since my last question wasn’t answered i thought i would pose another instead
i have been looking at the mirror flow style of play watching a few videos and such and have even tried it a couple of time without much success but then iam sure iam doing it wrong - my question is this - when do convert form that style of play to attcking style of play - the vids say when your opponent makes a mistake — how does one know they made a mistake since you are just following their every move — would aprreciate some answers if the go gods here let it be done thanks also trying another opening style of play using a hook pattern for first 10 to 15 moves to see if that opens and secures a corner where its layed as the vids say so far it better than waht i was doing before — any help on that fish hook opening would be apreciated also ---- i hva egiven asking about the score button as no one whats to answer the question so i let it be i guess
You know when you think you can play a better move as what he played.
Besides the mirror strategy is working better away from the center of the board. Luckily the center is less important in the opening of the game, which gives more validity in the mirroring process.
Good luck in your experimentations
thank-you for your answer i will pursue that thinking next game
I’ve seen one of your attempts to mirror go, it seems you’re far from ready to play it. I suggest you focus on basic stuff first, like when (not) to play on the first line.
yes about not playing flow i think you arae right iam not ready for that thinking
I’d like to share some thoughts—may be helpful, or may not.
- Use it as White only. Mirror flow works better with komi; Black generally shouldn’t rely on it.
- Break the mirroring before Black does. Black can end symmetry at any time (via tengen), so don’t assume mirroring will last or stay favorable.
- Keep it short (around 10–20 moves, max 30 moves). After that, positions get complex, and mirroring without a plan becomes risky.
- Don’t wait for obvious mistakes. Stop as soon as you see a better move than mirroring—not only when your opponent blunders.
- Stop if things get unusual. If your opponent plays something you don’t understand, break symmetry immediately and avoid traps.
- Understand the risk. Mirror flow is essentially a bet that your opponent will make a mistake before the position turns in their favor.
Mirror as White, keep it short, and always stay ahead of Black’s ability to end the symmetry.
I’d suggest you look elsewhere for the time being. Outsourcing your mind to your opponent is hardly any fun, but it also requires a very specific piece of knowledge to execute properly, which is this:
And the answer is that you do not know that and you cannot know that at 30+ kyu.
It is a strategy that needs a significant amount of knowledge in the game to pull off successfully. That’s knowledge that at your level both you and your opponents lack.
For example, this advice is sound:
…but it also means that if you follow it you’d have to break the mirroring in move 7 or 8… 
If an unfamiliar position has already formed, a tengen move can collapse White quickly—especially if it’s prepared. “Unusual” moves are often either traps or bad moves, and both can signal that it’s time to stop mirroring.
Avoiding positions you don’t understand—using the opponent’s moves against them—is probably one of the main reasons people use mirror flow. The “stop when it’s unusual” rule forces you to face them proactively, rather than waiting until you’re forced to deal with. As you improve, fewer positions will feel unusual, allowing you to judge them with other rules more confidently.
From my limited observation, most viable counters fall into two types: large central moyo or tengen-related ladder tactics (though there may be others). Once players reach a higher level, other countermeasures often have little effect.
By the way, training with mirror flow is highly inefficient and does little to improve your overall skills. At beginner levels, mirror flow often encourages copying instead of thinking, avoiding the challenges that build skill and delaying real growth. It can easily devolve into pointless games. Mirror flow isn’t suitable for beginners as a serious strategy, though it can be enjoyed occasionally for fun.
All very helpful ideas i believe, though I will let this mirror flow idea slide by for a while, as I am a little confused about it so far. Maybe try it in the first 10 or 12 moves just to see, then break off collapsing as was suggested. We will see what happens again for the insight