Sparring>Strategies>Opportunity

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Opportunity

Intro

Opportunity, in this case, means having or creating a chance to execute an attack. It should be a part of your overall fighting strategy

How to enhance your opportunities

• Keep your emotions under control. Stay calm and wait for the opening to come,
• Maintain your ki. Your mind must be ready to adapt to any situation and attack at any time.
• Stay alert. Don’t become fixated on one area of the opponent, such as the hands or feet.
• Watch for:

• The opponent's reactions to feigns and fakes and use them to create openings, and thus opportunities, to attack and score.

• Times when the opponent is even slightly off balance or his or her feet or body are in a position that precludes a quick response to an attack.

• Transition movements made by the opponent between your attacks, they may provide an opportunity for a follow-up attack.

Range

Always be aware of the range (distance between you and your opponent). If you are not always aware of range, your attacks may not be effective, and your opponent's attacks may be effective.

There are three types of range:

• Actual range. The actual distance between opponents.
• Effective range. Best range for the execution of your techniques. If you are not within your effective range and an opportunity to attack presents itself, you will not be ready to take advantage of the opportunity.
• Opponent's range. An estimate of the opponent's effective range. You must stay alert when within the opponent’s range and not give the opponent an opportunity to attack.

Timing

The timing of your attacks and counterattacks is critical for them to be successful. You can use the timing of your attacks to create openings.

• You may attack with no attack from the opponent:

• At the instant you detect an opportunity.

• Just before the oppoent makes any physical movement. 

• By anticipating physical movement and using an early counter at the instant the opponent starts an attack.

• You may attack in response to the opponent's attack and:

• Execute a counterattack at the end of the opponent's initial attack or between attacks.

• Use shifting to avoid the opponent's first attack.

• Use a block to deflect or stop the opponent's attack.

Set-up techniques

You may use an initial movement to create an opportunity by placing the opponent in a weaker, more open condition. You may use:

• Inviting techniques. These cause the opponent to initiate a technique so you may then counterattack.
• Balance breaking techniques. These break the opponent's physical or mental balance to create an opportunity.
• Continuous attack techniques. These are a series of combinations used to create one or more opportunities. 

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