Little guys more athletic?

[npope]

Are relatively smaller wrestlers (as a generalization) more athletic than relatively bigger wrestlers?

At the extreme (and I am generalizing), you have the big strong plodding heavies that lack the same explosiveness, flexibility, balance, quickness, etc., possessed by most of the little guys. The big guys are just...stronger - in an absolute sense. Assuming those assumptions are correct, is it really that far off to suggest that the little guys are more "athletic"? If not, can someone present an argument as to how relatively larger wrestlers big guys more "athletic" than relatively smaller wrestlers? I realize that there are some uniquely talented bigger guys who defy the stereo types, but I am talking about the general picture - not the rare exceptions to the rule.

In all seriousness, is there an argument to be made that relatively bigger guys are more, or at least comparable to relatively smaller guys, in terms of their athleticism?

[littleguy301]

An athlete is an athlete no matter what their weight is.

Is Prince Fielder not an athlete?
Is Tiger Woods an athlete?
Is that weight lifter from Turkey they called pocket hercules an athlete?

What are you looking for as an example of an athlete.

I would say that Devin Peterson, Jordan G and Roland Dunlap were pretty good athletes at their heavier weights.

I would say Tony Nelson and Brock Lessnar and Conner Medbury are pretty good athletes.

It depends on where outside of wrestling those guys are going to extend their athletic ability. Now if we are going to judge athletes in football I would say that the heavier wrestlers will probably find more sucess on the football field than guys under 120.

Now if your going to talk about wrestlers that play tennis, I would give the advantage to the lighter weight wrestlers.

Golfers, well I think that is a sport that does NOT look at body types.

Baseball, that is a good question to argue, sure you would like that big strapping kid to be the first baseman, catcher and pitcher but you might want those lighter guys at SS, CF and 2B. Remember that one of the better returning baseball players in the state is the 182 pounder from Ellsworth and he is a center fielder.

REmember that big lineman from Wisconsin in the 90's that was around 400 pounds and did the splits in both directions. Guess he was a heck of an athlete because he was stronge and flexible.

I think some of the big guys have extreme explosive power due to size but I see some very good explosiveness from the lighter weight guys.

I guess with my rants, what are you looking for in an athlete?

[maggie]

Great answer LG...and correct!

[Ghetto]

I think Littleguy is wrong. Little guys are more athletic. 

[badgerjohn]

I think Littleguy is wrong. Little guys are more athletic. 

I think Nat is bored  and trying to antagonize littleguy     just glad i'm slim, trim, and athletic   

[Street Glide]

A study was done in the early 2000 era about which athletes are the most athletic.  I didn't like the final outcome, but basketball players ( professional ) came out way ahead.  They study consisted of size, speed, eye hand coordination, strength, and flexibility.  I guess ( I hate to admit it ) when you have 6ft 4 guards dribbling, passing, shooting, jumping going up and down a court it does seem plausible it would take quite a lot of athletic  ability.  They do deem a lot of skills, and I guess it would be easier for a BB player to become a competitive wrestler than a wrestler becoming a BB player.  Now which sport is more entertaining to watch is a matter of personal preference, wrestling hands down takes that title IMO.

[npope]

I think Nat is bored  and trying to antagonize littleguy     just glad i'm slim, trim, and athletic   

Yes, too much time on my hands today (spring break). And antagonizing fat old men really is like shooting fish in a barrel. I should be ashamed - but I have no shame, so...

But when I see these little guys at the big tens doing all those flips, standing somersaults, arching throws, etc., and then see the big guys just push and shove each other around for 9 minutes without doing much of anything...can you blame me for asking this question?

[ChargerDad]

What is athletic.. To me It's a combination of speed, agility, strength, coordination..  The average smaller athlete will have those traits in different ratios than the average larger athlete.. Does the different make one more or less athletic than the other?  Depends on how you define athletic I guess...  Pound for pound strength isn't totally fair either because most of the lifting puts the tall athlete at a disadvantage leverage wise.  As a bigger guy, 6'4" and a little heavier than heavyweight, I would say that the average mid size guy is probably more athletic, but it's the rare big ones that make your jaw drop because of their rare combination of athletic traits (Think Tony Nelson, LeBron James, or Rob Gronkowski).

[littleguy301]

A few years back at the Arizonia clinic to increase speed, strength and agility for pro athletes and ones looking for the combine, guess who set most of the records.

Brock Lessnar was the man without a doubt hand down. 6'3" and 290 and ran a 4.6 set records in the cones drill and strength.

How about that for a big guy. His times were that of guys alot lighter and strength was bigger than those of 100 pounds lighter and by % also.

[eagleeye]

In retrospect I always still think of little guys to be more athletic. I was a little guy growing up. My son on the other hand was not so little. It was funny as heck when my daughter caught my son, who was around 6'6 and 300 pounds hanging from rafters doing a back flip to the ground. Kind of surprised the heck out of me. Now that he is a little older, and 6-8 just watching him do cart wheels can make you wonder what he will destroy if he lands wrong. Everyone is an athlete if the believe they are, just some better at certain things than others.

[littleguy301]

How about looking at pound for pound strength, or strength as a multiple of body weight?  With powerlifting, the all-time squat records definately favor the lighter guys.  At 114 lbs the record is 6 times their body weight and slowly trends downward until dramatically dropping at SHW.  Probably has a little to do with the fact that you lift your body weight along with the weight when squatting.  With the bench press, it starts at 3.65XBW at 114 lbs and trends upward until 198 lbs where it peaks at 4.29XBW, then it trends downward.  So if we look at pure strength alone, I think the sweet spot is somewhere between 190 lbs and 210 lbs.

http://www.powerliftingwatch.com/files/PLWR-M-12-15-13.pdf

I look at the 190-275 area as some of the strongest pound for pound also.

