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Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9
Kumite Drills # 1/Kumite Drills # 2/Kumite Drills # 3
Kumite Strategy #1/
Sun Tzu, said that you must "know yourself and know your opponent"...
It's not always necessary to study an opponents physical tendencies before hand, but if you get the chance, especially in a tournament, you should definitely take it.
Here's the thing, human nature, when studied properly, offers up all you will ever need to know about your opponent, and yourself, for that matter. You see, it's not just about knowing how to spot your opponents tendencies, but it's about covering up and disguising your own tendencies.
The first place to start when accessing an opponent, is his or her eyes. Does the opponents eyes foretell the area that is going to be attacked? Vice versa, do you look down when attempting a sweep and up, when attempting a round house kick to the head? If you do, you are giving your opponent ample time to defend and retaliate.
Try this for example next time your sparring, look down at your opponents hips, to get proper positioning and then use your round house kick to their head. If you score with it and your opponent seemed surprised, he or she is watching your eyes. With your particular opponents strategy revealed and they know it's been revealed, you can now either look at the target to be attacked or not, because your opponent now knows that your eyes can't be trusted as an indicator of your attacks.
More human tendencies in Kumite revealed in Part Two...
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RJF
