Ego, Thy Enemy

Having an ego is a good and useful thing to be a functional adult.  Too little ego and you won't stand up for yourself as other people run you over or treat you poorly.  Too much ego though and you'll think you're invincible which leads you to either make bad decisions, or treat other people like trash.  Neither extreme is too useful and both sides of that equation can be crushing to a fighter's success.

Empty Glass

Too little ego out on the field of battle manifests as an unwillingness to swing at your opponent because you believe that their level of skill is too much higher then yours to be able to land a hit.  While it may often be the case that against a better fighter you aren't likely to land a hit with the shots you know, that doesn't mean you should stand there just waiting for them to hit you.  Even if the shot you throw won't necessarily connect, so long as you have teammates around, you may be helping them by locking down part of your opponents guard.  If you're a newer fighter and you're up against a veteran fighter in a situation where you and the other fighter know they have veterancy on you, they may underestimate you.  Lots of fighters I know have walked up to a veteran who should smoke them, and simply because they took the initiative of throwing shots, they were able to smoke that veteran.  Now, the next time they walk up to them, it's unlikely that will work again but, how many times on the field have you walked up to someone, scarred, and not thrown a shot?  Suppose for each of those times you killed your enemy instead.  Makes the world a much different place.

No one is unkillable, regardless of the amount of experience they have.  Everyone makes mistakes, everyone fucks up once in a while.  If the person you're fighting is a vet and you're a noob it's much more likely that they'll make mistakes while underestimating you.  So swing, even if it kills you.  If they really are that much better then you, you're going to die standing still just the same.

The Cup That Overflows

Too much ego is it's own problem, and in my mind tends to be the bigger one.  Too much ego leads to a host of different problems each dependent on the person with an overinflated sense of self.

1) Ego Armor.  (IE, that couldn't possibly have hit me).
Ego armor is what happens when you believe that you are better then you actually are.  Plenty of fighters all over the place have had an issue where they think they shouldn't lose to someone... and as a result they opt to sluff one or more shots.  Either calling them light when they weren't, sometimes with a condescending "well, that was a good shot, but it had nothing on it, so I'm not taking it, please hit harder".  While it may be the case that the person who is swinging at you didn't put enough force behind their shot, especially if they're new, if you know a person hit you and it was clean you should probably take that hit despite the fact that it didn't have enough force.  After all, better to learn to block a clean hit that didn't have quite enough force then shrug it off.  The next time it comes in it may just be good, and now you've squandered this opportunity to learn.

2) That guy is sluffing! (IE, there's no way I'm not hitting them)
Sometimes one person gets used to having all of their shots connect.  They either have been fighting the same group of noobs for long enough that they simply land every shot they throw or they've gotten used to fighting one particular fighter and normally land the shots they throw.  Suddenly that new(er) fighter learns how to block the shots that the old(er) fighter has been throwing or the old(er) fighter goes to a new field where people can block their signature shots, and suddenly they stop working.  Whatever the case may be it often happens that the vet, because they can't understand how their opponent is blocking their shots, starts to call the opposing fighter(s) cheaters.  This behavior is toxic because 1) you're causing a problem where there wasn't one and 2) you're trying to trash another person's reputation.  Honestly, it's hard enough to build a good reputation for taking your shots, when every new person who flails at you blindly from behind their shield simply assumes that you're sluffing.

3) Going ham on the new guy (IE, if that guy doesn't take my hits I'm going to murder him)
Sometimes a new person is new.  They aren't trying to be awful for whatever reason you think they might be.  They are not telling you with their incompetence that you don't hit hard enough, or that your shots aren't good.  They are simply confused because they are new.  A person with an inflated sense of ego may see their mistakes as an insult and respond by beating that new person down just as hard as they can.  ...don't be that guy.  Talk to the new person, teach them how to play.  Help them fix their mistakes.  Chances are if they're so new that they can't process your hits, you can hit them easily.  So just... spread your shots out, and make them slow and deliberate.  Clarify as you hit them if they make mistakes calling and try to work with them.

Tranquil Water

So remember.  Ego is your enemy.  Too much and you start behaving like a jackass.  Too little and you cower timidly in the corner.  It's important to find your own balance as a person who can be fine one day can be an ass the next.  Ego surges or wanes over time, so before you step out onto the field try to check yours.  Accept things as they are and if they don't turn out your way just try and learn from it, don't let that bad experience go to your head.