I realize that the littler guys do have alot of strength and should not be overlooked but I think the peak is in the low to mid 200's in this day and age.

With guys like Ryan Kennally and Scot Mendoson benching close to 1100 pounds at the weights of 275-308 that is pretty increable.

Ed Coan would rotinuely go 12X his body weight and then I believe Shawn Frandl would better that in recent years and they were in the 198-220 with now they still compete but maybe in the 242 range and Ed Coan at 50 is still putting up numbers that many half his age can only dream about.

Being adgile and athletic are 2 different things.

I believe with my girth I can NOT do things that people half my weight can but on the other hand I can do some things that people have my weight can NOT do.

[npope]

How about looking at pound for pound strength, or strength as a multiple of body weight?  With powerlifting, the all-time squat records definately favor the lighter guys.  At 114 lbs the record is 6 times their body weight and slowly trends downward until dramatically dropping at SHW.  Probably has a little to do with the fact that you lift your body weight along with the weight when squatting.  With the bench press, it starts at 3.65XBW at 114 lbs and trends upward until 198 lbs where it peaks at 4.29XBW, then it trends downward.  So if we look at pure strength alone, I think the sweet spot is somewhere between 190 lbs and 210 lbs.

http://www.powerliftingwatch.com/files/PLWR-M-12-15-13.pdf

I look at the 190-275 area as some of the strongest pound for pound also.

I realize that the littler guys do have alot of strength and should not be overlooked but I think the peak is in the low to mid 200's in this day and age.

With guys like Ryan Kennally and Scot Mendoson benching close to 1100 pounds at the weights of 275-308 that is pretty increable.

Ed Coan would rotinuely go 12X his body weight and then I believe Shawn Frandl would better that in recent years and they were in the 198-220 with now they still compete but maybe in the 242 range and Ed Coan at 50 is still putting up numbers that many half his age can only dream about.

Being adgile and athletic are 2 different things.

I believe with my girth I can NOT do things that people half my weight can but on the other hand I can do some things that people have my weight can NOT do.

You're not talking about eating the "Super Burrito" in less than 10 minutes so that you can get it free, are you LG?

[littleguy301]

How about looking at pound for pound strength, or strength as a multiple of body weight?  With powerlifting, the all-time squat records definately favor the lighter guys.  At 114 lbs the record is 6 times their body weight and slowly trends downward until dramatically dropping at SHW.  Probably has a little to do with the fact that you lift your body weight along with the weight when squatting.  With the bench press, it starts at 3.65XBW at 114 lbs and trends upward until 198 lbs where it peaks at 4.29XBW, then it trends downward.  So if we look at pure strength alone, I think the sweet spot is somewhere between 190 lbs and 210 lbs.

http://www.powerliftingwatch.com/files/PLWR-M-12-15-13.pdf

I look at the 190-275 area as some of the strongest pound for pound also.

I realize that the littler guys do have alot of strength and should not be overlooked but I think the peak is in the low to mid 200's in this day and age.

With guys like Ryan Kennally and Scot Mendoson benching close to 1100 pounds at the weights of 275-308 that is pretty increable.

Ed Coan would routinely go 12X his body weight and then I believe Shawn Frandl would better that in recent years and they were in the 198-220 with now they still compete but maybe in the 242 range and Ed Coan at 50 is still putting up numbers that many half his age can only dream about.

Being agile and athletic are 2 different things.

I believe with my girth I can NOT do things that people half my weight can but on the other hand I can do some things that people have my weight can NOT do.

You're not talking about eating the "Super Burrito" in less than 10 minutes so that you can get it free, are you LG?

Not a huge fan of the super burrito matter in fact not a huge Mexican kind of guy.

What I am talking about, I can eat an entire Chinese buffet and still be able to move those buffet cabinets around the restaurant Thats what I am talking about

[wrestlinglife1]

If your a Wrestler no matter what the size you are athletic in my eyes. That is a sport that regular "athletes" can't do.
I love to golf myself, but to call it a sport is laughable when real sports consist of legit physical activity. It is however, one awesome hobby!

[Troy Grindle]

How about looking at pound for pound strength, or strength as a multiple of body weight?  With powerlifting, the all-time squat records definately favor the lighter guys.  At 114 lbs the record is 6 times their body weight and slowly trends downward until dramatically dropping at SHW.  Probably has a little to do with the fact that you lift your body weight along with the weight when squatting.  With the bench press, it starts at 3.65XBW at 114 lbs and trends upward until 198 lbs where it peaks at 4.29XBW, then it trends downward.  So if we look at pure strength alone, I think the sweet spot is somewhere between 190 lbs and 210 lbs.

http://www.powerliftingwatch.com/files/PLWR-M-12-15-13.pdf

I look at the 190-275 area as some of the strongest pound for pound also.

I realize that the littler guys do have alot of strength and should not be overlooked but I think the peak is in the low to mid 200's in this day and age.

With guys like Ryan Kennally and Scot Mendoson benching close to 1100 pounds at the weights of 275-308 that is pretty increable.

Ed Coan would rotinuely go 12X his body weight and then I believe Shawn Frandl would better that in recent years and they were in the 198-220 with now they still compete but maybe in the 242 range and Ed Coan at 50 is still putting up numbers that many half his age can only dream about.

Being adgile and athletic are 2 different things.

I believe with my girth I can NOT do things that people half my weight can but on the other hand I can do some things that people have my weight can NOT do.

You're not talking about eating the "Super Burrito" in less than 10 minutes so that you can get it free, are you LG?

Haha that is flipping hilarious.  I just have the mental picture of little guy sitting outside of la bambas in line waiting to get a burrito as big as his head.

Then just destroying it while Nat sits by watching in disgust.