The Smaller Player's Playbook

Mat Manual companion guide to "Smaller: Training With Bigger, Stronger Partners." Print it. This is the size-gap game, position by position, with the drills, the strength work, and the exact words to say on the mat.

Name: ______________________________ Your weight: ______________ School: ______________________________

Current belt / stripes: ______________ Instructor: ______________________________

SAFETY, BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE ☐ Tap early and tap often. Against a bigger partner, submissions arrive with more force behind them. Tap when the position is lost, not when the joint complains. ☐ When your partner taps, or says anything, release instantly. First the release, then the discussion. ☐ Never let your neck fold under a stack. Post, shoulder-walk, concede the pass, or tap. In that order, and fast. ☐ Agree the start with much bigger partners: pull guard, start seated, or start in a named position. No surprise landings. ☐ Say injuries and cranky joints out loud before the round, not after they get loaded. ☐ You may decline any round. "I am sitting this one out" needs no reason attached.

The Size Gap in One Table

Sort every partner by the gap, not by the belt. The same purple belt is three different rounds at three different gaps.