Now "rarely" here might be being used a little loosely, but I think before they take the time to educate themselves, most people assume that most gladiator fights were fought to the death. Apparently this was not the case. Why was death relatively uncommon in gladiator fights, and how was this achieved ?

They all seemed to be fighting with weapons capable of killing. Did they purposefully go easy on each other? Seems unlikely due to the incentive to win. Did they only aim for areas where blows would be non fatal? Again, seems like this would rely on an honor system that would deteriorate fast. What measures were taken to ensure the probable survival of the fighters, while still providing a good show?