When facing an
opponent, how does one deal with opponents of
different skill levels? There are three basic
levels you will encounter.
1. Those who are inferior to
you.
This is generally not too hard,
but never underestimate any opponent. A less
experienced opponent may pull unconventional
attacks or fight with superior spirit in place of
skill. Again, never underestimate any opponent.
I'd like to illustrate this
point with a story I once read. One day at a
certain school in Japan, a senior student from a
rival school came to challenge the Master. As was
tradition, the Master did not fight. The
responsibility of defending the Master and the
school fell to the most senior student. As the
sudent rose to meet the challenge, another
student rose and asked to be given the honor. He
was not known for being one of the better
fighters, but the Master indulged him and sent
him to face the rival. He jumped up and rushed at
his opponent, who backed off without fighting.
When later asked why, he said,"I saw it in
his eyes. I am far better than him, but he came
at me with such spirit that I knew that nothing I
did to him would stop him until he defeated me. I
could have beaten his body, but I could not beat
his spirit."
Opponents of equal ability
Two men of equal training and
ability can hold each other off almost all day.
This type of fight generally has to reach a
breaking point before it is resolved. The
breaking point is when one opponent gets
frustrated, tired, impatient, etc. and begins to
make mistakes. Conserve your energy and use your
attacks to annoy and harrass. Attempt to drive
your opponent to his breaking point, and when he
breaks, come on full and take advantage of it. He
will be trying to do the same, so make sure he
reach his breaking point before you reach yours.
The superior opponent.
Dealing with a superior
opponent is tricky. First, put your whole spirit
into it. You should do this in any fight anyway.
A true focus and desire to win can make up
greatly for a lack of skill. Second, be
unconventional. Many highly trained individuals
have expectations of the fight being handled with
particular moves and counter-moves. Avoid this by
being unconventional and keep your opponent
guessing. A superior opponent can often be
frustrated by his inability to deal with a lesser
opponent, and reach his breaking point. Always be
ready to take advantage. When you get a superior
opponent on the run, keep him there. Never let
him recover because if he is truly superior, he
won't make the same mistakes twice.
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