I say Kung Fu fight, but this obviously refers to karate fighting, fighting in Hapkido or Jujitsu, or just about any other martial art out there. The things you can do in a fight tend to be the same once you break them down. Here are the basic principles.

First, find out the type of fighter the other guy is. Thus, you make a quick fake towards the fellow you are fighting and see how he responds. He will become obvious as one of three particular styles of martial arts fighter.

If he retreats he is a runner, and you're going to have to track him down. You should plan for two quick attacks, keeping on him as he moves away. You should be cautious of over committing and running into his counter, after all, what if he is the one setting you up?

If he moves towards you then he is a fighter. This guy is looking forward to the kung fu fight, and he is going to be trying to shove you around and be a bully boy. The best thing to do is give way easily, then move slightly to the side and slide in under and over his attack.

If the guy blocks you and watches you, you are in trouble. This is a guy who has managed to find a balance between running and fighting, and he is in the moment. He is going to be hard to fool, and you might even consider making friends before you fight.

Past these three rules, there is the fight that is more than a kung fu fight. This is when somebody jumps out at you from a dark alley and you never saw him coming. No strategy here, the guy is bent on harming you, and it is not some sort of kung fu panda fight from a kung fu movie.

This type of sneak attack is meant to set you off balance, so you must seek to stay on your feet (return to your feet), fight for an advantage. The unfortunate advice many kung fu instructors give is just to punch and punch harder. Look, the guy is likely pathological, and you must not give up your discipline in the franticness of the moment.

So you don't just try to hit him, and then hit harder, you draw on your kung fu fight discipline and use all your weapons and all your smarts. You don't let it degrade into a street fight, you must elevate it into a martial arts fight. Kick, punch, elbow, knee, look for the takedown, whirling like a skilsaw, determined not to fail, this is how you kung fu fight when the situation is no longer in the dojo, but has gone to the mean streets.