Coffee With David

How many times have you gone to a movie or read a book where there is some violent struggle and wonder if it would be like that in real life? On the stage or in movies, the physical violence we see is usually stage violence and a dramatic presentation of a possible struggle. In real life most physical conflicts—by this I am referring to street fights or such events—usually only lasts a few seconds, giving the victim the true feeling of “I don’t know what happened.” They didn’t expect the attack and/or had very little time to process it.

The prologue of the attack, assuming it is not a sneak attack, can last ten times longer than the actual physical confrontation. Words are exchanged, pushes and shoves occur and the brandishing of weapons. Here, the untrained fighter makes their mistakes. If the attacker and the victim are both untrained, you may have an actual physical fight last until they are both exhausted—say two to three minutes (assuming that they are both in relatively good shape and use to a LOT of cardio exercise.) This is rare, yet it is this kind of physical confrontation that writers and movie makers seem to focus on.

Let’s explore the error that is commonly made. I need your assistance for a moment, after actual experience is the best teacher. Do not worry, I am not going to ask you to get into a real fight. What I would like you to do is take a favorite book of yours. Open it. Now, set a timer for two minutes. Hit the button and start running hard in place or doing jumping jacks (well, the jumping part, you need your hands for the book). As you are running or jumping, I want you to read aloud. Do not stop until the two minutes are up.

How easy was that? The better shape you are in the easier it is. However, it should not have been super easy. How long do you think you could keep it up?

Fighting is more strenuous that what you just did. In a fight, where you are focusing on strategy and possible escape, you are not going to have many conversations with the attacker. Yet, in stories we have dialogue, sometimes heaping insults and witty banter into it.

What happens when you throw a trained fighter into the mix? The fight ends faster. We know more than the untrained, we are use to being more fights in a day (because of sparring) than a normal person will see in years—if not a lifetime.

If you are going to write a fight scene in your story or movie and you are not a trained fighter, ask one for information. You would a police officer about police procedure. You would a doctor about something medical. Trained fighters are walking encyclopedias about hand to hand combat. You may turn what would be a mediocre scene into a truer description of what could happen.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com for updates to blogs, novels, and short stories that I am working on.