Tournament Strategy
At first glance tournaments may seem no different than sparring or ditching; No magic, no classes, and no armor after all, right? However there are some key differences that a smart tournament fighter will keep in mind that can help give him the edge over other competitors.
For the purposes of these examples we’re going to assume that the tournament is a standard, single-elimination, bracketed, best two-of-three per match setup. That’s the gold standard for tournaments in modern foam fighting.
1 - Getting Wounded Is Just Fine
The goal of a tournament match is to win. It doesn’t matter if you win legged or armed. If you can force your opponent into a situation where you can trade a leg or an off-arm for their dominant hand or a kill, you should take it. In a standard fight you want to be conservative and not get wounded at all; The focus isn’t just on the fight in front of you, but also all the opponents after that. Keep in mind that a tournament is winner-take-all and treat it accordingly. Don’t take this as carte blanche to get wounded willy-nilly or just rush in carelessly. It should be a calculated sacrifice that you’re in control of. Which leads us directly to...
2 - If You’re Wounded Force A Simo
If you end up legged or armed and your opponent is still full-up most players will respond by being ultra conservative. This plays into the unwounded players hands as it allows them to dictate the pace of combat and gives them a better opportunity to control the variables in their favor. If you are at all unsure of your ability to beat your opponent in your current state then you want to force a simo and reset the fight. The best way to do that is to throw strong chops or hard, close stabs. Stabs and chops are less likely to be late than wraps so you can get them in at the buzzer when your opponent goes for the kill. Get your opponent to overcommit to killing you, then counter-press and throw a big chop on their torso. Avoid the shoulders and lower part of the hips; Shoulders might end up being neck or arm, and lower hips might end up being legged. Speaking of which…
3 - They Aren’t Dead Until They Call Dead
Your job is to hit your opponent and call dead when they kill you. Your job is NOT to anticipate when your opponent is dead. When you hit somebody, assume you didn’t. Move out of range, return to guard, and continue the fight until they obviously and clearly indicate death with either a hand on head or verbal acknowledgement. Watch out for when you throw to locations in the shoulder/neck, arm/shoulder, and hip/leg area; Often people will call these shots differently than you might expect and it is vastly irritating to die because you stopped fighting when you connected with what you thought was a clean shoulder shot, only to have it called neck. Even if you know for certain that you hit cleanly in a kill zone, treat them like they are a live grenade until they indicate otherwise.
4 - Prioritize Your Targets
Remember that not all targets on your opponent are created equal. The best thing you can do is not necessarily to kill your opponent, but rather to deprive them of their offensive capabilities. For instance if you hit your opponent in the torso they might still be hitting you with their sword. If you start by hitting their sword arm you’ve dramatically decreased the odds of them forcing a simo on you with a slow shot. This is mostly true in sword and board, single sword, and other styles where your opponent only has one means of attack. It’s also true if you know that your opponent has a very weak off-hand in florentine, never fights with their down spear outside of tournaments, etcetera. If you can remove their ability to kill you, you’re going to win eventually.
5 - Double-Tap First Only
If you and your opponent both go in and start swinging one of you will almost certainly hit slightly before the other. Odds are very good that whomever hits first will be the winner of the fight if both players then commit to the double-tap. If you hit your opponent’s off-hand before he hits yours, then throw again for the kill. If he hits your off-hand first, you need to immediately step out of range while blocking. If you manage to get out then you both lost your off-hand and are evenly matched; No big deal. From there you can decide if you need to force a simo or play for the kill. Whatever you do don’t get stuck in the rut of “I’ve started my combo, I’ve got to finish it.”
6 - Throw More Legs
Legging is a dirty word in ditching and sparring because it slows down play and is generally not fun for your opponent. Those concerns do not apply in a tournament. A legged player is at a huge disadvantage and should almost always lose to a player who still has mobility. If your opponent does not properly guard their legs, hit them. This serves two important purposes. First, if you hit their leg and get away without being wounded you’ve got the makings of an easy win. Second, it forces them to consider their legs as a target and can loosen up their guard and throw them off-balance for the rest of the match. Both of these are very desirable outcomes. So get over your instincts and bias and evaluate everything your opponent is leaving open. If they don’t want to get hit in the legs, they can always block.