Notes from the Thunderdome

I recently did a workshop at Realm Makers writer's conference on writing fight scenes. I spoke about the technical aspects of fighting which are often poorly portrayed in writing. And, why wouldn't they be? Fighting is a skill you have to learn. Much like writing, you may be naturally good at it, but you still have to learn how to do it properly. So, if the fight scene you write turns out to be an unrealistic mess, you're normal. 

       I apologize for not having a hand out. If I am honored with a second invite, I will have something prepared. What I have here are the bones of the thing. I didn’t go into detail because I want to give you all a reason to read the blog I should have up and running soon.   Remember, if there’s something you’d like me to look over, contact the folks at Quill Pen Editorial (catherine@quillpeneditorial.com). It’s better to have a scene looked at sooner than later. One change may affect everything that follows. 

Importance of self defense

• Each minute, 78 Americans are victims of violence, and that’s just women. 20 of those are abused by intimate partners. (See my post on Aliens Against Sexual Assault 6/11/14)
• Learn to defend yourself. You are worth it.

Three Things to Consider for Your Fight Scene

• Why a fight is happening is the most important factor. (This is my first blog post so I won’t go into detail. Ya gotta wait for it!)
• Where it takes place can change everything.
• Who is fighting matters as skill, experience and size advantage come into play. However, those can all be negated by the first two.

Trained Fighters

• Even when they can jump farther, cats leap over divides by jumping ledge to ledge. This conserves energy. Truly trained fighters are the same.
• Fighters do what needs to be done quickly and efficiently. (Unless personal reasons make them draw it out. If it’s simply a job to be done, it will be done with the least amount of effort. They won’t do a wild spinning kick when one stab will do the deed.)
• A well trained fighter, because of his/her training, will be too good at heart to attack you without just cause or so good at it you won’t see the attack coming. So, don’t worry about somebody like Jason Bourne randomly assailing you in the Kroger parking lot. 
• Fight training is humbling. Some of the deadliest people I know are also the kindest. Don’t make a presumption of evil because someone is, by training, deadly. 
• Fighting is a learned skill. You may be a born fighter but you are not born knowing how to fight. 
• How to make a fist.
• How to punch.
• When you punch, your chin should be down. 
• Your chin is a knockout button. Protect it.
• When you punch, you make contact with the first two knuckles on your hand. Making contact with the outer knuckles can cause the bones below to break. This is called, a “boxer’s break.”
• A knocked out fighter won’t stay unconscious as long as they do in movies - barring a head injury sustained by falling backward
• Beating somebody up is painful to do. It leaves you quite sore and eats up your knuckles.

Attacking Back (Ben was the attacker. I was the hapless victim.)

• Unless there are personal reasons involved, an attacker will always choose who they deem to be the weakest gazelle. 
• The lion doesn’t expect the gazelle to bite back. The element of surprise is my biggest advantage as I cannot overpower Ben. He is bigger and stronger.
• God made men stronger, ladies. Get over it. 
• An attack starts before contact. It starts when a victim is chosen or said victim feels inexplicably afraid.
• That’s not inexplicable fear. Sometimes, in our gut, we know we are in danger. ALWAYS listen to that. Fear is a gift.
• Suggested reading: The Gift of Fear by Gavin deBecker. In it, deBecker discusses those feelings of vulnerability and notes that if you feel afraid, good! That means whatever it is hasn’t happened yet.
• If your character is being attacked, they will not feel afraid during the attack. They may feel panicked but not afraid. That is a blessing of adrenaline.
• Adrenaline is generally not a fighter’s friend. Fighters learn to control the ill effects of it.

Attack Scenarios

• Escaping wrist grabs
• Throat strike defense. Use web of hand.
• Defending punch
• Pony Tail Grab
• Black Friday Grab
• Double leg take down. This take down is about displacing weight, not strength.
• Gun/Knife defense
• You cannot defend against a gun or knife at a distance. You must be close.
• Redirect with wrist grab, fold weapon in.
• Escaping Mount (He sat on my stomach.)
• Choking from Guard (sexual assault)
• Blood chokes hurt! It feels like your head is going to explode. You don’t simply go to sleep.

Things Everybody Thought Was Funny or Explaining the Memes

“Don’t kick him in the crotch. That only makes things worse. Make it count!”

Kicking a male attacker in the groin may buy you a moment, but that’s all. If he is on drugs, it won’t buy you any. So, consider it a waste of energy. Remember cats: ledge to ledge. Use that energy on a strike that counts i.e. one to the throat.

“Once he’s down, I run up him like a squirrel.”

After taking Ben down from the “Black Friday” attack, he was left lying out in front of me. I said I had two choices: I could run away or run up his prone body like a squirrel and hit him in the face. (Squirrels will totally do that. Don’t trust them. They’re shady.)

“When girls get into fights, I just back away and let nature take it’s course!”

I taught high/middle school for about a decade. In that time, I broke up a lot of fights. I was more likely to break up fights between boys. But, I wouldn't get between two girls once they had fully engaged. Girl fights are feral. 

“You can’t shove somebody’s nose through their brain. That’s not a thing.”

Somebody somewhere started the rumor that you could palm strike the nose thereby shoving the nose bone into the brain and killing the victim instantly. That’s not a thing. Your nose is mostly cartilage.

“A ninja won’t throw anything that goes thwop, thwop, thwop.”

I read a fight scene in which a throwing knife was used. In the air, it was described as making a sound. Small throwing knives don’t make sound as they go. That’s part of their genius design. Larger weapons like axes or machetes definitely do and larger hunting knives may depending on the surroundings etc. But, a ninja wouldn’t probably throw something large as silence is kind of their thing.

Thank you all again for the spirited, and, in some cases, downright nutty, support. Keep a look out for my new blog TBA.