Study the rules

• Know the rules of each tournament regarding acceptable techniques, amount of contact allowed, out of bounds, tolerance, etc.
• Know the rules for appealing a contest.

Study Opponents

Watch opponents while they are warming up before competition. This is a time when competitors like to show off to spectators and are not thinking about you watching so they may give away some of their secrets

• If person warming up using very flexible exercises, he or she will probably be a high kicker. Many flexible kickers like to kick so they do not train very much using their hands.
• If the person is not too flexible, he or she will probably be a flat-footed puncher while sparring.
• Watch the way the person shadow boxes. Does he or she have quick hands or quick kicks? How quick is his or her footwork and other body movements?
• Examine body types.
  • A tall person will use reach to his or her advantage, using kicks and long punches.
  • A short person will either try and to get inside or will probe you with kicks and punches to get you to attack so he or she may counterattack.
  • A person with a strong upper body will most likely be a puncher and will probably like to press the attack, leading mainly with punches.
  • A person with a strong lower body will probably use kicks from the outside.
  • How long are a person's legs compared to yours?
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