u/No-Vanilla265

I’m a 194 cm (6'4") woman and fairly big/strong as well. I currently train martial arts, which I really enjoy, but sometimes I wonder whether I’m putting myself at a disadvantage by choosing sports where being shorter and more compact can often be an advantage.

I’ve think that, at my height and build, I should probably just play basketball but honestly, I’m not sure I’d enjoy it as much.

So I’m curious: what sports do you tall women actually find fun, regardless of whether your height gives you an advantage or disadvantage?

Especially interested in sports where being tall doesn’t automatically mean “you should be doing basketball/volleyball instead.”

Would love to hear from tall women who’ve tried different sports what clicked for you, and what surprisingly didn’t?

Hi everyone! I’m a woman who’s been training Bjj on and off for about two years. I recently took a few months off to train other things, but I keep coming back to Bjj because it’s just so much fun, even when it makes absolutely no sense

I’m 194 cm (6'4") and around 95 kg (210 lbs), so I’m obviously quite a bit bigger and taller than most women I train with. I’ve competed a few times, and interestingly I’ve found the heavyweight division much easier for me than absolute. Against women closer to my size, I feel like I can actually use my height and weight properly. Against smaller opponents, especially the really quick and mobile ones, I often feel like I’m constantly trying to catch someone who is already three steps ahead of me

I actually find kickboxing more intuitive for my body type being tall and having a long reach feels like a pretty obvious advantage there. With Bjj, I’m still trying to figure out how to make my size and height work for me rather than just feeling like a giant folding chair that someone is trying to escape from.

So I’d especially love to hear from smaller women who regularly train with bigger/taller opponents:

What do you find difficult to deal with when you roll with someone significantly bigger and taller than you?

Are there particular things that bigger women tend to do that give you trouble? And just as importantly, what mistakes do you think us bigger women make when rolling with smaller opponents? Is there something we should avoid relying on too much, or certain habits that make us easier to deal with?

And for the other tall or bigger women: how did you develop a game that actually suited your body type? Did you find particular positions, guards, passing styles, grips or submissions that really clicked?

I’m basically trying to learn how to use my size intelligently rather than just being bigger

Bjj is way too much fun to give up, even though sometimes I wonder why I voluntarily chose a sport where people are constantly trying to fold me in half.

Hi!

I’ve been training Bjj for a while now and I genuinely enjoy it a lot. I feel comfortable at my gym, I like the challenge, and overall it feels like a good fit for me.

Lately I’ve been wondering how big the difference really is between traditional Japanese Jiu-Jitsu and BJJ. Is it mostly the focus and rule set that separates them, or do they feel like two very different martial arts in practice?

A little background about me: I’m a woman, and tall (195 cm / 6'5") and around 95 kg (210 lbs). I find Bjj both technically and physically challenging, which I like, but I’ve also been thinking about adding another martial art alongside it.

A friend of mine thinks I should try Aikido or some kind of Kung Fu style since she enjoys those a lot herself. I’m curious about that too, but I’m not sure what would complement Bjj best.

So I wanted to ask here:

• How big of a difference do you think there is between traditional Jiu-Jitsu and Bjj?
• Is it worth training both, or is there too much overlap?
• If someone already enjoys Bjj, is there another style you think complements it well?

And since I’m a woman myself, I’d also especially like to hear from other women here about how you experience the sport both Bjj and other styles you’ve triedand what has worked best for you.

I’ve been reading and asking around on a few other subreddits this week as well, but I thought it would be interesting to hear opinions from people here too.

Thanks!

Hi!

I’m thinking about starting Judo and I’m curious about how well it might suit me. I’m a 194 cm (6'4") woman, around 95 kg (210 lbs), and I’ve been training Bjj for a while. I really enjoy Bjj and have a lot of fun with it, but I also find it very challenging in many ways, so I’m considering adding something else alongside it.

A friend thinks I should try Aikido, while I’ve personally been thinking that Judo seems really fun. She also trains Kung Fu, Wing Chun, and some other martial arts, which I also find interesting. I’ve already been on the Aikido and Kung Fu subreddits reading and asking around, but I thought it would be really interesting to hear what people here think specifically about Judo.

How do you think Judo would suit me compared to Aikido? Especially considering my size, my Bjj background, and that I’m looking for something that would both complement and help develop my skills.

I’d be especially interested in hearing from other women who train Judo what has your experience been like? How is the environment, the training, and the overall feeling compared to other martial arts?

Thanks

Hi! I’m a woman who has been training Bjj for a while now and is interested i martial arts. I really enjoy it, even though I find it challenging at times, and I’ve been thinking it could be nice to complement it with something else occasionally.

I’m quite tall for a woman (194 cm / 95 kg), so that definitely affects my style and how I move on the mats.

A friend of mine trains Kung Fu and something called Chin Na, and she thinks it could be a really good addition for me especially for body control, balance, and overall movement awareness.

I’m curious, but also a bit skeptical since I don’t know much about it yet. For those of you who train Kung Fu or Chin Na, what do you think? Could it be a good complement to BJJ, especially for someone with my build?

Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

Hi!

I’ve been training BJJ for a while now and really enjoy it, but I’m also curious about trying something else to develop new movement patterns and broaden my experience.

A friend of mine who trains Aikido thinks it would suit me well and could be a useful complement to BJJ, so I’m considering giving it a try.

A bit about me: I’m a woman, 194 cm tall (about 6’4”) and around 95 kg . Since I’m quite tall, I’m wondering if certain movements in Aikido might be more difficult for me, or if my height could actually be an advantage in some situations.

For those of you who train Aikido and maybe also have experience with BJJ do you think Aikido can offer good complementary skills? Have you combined both? And would you recommend it for someone with my body type?

Thanks!

Hi again! I’ve posted here before, and I just wanted to share a little more about my Bjj journey and some thoughts I’ve been having.

I’m a woman training BJJ, and I truly love the sport BJJ has given me so much, both amazing training and great friendships. It has become a big and important part of my life.

At the same time, my height sometimes feels like both a strength and a challenge. I’m 194 cm (6’5”) and 95 kg and I train in a all woman class for now

Some techniques feel harder for me because of my body type and height, especially since a lot of training happens with much smaller women. When I’ve competed, I’ve often faced smaller women with really sharp technique, and I’ve lost to all of them which I honestly respect a lot. I’m impressed by how technical so many women are.

I’ve also heard from some people that it can actually be easier to face other bigger opponents when you’re tall and strong yourself, while smaller people often develop sharper technique because they can’t rely on size or strength as much. I think there’s probably some truth to that.

At the same time, I sometimes feel an expectation from others and also maybe from myself that I “should” win just because I’m tall and big. And when that doesn’t happen, the frustration feels even stronger.

I also wonder if I should roll more with men so I can better adapt my game to training partners who match my size and physicality.

I try to stay positive and learn from every match and every training session, but sometimes the frustration still shows up.

Does anyone else relate to this? Especially other taller/bigger women in Bjj do you train mostly with men? Have you had to adapt your style a lot?

Honestly curious to hear your experiences thanks:)