Our question this week is from FightWriter S. E. M. Ishida:
I’m curious to know how martial arts fighting styles compare to actual fighting. I recently started learning a martial art, and I hope that learning it will help me when I write fight scenes. Are certain martial arts/fighting styles more “realistic” than others? Do you have any that you recommend?
bar will look different than one on the street. The former will have a bit more bravado and hints of social order meaning there will be some things that likely won’t be done that would absolutely be done were the fight to go to the parking lot.What’s the difference between inside the bar and outside in the parking lot? Witnesses. Yes, in a bar you may have weapons drawn, bottles broken and used. But again, there will be people who can say what they saw you do. For that same reason, a person may want the violence they inflict to look tough. They will throw a big haymaker punch rather than gouge an eye. And, as well, there may be a crowd which might inhibit movement. You aren’t as likely to shoot if perhaps you could hit your buddies who are brawling around you.