When facing an opponent, where are you taught to focus?
In answering could you please indicate your style?
I am a SPM student and we are taught to focus on the sternum. From there we can see any arm movement (often indicating strikes) and body movement (often indicating kicks or steps).
I know Wing Chun teaches to focus on the elbows. Could anyone explain this theory?
Also, does anyone focus on the eyes? Has this caused any problems?
Thanks in advance!
i gaze at the chest and shoulders to pick up movement. the last man who though i was gazing too high and wouldn’t pick up his front heel kick took my knuckles on the top of his foot. hee-haw!!!
gaze
I gaze to the side, or over the shoulder of the opponent.
If you use your peripherial vision and keep your eyes centered on the chest, you are not using your peripherial vision as well to look at the chest . What the whole body is doing is just as imporant as the appendages.
Also this helps me to be more aware of my surroundings, and not focus on just that one person, should somone else come into play.
It comes down to personal taste, and a bit of science comes into play on how the eyes and brain work. Ive heard the scientific explanation on why my method may work better… im sure someone else can explain it better, I dont remember the exact details, something about rods , cones, neural pathways…etc…
Regards,
Gary
gazza99
Ive been taught in my Hung Ga to do the same thing, the explanation i was given is that it lets you see the body as a whole rather than focussing on particular parts of it. It has worked well for me in sparring though needless to say its hard to do all the time.
I have found that even while looking at the sternum, you can still see a lot with peripheral vision. You can see outside the opponent and enough of the body to see what’s coming.
I never stare at the one spot. I s’pos that is important.
Thanks for the feedback so far. 
i really don’t know how to answer this, in a fight i change around so much that i really don’t focus on a certain part of the body.
Well when sparring in Tkd i tend to focus on the chest also, but not really STARE at the chest i just ‘look’ so i can catch immediate body movement, but this guy that i tain with and he is like almost a world champ, he ALWAYS looks in the eyes, and i was doing that for a while but then someone i went back to focussing on the chest.
u know, its a good question.
Tae Li;)
I think either Bruce Lee or Dan inosanto said to stare at the chest, being able to tell the colour of the shirt but not able to read the print.
I’ve been told to stare above the heads of your opponents too. which does actually work. I got better spatial awareness using this method.
Karate guys tell you to stare at the eyes more often than not, because the yes are the window into the soul or something like that. I found the chest to be more effective.
In sparring I look at the shoulders with my peripheral vision but try to stare at the eyes. If you’re good (I’m not) you can tell what a person intends to do before s/he does it, just by their eyes. It also tends to psych some ppl out - A really tough/experienced person can get out of a fight just by the way s/he lookas at his/her opponent.
Karate focuses very much in the opponent’s eyes. It is very good to be alert and noticed all movements by the target, but has a disadvantage that the opponent can trick you with eye-contact.
Choy Lee Fut teaches to keep the focus on some point in the upper-middle body, so that the opponent cannot confuse using eye-contact tricks. This is very good method also, but focusing on the eyes will have greater effort in reflexes.
Torso
I find looking at the torso, about solar plexus height, works for me. Lai Hung taught to focus on this as to be able to anticpate kicks or punches by subtle twisting movements of the shoulders or hips.
I think locking in and staring at anything in a fight may not be a good idea. I have never thought looking at the eyes gave me any insight into my opponents movements.
Well, being a breast man I naturally focus on the chest. I really picked that up from football. We were taught to always focus on the numbers. That way we wouldn’t fall for any head-fakes. The chest really gives you a full view of the body. We are taught to focus on the chest in class as well.
Since i do TKD and it’s mostly kicks i have a nasty tendency of looking only down, but when i find myself doing that i slap myself and start looking higher so it wont become a habbit that sticks with me, i usually focus on his chest/shoulders and try to be aware of what’s happening below as well (not having tunnel vision).
Do you consider looking at the eyes dangerous?
I think it leaves you open to the whole ‘fake out’ thing. Also, you can get psyched out if you are not mentally strong. The eyes can lie, the body can’t. If someone is gonna throw a punch - the arm has to move.
umm im a WC guy
and i’ve been taught to look at the chest as well.
LOL 
just a thought…what if i got a Magic Eye t-shirt to where when sparing? I can see it now “hey its a sailboat…OWW!” heh heh
I usually look at the eyes and that works well for me. I can see the POV of people who look at the upper body though.
I guess the important thing is to not get fixated on what you are using as a reference point, and allow your peripheral vision to do a lot of your ‘looking’ for you.
My focus is forward in thought (intent) and action.
Style: Bak Hsing CLF Gar
nospam.
I am a WC guy…I look at the chest so that I can see my opponents legs peripherally when up close
WC teaches that you block based on the elbow sometimes b/c the hand is quicker than the eye and it is easier to block a hand by elbow positioning of the opponent. That doesn’t mean you LOOK at the elbows
i’m taught to scan the entire body and the space around it without ever focusing on one particular area. you try to see 180 degrees or more around your opponent. my teacher is all about training for multiple attackers so he focuses on the use of periphreal vision like others said.
i observed myself, and noticed i will more often than not focus on the upper abes/ lower chest.