· Be courteous and humble.
· Be courageous and confident, but maintain self-control.
· Be alert and accurate.
· Fighting requires brains. Out think your opponent.
· Victory goes to the one:
o With more accuracy and speed in attack and defense.
o With more stamina.
o With more power.
o With the most contacting techniques.
o That gets off first.
o Who has better knowledge.
o With a correct attitude.
o With the will to win.
· Analyze opponent:
o Is center of balance high, low, or changing.
o What types of attacks does he or she use?
o Is he or she fast or slow, strong or weak ,or hard or soft.
o Is he or she experienced?
o Is he or she stationary or constantly moving?
· Think many moves ahead, similar to playing chess.
· Maintain a high level of fitness, so you may tire out your opponent. Accuracy and speed are reduced when muscles are fatigued.
· Appear confident at all times.
· Never underestimate an opponent and never allow yourself to be too impressed with the opposition.
· Avoid showing any discomfort or tiredness.
· The safest place is in close with head tucked in behind high hands with elbows tucked in.
· Control the opponent and the fight.
· Do not drop your guard hand as you punch; stay guarded.
· Fight your own fight.
· Do not cock your punches or follow-through with punches. Most punches should move straight to target and straight back to guard.
· Do not cross your legs; stay in a fighting stance as you shuffle.
· Do not dance on the backs of your heels - stay light on your toes. It hides your intended movements from your opponent.
· Keep your eyes open.
· Do not lock out your arm as you punch, it may lead to elbow injuries.
· For any technique that is not a fake, any movement, offensive or defensive, that is not toward the target is wasted movement. and makes the technique slower than that of a direct movement toward the target.
· Point your feet in the direction of the power.
· Some prefer to not look at the scores and just fight their best fight, but the scores are important to your fighting style. If you are ahead and time is running out, you may want to use a defensive strategy. If you are behind, you may want to go for higher scoring techniques
· Do not stick out your tongue or mouth guard. Do not chew your mouth guard
· Vary your angles of attack.
· Return to your fighting stance after every strike.
· Do not be a head hunter, vary your targets.
· Attack only when you see an opening. Do not just attack to appear busy.
· Once inside, keep both hands punching.
· Do not make the same mistake twice.
· A straight punch will usually beat a hook.
· Carry hands high and watch your opponent through your eyebrows, thus keeping your chin down and protected.
· Fear is restricting. Use it to your advantage.
· Never underestimate opponent.
· Any time there is an opening, attack, do not wait.
· Use a variety of techniques.
· You are most vulnerable when moving into your attack or moving away from an opponent's attack
· Keep opponent in scoring position where judges may see your techniques.
· Do not panic when you receive a warning.
· Avoid set patterns of fighting, learn to react to each attack.
· Kick your way out of clashes.
· A direct counterattack demoralizes opponents because it stops an opponent's attack before it even gets off.
· Counterattack as opponent begins approach footwork. For example, counter just as opponent steps behind lead foot for a sliding side kick.
· Opponent's high attack mean a low target is open and vice-versa.
· Counter attack kickers when they are on one foot because their balance is weak and they cannot retreat from the attack.
· Do not acknowledge a point against you.
· Vary your moves. Never use the same move more than twice in succession.
· Keep moving. Move in a circle, in both directions.
· If you do not have time to counter or block an attack, either step into the attack, to jam or smother it, or quickly sidestep and execute a circular kick before there is a counter.
· Keep the trailing guard arm up at all times because you cannot bend over to roll under an attack coming from that side.
· When an unblocked attack is directed at the face, lean away or pull your lead shoulder and head together to protect your jaw to prevent getting knocked out.
· Do not emphasize speed at the expense of form.
· It is dangerous to lead with the trailing hand.
· Use full movement when practicing and when sparring.
· When opponent moves, you move, either with a defensive technique, an offensive technique, or to maintain your fighting range.
· Never stand flat-footed with your knees straight. Always keep your knees slightly bent, coiled like springs, so that you may move in any direction easily and keep moving, or jump without having to squat first
· Never score a point or throw a technique and then turn your back and lose your superiority over your opponent. Stay "in their face" until break is called.
· When sidestepping an attack, wait until the last split second to move. If you move too early, the opponent may follow you with the attack. If you move too late, it is too late to move. It is a fine line.
· Never take your eyes off your opponent. Never turn your back to an opponent. Avoid turning your back to judges, because they cannot see your points.
· Develop a "poker face" when fighting, that way you never telegraph your intentions through facial expressions. Never show fear, its builds your opponent's confidence. Try to look relaxed and confident, it makes your opponents nervous, which will affect their fighting ability.
· If it worked once, it will probably work again, but do not over use it.
· Do not hesitate to back up when required.
· A calm mind is built through meditation and a lot of sparring. Maintain a calm mind, because it:
· Builds a strong spirit.
o Keeps you loose.
o Causes you to not be easily distracted.
o Gives you confidence that you can beat opponent.
· Maintain proper form at all times, even when fatigued.
