Energy fighting is a term that is loosely used to describe a specific type of fighting. In reality, energy management is essential for *all* fighting styles. Whether you like to boom and zoom, or turn and burn, it is all related to energy, and how you manage it.
Think of energy as cash in your account at a bank. The more cash you take out, the less you have to work with. The better you manage your money, the better you will be able to deal with your bills, and other unexpected expenses.
In the case of dogfighting, the "bills" are enermy aircraft that you know you are going to fight. The "unexpected occurrences" are the enemy aircraft that try to bounce you, or put you on the defensive. The more energy you have available, the better your chances of surviving and keeping your plane in the air.
Now that we have the concept of energy, it is time to look at physics. Energy comes in two forms: potential and kinetic. Potential energy is stored energy. In an aircraft, this comes in the form of altitude. Generally speaking, the higher you are, the more potential energy you have available.
Kinetic energy is energy in motion. You translate your potential energy into kinetic energy. For example, diving from 15K to 10K translates your potential energy into kinetic energy as velocity.
Remembering one of the fundamentals of physics, we know that energy is never lost, it is simply transformed. In a dogfight, you'll hear the terms "bleeding energy" and "energy burning maneuvers". These terms relate to energy management. Your aircraft relies on energy to perform work. Each time you execute a maneuver, you are translating that energy into work. For example, if you are flying straight, and then pull a maximum-G sustained 180 degree flat turn, you will utilize far more energy than you would if you executed that same turn at lower G.
So, now that we have the theory behind energy, let's see how it works in reality. As was mentioned at the beginning of this post, energy is essential in all types of dogfighting. This statement was illustrated by the theory above. If you fly an "energy fighter" such as a P51, FW190D9, etc. you engage in energy conservation fighting. These planes maintain energy very well. In other words, they require less energy to perform work. Now, this doesn't mean that you can yank back on the stick and think you'll still have plenty of energy in the bank. It simply means that these planes' strengths are in their ability to maintain a high energy state while engaging enemy aircraft.
It was also mentioned that the "turn and burn" types, such as the A6M, SpitV, etc. require energy. These fighters utilize their energy quickly by pulling hard turns. Their strengths are that they can maneuver out of the way and gain angles on you very quickly.
The key to downing both types of fighters is to deplete their energy reserves. Make them fight using tactics that drain their energy quickly. For example, force a P51 into a slow turning fight, and his energy rapidly disappears. On the other hand, if you are the P51 and keep forcing a SpitV to burn his energy to maneuver out of your way, soon he won't have enough energy to move and he becomes an easy target.
In conclusion, one key to successful aerial combat is proper energy management. Obviously, there are more, such as gunnery and situational awareness. However, you can be the best gunner in the skies, or know where an enemy will be before he does and it won't make any difference if you haven't got the energy to do something about it.
