Attack mindset

Your do not get points for blocks, only attacks. So follow every block with an attack. Keep an attack mindset. When everything you do is an attack, your opponent has to be defensive all the time. With an attacking mindset, you see openings easier. Most sparring sets flow between attack and defense. Sometimes it seems as if the fight is choreographed; one attacks, the other blocks, and vice versa. Keeping an attacking mindset allows you to tip this flow in your favor. By attacking more than your opponent does, you will increase your chances of scoring.

When attacking

• Attack with power. Even in a no-contact match, a powerful technique may blast through a block and score.
• Best time to attack is when opponent:
  • Is about to attack.
  • Has completed attack and is starting to retreat.
  • Is moving backward.
  • Has just blocked your first attack.
  • Has stopped moving.
  • Looses concentration.
  • Is exhaling or just finished exhaling.
  • Is off balance.
  • Is changing stances.
  • Is protecting eyes.
    
• Alter attacks to fit the situation.
• Always attack with full force, even in feints.
• Attack should be a surprise to the opponent.
• Do not use complicated attacks if not needed.
• Attack, stop, and then renew the attack.
• Attack with a frenzy. Never give the opponent an opportunity to react.
• Attack arms and legs to weaken them, then finish opponent.
• Attack the body, arms, and legs will weaken, then finish opponent.
• Keep wrists locked during punches.
• Use low kicks, no jumping or flying kicks until the opponent is weakened.
  
• For every attack, a target; for every target, a reason; and for every reason, a purpose.
• Attack when opponent is ready to deliver his or her attack.
• Attack vital areas, not hardened areas.
• Fit punishment to the situation.
• Use one attack to set person up for another attack one to two moves later.
• A "Safety Triple" is when, in a combination, the first and last attacks are in the same place. For example, in a punching attack, one jab to the head will probably be blocked but it will draw the opponent's guard upward. If it followed with a quick reverse punch to the abdomen, the second punch may get in before the opponent's guard gets back down, but it will probably be blocked, as the opponent will naturally bring his guard back down. A third jab back to head will probably score since the opponent's arms are moving downward and it takes time to stop the downward movement and start back upward.
• Type of attack you use is determined by opponent’s defense.
  
• Use compound attacks, not "off the wall" single attacks.
• Withdraw the arm or leg quickly.
• Force your opponent to make his body rigid and lose his balance, then attack.
• Perfect attack is a blending of:
  • Strategy
  • Speed
  • Timing
  • Deception
  • Opportunity
  • Judgment
    
• Perfect attack has:
  • Accuracy
  • Speed
  • Power
• Do not put so much body into a technique that it becomes a push.
• The presence of both linear and circular movements implies continuous motion. It would be counter-productive to stop the hands to move the feet or vice-versa. You should strive to make your attacks a non-stop flow, not single, jerky attacks.
• Consider all directions when attacking, including attacking from angles.
• Train to attack while moving backward as well as forward.
• Train for each attack sequence to have multiple outcomes.