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There are some high level belts in my daughter's class, and I seriously doubt that any one of them could overpower the instructor.

I'm a blackbelt, 5'11, and 210, and there's no way I could whip my instructor. Not going to happen. We had a guy in our classes that tried out for the olympics once and even he couldn't defeat our instructor.

When I started sparring a lot I was surprised to learn that the best advantage to have is neither strength nor speed. Both are good, but the best thing to have on your side is reach. If you're tall, and your opponent is short, it is so much easier on you. There's a guy in our class that is higher rank than me, definitely faster than me, and maybe a little bit stronger, but I can whoop him 8 out of 10 times because he's only 5'6'. My instructor is impossible because he's 6'1', very tough, and fast. And he stands in this odd way that leaves you no target to attack but allows him to attack you.

The high level belts in my daughter's class are all kids, since it is a kid's class. So I'm sure you'll agree, given your own experience, that there is no way even a very well trained kid can overpower an adult who is determined to do her harm.

Disagree again. A very tall instructor is actually the guy that helped me develop my own fighting style that worked very well for me in tournaments and on the street. At 5'1", I have the ability to attack from unusual angles, that robs a fighter of recognition, 1 of the 3 R's of speed. I'm much more afraid of a fighter who's beefier than I am than one who's taller than I am.