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If your opponent knows what area you are going to attack, it will be a simple matter for them to counter such a telegraphing of your intentions...
...thus the use of feints, and why they are an important part of a kumite students strategy.
Humans are creatures of habit and patterns, so the secret is to unlock your opponents responses ie: blocks and movements, to certain high and low attacks.
You have to get your opponent to react to what appears to be a serious attack...
...so your feint can't be a half hearted attempt, or else it won't be as effective.
It should seem as though you're making a full blown attack and fully intend to carry out the attack, except at the very last moment, and while your opponent has been frozen in anticipation of the attack, you arrest the technique and focus on the newly created opening for your secondary technique.
The more realistic your feints are the more unnerved your opponents mind will become while trying to defend against your attacks...
Don't be too repetitive with the same feint though, because your opponent will catch on...
...of course, if your opponent is slow to learn, like I am against my Sensei, keep using the same feints, if your opponent keeps falling for them, well...they'll eventually catch on...
...so throw in an actual attack to certain areas of the body, just to keep your opponent off guard and guessing...
Here's a couple of examples that work for me...
I raise my knee straight up as if intending to do a front kick, usually someone who isn't that experienced will react by lowering there guard, this opens up the head area for a Jodan punch. Next time I will again raise my knee, but my opponent has learned by now not to lower his guard, so he keeps it up anticipating a Jodan punch, instead I use a Jodan mawashi-geri around his guard or a Chudan mawashi-geri to his unprotected ribs...
When it comes to punching techniques, feint with either hand and punch with the other...your opponent won't know where the punches will be coming from.
Feints are designed to uncover weaknesses in your opponents defenses...
...once you find those weakness, attack them with both physical and spiritual authority...Its techniques like this that can overwhelm an opponent and make the difference between two equal Kumite partners.
RJF
