Size matters – in the ring. On the street, the author claims, it's less important than technique.

In competitive weightlifting, the person who moves the most weight is deemed the most powerful. In baseball, it's the guy who can hit the ball the farthest. In football, as in sumo wrestling, the biggest and strongest guy is usually the most powerful one. Is it the same for the combat arts? Is power determined by size and strength like it is for the heavyweight boxer or today's ultra-muscular cage fighter? If so, have we set aside the mythology of the small but deadly master inspired by the late Bruce Lee?

Like many other components of the martial arts, power defies simple definition. Greater mass and strength are obvious manifestations of potential power, but they are certainly not the only aspects of it. Physics tells us that speed is also related to power. Greater velocity equals greater power for the fist or foot. Under the right conditions, a smaller fighter with superior speed can be just as deadly as his larger counterpart. Combine speed with mass and strength, and the advantage can be overwhelming. That's why a fast heavyweight's jab feels like a lightweight's knockout punch.

Is it true, then, that big lions always eat little lions? Not necessarily. That axiom is often accurate when applied to sport-oriented martial arts, however. There are reasons for having weight classes. When technical application is limited to non-lethal or "fair" fighting, size and strength make a huge difference. No one really expects Roy Jones Jr. to fight Lennox Lewis and win, even though Jones is considered pound for pound the best boxer in the world. In this arena, mass and strength can mean the difference between dominating a weight class and getting killed. If a boxer wants to move up to another division, he puts on weight so he can compete with the athletes at that level.

But outside the ring, the definition of power revolves around effectiveness. Being effective-that is, getting the job done-is all that matters in combat. When protective gear, referees and rules are absent, size and strength are important; but they mean less than technique and tactics. In other words, how big you are is less important than what you do. For example, if you put a 150-pound fighter in the ring with a 250-pound monster, you probably wouldn't bet on the little guy. But if you take the match to the street and remove the rules and restrictions, technique – not brawn – will most likely be the deciding factor.

About the author: Richard Ryan is the founder of Dynamic Combat™ and the designer of the Tactical Defense Training™ system for law enforcement. He has more than 30 years of experience in martial arts, combative firearms and weapons training. For more information, call (800) 945-4387.

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