technique - Being reasonably experienced in martial arts techniques, I try to evaluate on how well fighters can show off their abilities in a worked fight. I understand the nature of crosstraining and try not to discredit those fighters displaying secondary skills. For example, Volk Han was a sambo practitioner before going into RINGS. Then he picked up some basic striking and expanded his sambo to include more interesting submission holds. While his strikes were not as good as kickboxers, they sufficed. However he adapted his style to fit the excitement-based world of worked shoots.

science - This has a lot to do with old school psychology along with a variety of holds or strikes and possibly moves that target a body part. Often building for a dramatic finish. This varies in its importance from group to group in accordance to the time period they were in. I try to use a fixed rating and apply them to all the different fighters, groups and styles.

counters - A key aspect in chain wrestling is counter attacks is how well one turns his opponents' offense into his own offense. Here believability in transitions counts for a lot. Counter strikes are very important here as well, since we see more of that in shoots than countering submissions into something else. Turning strikes into holds or takedowns and vice-versa is looked at as well. Creativity, fluidity and suitablity are what count here.

transitions - While "counters" look at how a wrestler turns a defense to an offense, transitions see how well they turn one offense move into another. The first part consists of the use of holds. How well someone can go from takedown-to-hold and hold-to-hold is looked at. Again, Creativity, fluidity and suitability are what matters most here. The second part is striking combinations. Again with the CFS. I try to take into account people's styles and how well this works into that style.

diversity - Instead of using "move set" for the worked shooter, I choose diversity, which is more vague. This concentrates more on variety of holds and/or strikes and wrestling moves if they're included. Showing off a whole mess of different submissions and strikes will look good, how well executed things are will look even better.

power - Another case-by-case area. This revolves around the strength a wrestler displays in the ring. Smaller fighters will obviously not be on the level of heavyweights, but how they interact with both must be considered. A smaller guy who is a brute among his equal or lesser sized peers will not be credited higher. Larger guys that fail to show their power will be penalized though. Even if past merits show they are capable, potential is not judged.

strikes - This area is based less on diversity and more on believability and/or stiffness, which is what's needed to draw the fans into brawling. Strikes must be more than just filler for fighters who can't work. How smartly they use their strikes in accordance to ring psychology is judged. Hopefully this way stiff strikers who are just "taking liberties" are not overrated.