Directness Over Power
Big Emotions, Big Strikes, and De-Escalation
A calm and composed opponent is the hardest to spar because their attacks are sharp. When you are angry or attempting to throw hard strikes rather than calm, direct ones, your attacks are slow and easy to see. Even if the strike seems strong and fast, it has a long build up. Your aim isn't to strike hard but to strike directly.
The first person you de-escalate is yourself. It's okay to have emotions in a spar, but ultimately, you want to work towards managing big emotions because big emotions lead to big strikes.