Tactics can be complicated because there are so many possibilities and so many styles to take into account. They are simple because it usually comes down to finding one or two simple tactics that work. Remember my mantra, “Tactics isn’t about finding complex strategies to defeat an opponent. Tactics is about sifting through all the zillions of possible tactics and finding a few simple ones that work.”

But with all those zillions of possibilities, how can you simplify things so as to find a few simple ones that work? I’ve written a number of tips on how to do so, but here’s a simple one anyone can follow, and you only have to think about two things.

First, what do you do that threatens your opponent? Once you decide that, what can you do to get that into play?

Second, what does your opponent do that threatens you? Once you decide that, what can you do to keep that from coming into play?

See how simple that was?