Son, (And anyone else who may be reading this.)
Make them play YOUR game
Make them play YOUR game
In any match or bout the key is to make your opponent play on your terms, but how do you do that?
There are, in my estimation, 3 ways to do this. Constantly attacking, being passively aggressive and being primarily defensive.
Aggressive: The first way to make them play your game is to be aggressive, that is to say pressing your opponent with attacks constantly until his defense fails him. If you take the Vor, he has to take the Nach. If you are constantly pressing, your opponent has to either defend themselves, or do something else to counter your attacks. The challenge with this is that if your attacks are predictable as in you throw the same cuts in the same order with the same timing, it is easy to pick up on it and know just when and what you are doing. If you only press with 2 or 3 things then break they may see this pattern, wait for you to break, and then counter attack. So for this to be truly successful you have to press your attacks constantly without relenting.
Passive Aggressive: The second way is for you to lie in wait for their openings before you attack. The passive aggressive fighter allows their opponent to attack and then relies on counters to those attacks to successfully land their blows. They know that if you attack with a particular attack this is the way to counter that so simply parry the attacks and riposte to take the initiative and land their blows. They are frustrating to fight as they study the ways to counter an attack and simply use it to their advantage. The major disadvantage to this style of fighting is that if they do not know or feel comfortable with something or their defense is not good, they can easily be overwhelmed if your attacks are solid and not predictable.
Defensive: Defensive fighters are less likely to use counters as much as simply defend the strike, or in some way get out of the situation. They are looking for an opening, something they can take advantage of but know that you cannot win unless you cover that distance. They are patient, and willing to defend themselves as often as they need so they can get the right opening, at the right time for what they want to do. Defensive does not mean that you take all attacks with back steps, some of the best steps you can take are forward with the defense, but if one is entirely defensive you never win completely, so eventually you have to be aggressive in one way or another.
No good fighter fights just one way all the time, a successful fighter combines a bit about each in some way, and knows when to attack, when to defend and when to set a trap for their opponent to hide their true intent. The key however is to make your opponent do what you want them do to. Retreating so they have to close distance to attack you is making them play your game. Holding a particular guard so they attack what you have open is a way to make them play your game. Feinting to something and watching their response to your attack is a way of making them play your game. Even attacking the same place 3 or 4 or 5 times so they think you are just going to do the same thing over and over then switching it so they block an attack that is not coming and giving you the opening you want is a way of making your opponent play your game. All of them are useful but each has the right time and place, it is up to you to learn when that is for you, and decide just how you will use that information to make them play the game how you want them to play it.
-Dad
