Apologize in advance if this offends but but I don't know how to say this any better. How can fat (overweight, big, whatever the politically correct term is) people succeed in MA ? Apologize in advance if this offends but but I don't know how to say this any better. How can fat (overweight, big, whatever the politically  correct term is) people succeed in MA ?

This question came up for my friend who was watching some really big 6th degree black belts in her art. She studies Krav but I've seen fat people in karate too. She asked her sensei and he said he couldn't figure it out either. Intuitively   one would suppose that a stereotypically 'fit' body (large muscles and moderate bodyfat %) would be the price of admission but I guess not. 

Does fat confer any advantage? Is it as much of an obstacle as intuition would suggest?  What strategies do fat people use to optimize their performance?