Tonight is the first part of my black belt test: sparring. I’ll be fighting five rounds with short breaks (thirty seconds or so) between each round. The first is one guy against me, then two against me, then three against me, then two again, and finally one-on-one again. I’ve seen these tests a few times and there’s a pretty wide range in how well it can go. For the three rounds against multiple opponents, the most important thing is to stay cool and in control of the action. Force opponents to get in the way of each other, trip over each other. Don’t allow yourself to get flanked. Don’t turn your back on an opponent while he can still hurt you. Don’t turtle, cower, or run, unless you’re running toward the fight.

Those are just details, though. All you really have to do is show that you’re a fighter.