I (21f) am 5’5" and skinny. I recently attended a self-defense class, and there I was tought how to use a pocket knife. And as I have some male friends 6’5"+ tall, I thought that that height actually makes your belly particularly vulnerable in case of a fight (in comparisson with short people):
- a short person’s shoulder height is around the same level as your belly making it easier to stab/hit;
- your belly is proportionally a larger target.
And in general, if a 6’5"+ guy stands in front of me with his stomach released (even if he has just a bit of a belly) it feels like having an exposed, large and squishy punching/stabbing bag right in front of me, into which, if needed, I can easily harshly and deeply plunge anything straight away.
I also practice historical fencing (rapier) and most of the times I stab tall opponents into the belly - my favorite thrusts are ducking counterattacks when I duck while they attack, go low and impale a tall guy’s unprotected belly right onto my rapier.
What do you think about it?
Well, I can be sneakier and dodge easier when a tall guy attacks my head. While a tall guy represents a larger target and when he attacks my head and leaves his belly exposed - I can quite easily attack him in the stomach (I do that pretty often in rapier fencing, by the way). Also belly is a larger target than head, and belly is the center of mass meaning its more difficult to deflect than head when its being attacked.
Who’s to say they can’t dodge you as well? If they’ve got a reach advantage already tall doesn’t necessarily equal slow. If you’ve got a sword and I’ve got a spear as long as I keep my distance you can dodge a lot but you’ll be hard pressed to hit me unless you get inside my range.
Yep, but if we both have rapiers its pretty realistic for me to get inside your range and stab you in the belly :D
Yeah no it’s totally realistic, but my arm is still probably much longer than yours.
Yep, but its easier for me to dodge your attacks. You’d find it really challenging protecting your belly area from my rapier actually. You’d likely hold your weapon on your chest/shoulder level, while your gut would be left pretty unprotected. And if I manage to dodge, get under your blade - you’re done, with your belly impaled right onto my rapier :D
If we’re talking fencing maybe? Sure? I wouldn’t know I’ve not trained fencing. You’d know better than I. If we’re talking actual combat where I’ve trained a tiny bit with the sword and staff, I mean there’s just ways around that. Where I hold my sword or staff or whatever has little bearing on my defensive range. You’re just assuming you’re much faster than me because I’m guessing that’s what fencing is more about. But that’s with something extremely light and flexible. If where you held your weapon was all that was too it people would have been much less inclined to use say a giant battle axe. Also an actual fight ends quickly id never risk being inside your weapon range unless I knew I had a good shot. There’s no constraint on me attacking first or having to attack you a specific way.
How tall are you by the way?
Somewhere between 6’1 and 6’2
You should join a mma/fight gym. It’s fun, will keep you in shape, and will probably be an enlightening and humbling experience. Skill, technique, and experience go a long way, but weight classes exist for good reason.