How to write a fight scene

So, you've got to that point in the plot where your protagonist needs to attack someone or defend him/herself, against one or more people, who may or may not be armed. So, how do you go about it to make it real, visceral and painful enough to make your readers wince?

1. Know the height, weight, flexibility and fighting capabilities of your character intimately. Is Bob a killer or an overweight office worker about to get mugged? Is he a professional soldier,a martial artist, or a wimp with a bad elbow that keeps giving him gyp? How far is he likely to go? Does Bob have a tendency to lose his temper and lash out?
2. Is he up against professionals or is it a drunken pub brawl? Tailor the violence to the situation. If Bob's just been lamped by his best friend, well, that's easily done. But if Bob's stuck at the bottom of an alley facing three black-clad ninja assassins, that's something very different indeed.
3. Don't over-dramatise a simple blow, or over-simplify the fight of someone's life. Imagine if Rocky Balboa had knocked his opponent out in the first round. What would be the point?
4. Close your eyes and picture the violence one strike at a time. How does it start? Walk all the way through the fight and make sure each antagonist is fully used - none of this stuff you see in the movies when the attackers line up one at a time to get defeated by the hero! If it's a brawl, fists and feet are raining in constantly from every direction. At what point does Bob break and run, or realise he's a hero and wade in, fists a-swinging? What makes him do these things?
5. How are the protagonists placed in relation to each other and walls, furniture, weapons, escape routes? If Bob can just turn and run away, he should do so - it has to be logical - so you need to corner him. Unless, of course, he's the attacker, not the victim, or he has a death wish (something you need to establish before the fight begins).
6. Be descriptive - pause to include descriptions of the pain before the next blow comes in. What sort of pain is it? Blinding, twisting, heavy, stinging. Does your character feel like they've had their heart stopped, their lungs paralysed, their nose mashed across their face? ... "Bob wondered whether it was possible to break a lung. His mouth was stretched wide and dribbling blood, but no oxygen was getting in. His ribs were a flare of agony that banded themselves around him, sealing him off from the air. His attacker grinned."
7. Use any experiences you have to add realism. If you practice a martial art or know someone who does, talk to them about their training and their fighting style. Throw in technical terms but don't go overboard - people can work out what a backfist strike is, but a ridgehand strike or a dragon's tail sweep might confuse.
8. Be inventive with your language. A straight punch up can still be exciting if you tell it well. What noises are made during a fight? Do you have time to taunt your opponent or are you fighting for breath as well as survival? ... "He waded in like a bear about to catch a salmon and I back-pedalled desperately, trying to put distance between us, trying to think. His fist went back in slow motion but came forward like a piston, getting bigger and bigger the closer it got. I started to duck but knew I was too late even as I began moving. I had time to grit my teeth and whimper, but that was it. It was like being hit with a shovel; there was a crunch, a blinding flash as impact mixed with whiplash, and then the hot, swollen, throbbing feeling that can only be a punch in the face."

Most of all, enjoy writing it. Give your characters a chance to be heroes or cowards, killers or victims. The chances are you'll learn a lot more about them. As the saying from Fight Club goes: "How much can you know about yourself until you've been in a fight?"

Well, if you don't want to be in one, put your character in one instead. It's a lot less painful!

For more help, please read my other hubs on the subject of writing, or check out my Amazon store for helpful publications, here: http://astore.amazon.co.uk/hubpages02d-21