· Perform techniques correctly, smoothly, gracefully, and forcefully. Basic moves performed well are the secret of success.
· Use your eyes
· Defocus eyes so as to not concentrate on any one thing. Slightly crossing eyes may defocus them so you see the whole picture.
· Keep eyes open and the opponent in view.
o Look through the opponent with a piercing vision.
o Learn not to blink when attacked, use feints to opponent’s eyes to make him or her blink.
o Keep your eyes on your opponent's upper chest. Do not watch your opponent's eyes or head. It is easy to fake with eye movements and head bobs. A common technique is for the attacker to look in one direction and move in another. The upper chest controls the arm muscles of your opponent's punches and is crucial for balance as he or she attempts to kick. By watching your opponent's upper chest, you will "see" punches and kicks before they begin.
· Keep teeth tight to prevent injury to jaw when it is hit.
· Opponents respect pain, so block hard.
· Hands are your most dangerous weapon, use them.
· Use lead hand as a measure for distance.
· Be aware of your surroundings and use them, such as edges of the fighting ring, walls, pillars, bright sun, etc.
· Novices may not follow your lead as would a more experienced opponent.
· To win, it is not how much you may hurt the opponent, but how much pain you can endure to stop him or her.
· Always look at the intended target, except when using a feint.
· Maintain balance throughout execution of techniques.
· Use feints infrequently and only when there is an intention to attack.
· Blend forces skillfully.
· In a close match, attack continuously. Now is not the time for counterattacks.
· Conserve energy, useless kicks waste energy. Jumping kicks uses lots of energy.
· Do not walk into a kick. It happens all the time.
· Kicks to body score more often than kicks to head.
· Do not cheer yourself. Never show disrespect towards your opponent.
· Relax. Tension slows reaction time.
· Read opponent, but do not be trapped by feints and false movements.
· Tactics and experience may be better than speed.
· Never stop trying if things are not going well. It only takes one well placed technique to turn the contest your way.
· Attack fiercely to "psych out" your opponent and intimidate them. Use glare and flare. Glare as if you were angry and flare the nostrils. You may look angry without actually being angry. Anger has no place in the ring but angry looks are are okay. Another form of intimidation is to look competent and confident.
· Do not practice in slow motion, practice as in a real fight. You cannot become a fast sprinter by jogging everyday.
· Remember principles of fighting:
o Spin with an attack to defect it.
o Join with an attack to increase the force of your counter technique.
o Unite with the body and spirit of the opponent. Go with the flow. Do not oppose opponent's power, harmonize with it.
o Lead opponent in circle, never receive his force directly. Lead opponent in a continuous spiral motion to unbalance him or her.
o Apply all actions sequentially for a smooth force that culminates at the point of impact. Like an axe swing.
o Conserve energy. Maintain direction of motion until all techniques are used up.
· If you can pin point a specific weakness in your opponent’s defense, attack it over and over.
· Even if you have the lead, do not back off. Do not worry about making your opponent look bad. If you want to really help your opponent, wait until after the match and discuss the match with him or her.
· After completing your full attack, make sure you have a disengaging technique that will help create a gap between you and your opponent, such as jumping backward with a pushing front kick.
· Quick reflex fighters do not move much when sparring because they do not need to move. Many opponents do not realize the quickness or are too impatient so they keep walking into range.
· Do not do a lot of impressive stretches or practice kicks to impress the crowd; your opponents are watching. You are merely showing your weapons to the enemy.
· Never take your eyes off of your opponent, even if a punch is coming directly at your face. Try to slip it and while keeping your focus on the opponent.
· Use double attacks, kick and punch at the same time to different areas, such as punch to head while front kicking to mid section.
Do not look at an incoming attack. An off-road motorcycling trick is never to look at a rock in front of you. If you look at it you will hit it. Just be aware of the rack and take evasive action.
· When you see a punch coming, block or slip it while firing a counter over or under it. There is always an opening behind an attack.
· When your opponent over-reacts to all of your movements, you have to calm him or her down. Attack a little slower, only use single attacks, or focus attacks much too short so the person starts to calm down. Then use the same technique in combination with a quick counter that catches him or her off guard.
· Sometimes you lead (be the aggressor), sometimes you follow (be the counter attacker). Switch from one mode to the other as needed. If opponent is stronger or more aggressive, be a counter fighter. If opponent is passive, then you want to dominate by being aggressive.
· Sometimes you have to switch in mid stream.
· When sparring in class, concentrate on a particular technique. Develop that technique until you become proficient with it. Do not be afraid to try something new. Do not worry about “losing” a sparring match in class, this is learning time, not fighting time.
· Do not fall into the trap of trying to fight the same as your opponent. Do not always move in the same direction as your opponent. See what type of reaction you draw if you back up when your opponent backs up. If facing a good kicker, do not get into a kicking contest. Fight your fight, changing it as necessary.
· Use foot work to avoid attacks and set up for your attacks. It is difficult for your opponent to hit a moving target and, when you are constantly moving, it is more difficult for your opponent to detect the initial movement or your attack.