TIPS ON HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT OPPONENT FOR YOUR FIGHTING COCK

 After all the training and feeding, time must come that you have to bring your fighting cock to a cockpit to test its mettle.  You are confident that your gamefowl has what it takes to beat any opponent as long as the game is fair and square.  You have also consulted the lunar calendar and found that this is the best time to fight your rooster against a particular color.
But before you get too excited, there are some basic things to remember when you are already in the matching place (Ulutan).  Taking notes of the hackfight  tips here will give you better chances of winning in a hack fight.  It is also possible for your fighting cock not to sustain too much injuries if you know how to choose the right kind of opponent.  So read on…

 1.  Pale Face

The color of the cock’s face will readily tell you if it is ready or not to fight.  It may have deep gameness in its bloodline but if it is not trained properly and malnourished, the same can be seen in the color of its face.  If the size is just about even but the opponent seems to have a pale red face indicating dehydration or tiredness, then you can pick a fight with that kind of rooster.

 2.  Knock feet (Piki)

There are many first time sabungeros in hack fights and some of them unfortunately knows very little about conformation.  They just believe that they have a good bloodline and that is supposedly enough for them after seeing them a few times in sparring.  When you see a possible opponent that has knock feet, then try to arrange a match with that rooster. Even go to the point of mentioning faults about your rooster so you can get a fight going.
When a rooster has knock feet, the possibility of fatal injury when it strikes with a blade is not strong.  This is true even if the gaffer tries to adjust the placement of the gaff (tari).  In the same way with people, gamefowls are also not expected to have much strength in the legs if they are Piki.

3. Watery Discharge

Take note of the discharge of the other rooster.  If it has watery discharge, then it is not in tip-top shape.  It is also a sign that the owner does not know how to properly condition his ward.  If the opponent is not properly trained and conditioned, then you have better chances to win.

 4.  Not Showing Aggressive Behavior

Gamefowls are born fighters and aggressive when they see a possible opponent.  When you see a possible opponent that is not aggressive, then chances are it is a slow starter or one that is familiar with other cocks near it.  It could also be that it has not been trained well that’s why.
This behavior gives your cock the advantage of being able to hit the first strike in many instances.  A single hit is what is needed in most cases to cripple the opponent.

 5.  Short Legs

You must be able to tell a high stationed from a low stationed cock.  Most of the time, your opponent will try to make it appear that his rooster is shorter in terms of height.  Tell him to let the cock stand on its own for you to see how tall it really is.  If the opponent has short legs than your game cock, then you’re already at an advantage.

 6.  Half-Breed (Mestizo)

In hack fights, there are still mestizo fighting cocks.  Some breed mestizos for a reason.  They are naturally agile and avoids getting hit much(Mailag).  You should know this particular trait of a mestizo and decide if your rooster is capable of fighting that kind of an opponent.
You will not see mestizos in a derby but in hack fights they can still be found sometimes.  Most of the time, a mestizo cock owner knows what he’s doing and actually wants to fight a “texas”bloodline that is not expected to have deep gameness because of too much out-crossing normally happening in small breeders’ backyard.
Your opponent will not allow you to handle his game fowl and this is understandable because you would also not want him to touch your rooster.  You have to be familiar with the signs and hackfight tips in order to get an advantage.  Ultimately, sabong is about winning and not just for fun.