and son.

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