Where Do You Look At During a Fight?

Have you ever wondered where you look at during a fight? We're not talking about competition-based fighting, like boxing or taekwondo. We're talking about a worst-case scenario where anything can happen. What's involved in a worst-case scenario? At the Tandez Academy, we train to expect three things in a fight:

1. Weapons will present themselves very quickly

2. Friends of the attacker will come and they will attack you

3. You may end up falling to the ground

Considering these factors, you must use your eyes strategically. The first concept is what we call the Primary Visual Focus. This means creating a soft focus on the solar plexus of the enemy's torso. The solar plexus is the small notch under the center of the chest and above the abs. This is the center of human body. You need to see the top of his head all the way down to his feet. You need to be prepared for hand attacks and leg attacks. You need to be prepared for tackles. You need to be prepared for knives, guns, and any variety of weapons. You can see the need to see everything and anything.

Earlier I mentioned using a soft focus when you're looking at the solar plexus. This means using peripheral gaze, rather than a tight, tunnel vision. When people get into a fight, it's very common to get into tunnel vision. Avoid doing this. You won't see anything he's going to throw at you. Imagine trying to fight a boxer using a telescope. That's what tunnel vision does. Instead of narrowing your vision, expand it.

Most people are taught to look at the eyes during a fight. Don't do this. When you stare at his eyes, you lose sight of everything below the chest line. It may feel strong and tough to meet his stare with your stare, but a knife stabbed into your belly doesn't care. You won't see that knife coming.

The last consideration here is that of distance. To use your vision to its fullest, you need to have the proper distance from your enemy. If you're looking the right way, but you're too close, then you're still not going to see it coming. At Tandez Academy, we call proper distance the "Fighting Measure." We define it as the distance you control and maintain between you and your enemy, such that your enemy cannot touch you without first taking a big step towards you. That big step allows you the opportunity to respond with enough time to do something. In our case, we would intercept his movement with a strike. There are a lot more factors involved in training Visual Focus principles and Fighting Measure development, but I will save that for another blog.