Where do you look/focus when fighting?

[SteyrAUG]

I watch the belt...

Really?

Thats interesting, to me that seems very low to the point of missing risking missing the shoulder movement and so give away the intent to punch.

Daft question, but this works for you else you'd not do it, but I'll ask anyway.... if this a taught focal point or just the place you happened to start to look at from day one?

Gentlemen, and this is directed to nobody specifically, if I can catch you "focused" on one area of my body I can then begin to hide things from you and throw things under the radar.

If you are watching my eyes a low side kick is going after your shins and knees.

If you are watching my shoulders, I will show you my shoulders doing something to occupy your attention while a real attack elsewhere is launched.

If you are watching my belt or stance, they will similarly occupy your attention while a high gate attack is launched.

If you are fighting a martial artist, or even just a talented fighter, watch your opponent. If he catches you fixated on something, he will exploit it.

[FangPwnsAll7]

I tend to look at the chest to the feet. I can see their movement.

[Hawkmoon]

hmm....

We have a tournament coming up so we are ramp'ing up the combat just now.

In a previous session (one of my better nights) I'd fought with everyone in the dojo (as we all had) at heavy contact (anything from 50-80%) and felt good with how I had accounted for myself accordingly.

All well and good, then when the night was ended, once again a selection of us were called to one side and instructed to fight at full knockdown!

I was called up and faced a guy who is very handy and can deal with much of that is directed at him. A person I enjoy fighting with as he makes me think and tests me.

We fought, and I had for the first time a clear feeling I was hurting him (and then I realized I had been hurting him in the past) more than I realized.

The fight went well and I felt good with the matter when it was concluded.

Later I fought with another guy who (as a member of the UK squad) I trust and respect and have no illusions could end the contest in the blink of an eye if the mood took him.

We fought and again I had the clear feeling I was hurting him, as he was hurting me (with interest I will add) and again when it was concluded I felt happy with how I had accounted for myself.

Last night, we were fighting heavy contact as before, I felt I was not as fluid as I was the other night, I was stiff and maybe more static than normal so decided to change something.....and see what effect it had.

I realized the change may open me up to stuff, but (odd or mad as this is) I felt it was worth the risk, the tournament is coming time is short and I can't help feel I am/will let the club down when we attend.

So I selected in mu mind two guys i would test this idea with guys I felt comfortable to do so with and over the duration of the night, the change in my fighting style, the fluid movements and faster reactions ......I will say gained (its fits) were noticed immediately!

Later when I fought these guys again I returned to my default fight mode, and well lets say normal service was resumed...the difference being my opponent was more alert and reacted to me according to our last fight...!

It was like a eureka moment to me.

Put simply I've developed (on purpose) a fight habit for all the wrong reasons something that does not work for me as I felt it was or should.

As I fought the guys with my view fixed on there heads (not the chest) I could see limbs, and so on and as I had expected the look in the eyes and face before something they planned was launched at me.

Like I say It was like a eureka moment to me.

Thanks guys for offering your comments and views and experiences in this thread, very helpful, thank you!

[Ellacooper]

I think face.

[kensei]

I try not to "look" directly at anything. it slows down the reaction timeing. I kind of stair at a triangular area between the forehead and shoulder area, but I dont focus on any one area of the person I am sparring with and let my gaze move naturally around. When I do focus on them I stair straight into the eyes and focus on looking them right in the eyes. then I let my gaze move around again.

[vantheman]

I have heard one of my instructors suggest that looking slightly beside the opponent's head/over their should is a good place to look. They claim that it 1) reduces the personal connection you feel to the opponent and prevents you from hesitating in hurting another human being and 2) reduces the "focusing" one tends to do when staring, and encouraging reaction instead of thinking and overanalyzing. I tend to agree with this position.

[unknownstyle]

I try not to "look" directly at anything. it slows down the reaction timeing. I kind of stair at a triangular area between the forehead and shoulder area, but I dont focus on any one area of the person I am sparring with and let my gaze move naturally around. When I do focus on them I stair straight into the eyes and focus on looking them right in the eyes. then I let my gaze move around again.

I agree with this. in Musashis book "Go Ren No Sho" he talks about the thousand yard stare. by trying to make the background and foreground becone tge same it creates a 2 dimensional image to your brain and quickebs your reaction time. so i look at nothing.

[Shotokannon]

I'm not a big guy, (11 and a half stone, and I stand at 5'5), So I have a tendency to look through my opponent rather than adopt what some might consider scare tactic of staring someone down in a match, the exception to this is when I can see they're concentrating on my eyes and trying to stare ME down, in which case one can get a bit lucky and throw a quick Kazame-Tzuki if the time's right.

[yamesu]

Chest (well clavicle) definitely.

Gives the best peripheral of the shoulders and hips to see where movements are coming from.

EDIT: Also, it tends to keep the chin down, minimising the "opportunity" to take a hit to the throat.

[Titanium]

Look at the center of the body allow you to see the head, hands, chest, feet etc in your peripheral vision.

At one point I always took into my opponents eyes, try it out...look at your opponents body and see if it helps.