fight technique - 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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Carrying the Sword on the Back

FightWrite — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 19:47:38 +0000

In the last post, we looked at writing characters who wield two swords. At the end of the post, I wrote that if your character carries a sword on their back like Deadpool or Michonne from The Walking Dead, you should stop writing. In this post, we will look at wear to carry any weapon, considerations for carrying a sword on the back, and what Deadpool and Michonne are doing wrong. Lastly, will look at why in movies we see so many characters with swords on their backs. I have written about this previously on the blog. This is just …

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Using Two Swords

FightWrite — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 17:36:05 +0000

I’ve just returned from the Writer’s Digest Conference and what a conference it was. There were great speakers, informative sessions and more food than you could shake a stick at. For my part, I had two successful classes with students who asked great questions. I will talk about one of those questions today. For this month’s FightWrite post on the WD blog, we will be looking at the two-sword fighting style. I have written on this previously but from a fighting perspective more than writing perspective. Is the Two-Sword Style a Thing? I am asked about the two-sword style at …

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How to Punch – Step by Step for Writers

FightWrite — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 15:43:58 +0000

In today’s post we are going to learn how to punch which seems like a no brainer. I mean, most of us have punched something at some point in our lives. But fighting is a lot like writing. Just because you’ve written something doesn’t mean you really know how to write. And just because you’ve punched something doesn’t mean you did it right. Also, if you’ve ever written that your character punched “hard” or “punched” a punch, bookmark this because neither of those are technically correct. Also, if you are writing a character who does MMA, check out my book …

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Jousting for Writers

FightWrite — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 18:57:18 +0000

If a joust is in your work, this post is for you. Your jousting character will learn to dress the part, follow the rules and hit their mark. You will have all the basics you need for your character to joust their way to victory or vanquishment…or death. Medieval Tournaments and Jousting First, a special thanks to Dakotah Gumm for this question. She reached out to me via social media and asked for a primer. I was happy to oblige. Jousting was a common part of tournaments which were a significant part of medieval culture. Tournaments were held …

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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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Writing Fighting Multiple Opponents

FightWrite — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 16:50:51 +0000

I have been asked many times if one character can beat multiple opponents. My answer is always, “tell me more,” because it’s not really a question that has a single, cut and dried answer. There are a lot of variables. It’s far more plausible that one character can best multiple opponents rather than beat them. But I will leave that tidbit up to your brain and keyboard. For this post, we will look at basic plans that any character, or writer, can follow when in the awful situation of fighting multiple opponents. The strategies are different depending upon how many …

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How People Who Don’t Know How to Fight, Fight?

FightWrite — Mon, 10 May 2021 15:24:02 +0000

How do people who don’t know how to fight, fight? I was asked this question by a writer through a book review and am so thankful for it. I am so entrenched in training and helping writers with fight scenes that I forget MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW HOW TO FIGHT! It is completely realistic, if not more so, for your character to not know how to fight. That said, what will they do when forced to “throw hands!” What a lot of people who don’t train don’t know about fight training is that it is not only about proper …

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10 Lies About Fighting Writers Shouldn’t Believe

FightWrite — Sun, 09 May 2021 21:34:07 +0000

In my years of working with writers on writing fight scenes, there’s a few misconceptions that I see in their work or hear them say fairly often. I thought I would dispel a few of those lies about fighting in this post today. I have also done a YouTube video on it. If you haven’t subscribed to my YouTube channel, feel free to hop over and do that now. I’ll wait… Ok, here we go. Here are ten lies writers shouldn’t believe about fighting. I will include the video at the end of the post. #1 Women fight differently than …

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Using Animals in Fight Scenes

FightWrite — Sun, 09 May 2021 18:20:57 +0000

I get questions on the regular regarding animals in fight scenes. Often I am asked how to combat that. But, recently, I was asked how to do combat alongside them. Hmmmmm. Very interesting. Animals have long been used in battle. Horses, elephants, camels, dogs, lions and pigs have all been documented as a part of active combat. There is even a wood relief that suggests rhinos may have been used, albeit not so effectively[1]. Apparently, rhinos aren’t easily trained. Companion animals in fight scenes When writing animals in your fight scenes, there’s five Ps to keep in mind. Purpose …

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