fight injuries - FightWrite

Strikes Other Than Punches or Kicks

FightWrite — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 21:15:23 +0000

In fighting, a strike is a direct, percussive blow delivered with any part of the body. Punches and kicks are both examples of strikes and what many people think of when strikes are mentioned in relation to fights. While both punches and kicks are incredibly productive in fights on and off the page, they are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to striking. In this post, we are going to look at some strikes, other than punches and kicks, that can pack a wallop in your fight scene. All these strikes will be looked at in the …

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Broken Noses

FightWrite — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 06:39:27 +0000

I recently posted on the Writer’s Digest Blog about broken noses and how they can be used in our work. I mentioned several pictures but didn’t post them to that blog because they are, well, icky. Here is that post and those pics. Helping writers write fight scenes is what I do, but it’s not all I do. I also help writers understand and create the injuries that occur in those scenes. In this post, we are going to zero in on an often overlooked on the page, but all too common in real life, injury: the broken nose. We …

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Where People Are Stabbed

FightWrite — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 17:53:57 +0000

Where People Are Stabbed If your character is wielding a knife or on the receiving end of a blade, you might be surprised where that blade is most likely to land – literally – in two ways. In this post, we will look at both where people are stabbed, both on the body and in the world . We will also consider some misleading stats regarding knife wounds. People Are Stabbed on the BodyWhere People Are StabbedWhere People Are Stabbed Blade Wounds (Not Assault) When you look at the stats of injuries by blades, you might see some that are seemingly …

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Where to Punch a Character and Why

FightWrite — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 18:41:16 +0000

If you are blocking a fight scene ripe with punches, this post is for you. It’s important to know where to punch a character, because where you punch your character will create certain responses. If there is a specific response/result/injury that you are looking for, it’s good to know which punches will get you to that point. In this post we will look at where to punch a character to create a create a certain outcome. Guys, this is where having actual fight training/experience comes in super handy. Don’t worry if you don’t have it. That’s why I’m here! Does …

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Injuries by Magic: Four Things to Consider

FightWrite — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 19:23:00 +0000

Injuries by magic! If you are a fantasy writer, this is a subject near and dear to your heart. And, at conferences for fantasy writers, it’s a common conversation. On such conference is Realm Makers. This past weekend I had the privilege of attending and mentoring writers at the Realm Makers Writers Conference. If you are a writer of speculative fiction, I cannot suggest this conference highly enough. Speculative fiction is an umbrella term for works with elements outside the bounds of the natural world. So, it’s sci fi, fantasy, steampunk, cyberpunk, dystopian, supernatural, paranormal, alternate history… Basically, if your …

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Dislocating A Thumb to Escape Handcuffs

FightWrite — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 21:12:00 +0000

Is dislocating a thumb to escape handcuffs a “thing?” Recently, at a writer’s conference, I was on a panel called “Blood and Guts” and was asked that very thing. One writer asked if we thought it was possible to dislocate your thumb to escape handcuffs. I said I didn’t believe so and asked a few police officers after the fact. They agreed, probably not. However, they did say women escape cuffs more often. If it was because they were dislocating their thumbs, they couldn’t say for sure. But, they kinda doubted it. More likely they escape because officers are required …

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Emergency Room Terms for Writers

FightWrite — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 15:07:58 +0000

Where there is a fight, there is often injury. If your character ends up in the ER, here are some emergency room terms that might be said and/or written. I generally don’t like technical words in stories unless they are organic to the scene. This is one of those organicky times. You won’t hear an ER doctor say, “is she a little comatose or, like, a lot comatose?” Instead they will ask for the GCS, or the Glasgow Coma Scale. Also, I just bought a heap of used medical books and was feeling all “doctor-fied.” I had to pass that …

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Bullwhips Use & Bullwhip Injuries

FightWrite — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 15:36:01 +0000

I was recently asked about bullwhip injuries via an IG story posted by @rachelschadeauthor which, I LOVED!!!!! Buy FightWrite the book How to Use a Bullwhip First, if there is a whip in your story, be sure you are referring to the right type of whip. There are five or six types and all have a purpose. The bullwhip is generally the longest and is the kind that Indiana Jones used. All the things Indy did with a whip are legit uses. I took one bullwhip lesson and the concept of use is pretty easy. The whip goes where the …

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Describing Pain for Writers and their Character

FightWrite — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 16:58:27 +0000

Looking for a word to describe that pain? Here are some adjectives for pain as well as descriptions of the five major types of pain. ENJOY! Adjectives for Pain A – abysmal, abscessed, aching, agonizing, annoying, arduous, atrocious, awful B – beating, bile churning, biting, blinding, blistering, bone-crushing, bone-shattering, bruised, burning C – chronic, cold, clawing, considerable, constant, convulsive, cramping, cruel, crushing, cutting D – deep, debilitating, dire, dolorous, dreadful, drilling, dull E – electric, extreme, eye watering, excruciating, exhausting, eviscerating F – ferocious, fierce, fiery, flashing, frightful G – galling, grave, grievous, gnawing, griping, gripping H – harrowing, heavy, …

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X-Choke Arm Bar

FightWrite — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 16:29:24 +0000

I do Brazilian jiu-jitsu and all along I am asked to do videos for BJJSoul. In my Writer’s Digest/Penguin book, Fight Write: How to Write Believable Fight Scenes, I go over several ground positions. Be sure to check that out. In this post I will go over what I can a x-choke arm bar. I call it that because the x-choke defense opens the combatant up for an arm bar. After the videos, I have listed a few pointers on how you as a writer can use this technique: X-Choke Arm Bar Breaking it down Ok, let’s break this thing …

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