Hand-to-Hand Combat: It takes more than just āhe punched, she kicked.ā
1.Ā Physical Accuracy
Leverage & Technique: Real fights arenāt just about strength. A smaller fighter can drop a bigger opponent by using balance, angles, and momentum (think judo throws, joint locks, sweeps).
Range Matters: Fights transitionālong range (kicks), mid-range (punches), close-range (elbows, knees, grappling). Switching ranges is realistic.
Breathing & Fatigue: Real fights gas people out in seconds. Characters donāt trade a hundred blows like a Marvel scene. Show them panting, arms heavy, desperate.
Injury Consequences: A single well-landed strike can change everythingābroken nose, dislocated shoulder, busted knee. Donāt have your character eat ten hits and shrug it off unless theyāre superhuman.
2.Ā Sensory Detail
Sound: Flesh on flesh is a dullĀ thwack, not a sharpĀ crack. Bone breaks? Wet snap. Breathing becomes ragged, teeth grit, knuckles scrape concrete.
Pain & Body Feedback: A hit to the ribs feels like fire spreading across the chest. Blood fills the mouth metallic, vision blurs after a head strike.
Environment: Walls, tables, gravel, furniture; fighters use whatās around them. Getting shoved into drywall or a counter is as devastating as a clean punch.
3.Ā Psychological Realism
Adrenaline: Tunnel vision, shaky hands, slowed perception, explosive bursts of strength.
Intent: Not every blow is meant to kill. Some fighters try to incapacitate, intimidate, or escape. Make theĀ whyĀ of their fighting influence theĀ how.
Fear vs. Training: An untrained brawler swings wild. A trained fighter stays tight, efficient, economical. That contrast alone can tell the readerĀ who they are.
4.Ā Writing Style & Flow
Clarity over Chaos: Avoid blow-by-blow play-by-play (āHe punched. She blocked. He ducked.ā). Instead, group actions into beats that flow.
Example: He lunged, fists hammering wildly; she stepped inside the swing, and jammed an elbow into his ribs. The air rush out of him in a brutal wheeze before he could recover.
Pacing: Keep sentences shorter, sharper, when the fight is intense; mimics adrenaline. Then expand after a takedown, when the moment stretches.
Character Voice: A soldierās internal narration wonāt match a street kidās. One notices openings and guard drops, the other thinks in scrappy desperation (āHit him before he hits meā).
5.Ā Things Writers Screw Up (Donāt Do This)
ā Endless choreographed exchanges with no fatigue.
ā Ignoring injuries until convenient.
ā Making every move clean and elegant. Real fights are messy, clumsy, brutal.\
ā Forgetting recovery: sore knuckles, bruises, limps after.
āļøĀ Pro Tip:Ā Watch real sparring or self-defense breakdowns (boxing, Muay Thai, Krav Maga, BJJ). Youāll see how fights collapse into chaos fast, and how even trained fighters donāt look like Hollywood superheroes.
Check out š Bad vs Better Fight Scene š¬š©ø for more!
