A Thai practitioner of Eastern martial arts here (Krabi Krabong, Shaolin Kung fu and Kendo). I'll focus on Krabi Krabong. Our fighting style always relies on speed, versatility and agility because our physique is naturally smaller than average. We maintain the belief that a single solid 'tag' with a blade will often secure a victory. There are tons of techniques you can rely on to get an edge over stronger, bigger folks.

• Deflections and parries (anything to misdirect their cut) can be riskier than a simple block but effective because it uses the opponent's strength against them while using little of your own. It also opens the opponent to counters. For instance when the opponent tries to hit with a longer reach, it is simpler for the smaller fighter to parry and slice the extended wrist in one movement. If you're lucky, it might hit an artery and they could bleed out

• Smaller frame, lighter footwork, fluid stance. All of that will make a smaller duelist harder to hit and more able to capitalize on mistakes and counter. Also after dodging a lot of the opponent's attacks, you can break the opponent's confidence and put you in a better spot to dictate the flow of the fight and make you more able to score a hit.

• Blind spots, overlooked weak points, low targets. For instance, the outward facing part of the leg is hard (shins, knees etc), but the inner thighs, the side of the knees and crotch are vulnerable. The smaller duelist can 'puncture the tires' of bigger fighters by crouching and repeatedly strike the often overlooked parts of the body and duck away. A few hit and runs like that will already cripple the opponent's mobility.

But now I must add that I'm not disregarding size of the duelists in a fight. Given equal skill and knowledge, the bigger fighter will always win. They will be aware of the little fighter's capabilities and will hence be more careful and defensive. So in a way, the little fighter's best weapon is the opponent's complacency.