Fighting styles

I've talked before about my writing fight scenes, and how my own personal experience affects how I write those scenes, and how I can potentially write those scenes. But there is more to it than just my own personal experiences - I studied a very small amount of martial arts, but there are hundreds of others, and they all have their own laws, specialties, and abilities. Some of those fighting styles I have heavy interest in, both as a possible participant, and as a possible source of design for a character that I wish to write. I can think of a couple in particular that apply to both, and that I have used on the blog before, and likely will again.

The first is the idea of "drunk fu." I'm pretty sure there's a real name for that style of martial art, but it's been a long time since I did any real research into it, and I honestly don't remember. Besides, you're far more likely to understand what I'm talking about by calling it drunk fu than you would be if I could remember the real name. In storytelling, drunk fu is the hidden martial art of a person that only comes out when they are drunk. It's movements are hard to predict and unpractical, which makes it perfect for catching an opponent off guard and utterly destroying them.

In reality, you would never be drunk fighting in this style. It takes an incredible amount of focus and core control in order to fight in this style, as you are swaying from impractical position to impractical position, moving your way out of the way of where more traditional arts would be able to hit you, while never being unable to hit them. You may appear drunk, but a master of drunk fu would be far more aware than another man could ever dream to be.

The second is Iaido. Most people have never heard the name, but I'd be willing to bet you've seen it in a movie or tv show at one point or another. If you've ever seen a man who can move so quickly that he draws his sword and slices his opponent before resheathing it, while you as a viewer never see the sword leave its sheath, then you've seen Iaido.

The idea behind Iaido in the real world is similar. To draw your sword from its sheath, cut your opponent down, and return your sword to its sheath in one smooth movement. By extension, there is also Iaijutsu, in which your opponent should already be dead by the time your sword returns to its sheath.

It's somewhat ironic that both of these in the real world require extreme amounts of concentration, self control, and coordination. Things that I lack. But that's what makes them so interesting, and so perfect for story writing. They are incredible to watch, and they show the skill that a person has in a single scene. Even a single strike. To land a punch to the chin while hobbling to the side and leaning over backwards, or slicing down a threat in the blink of an eye. You know immediately that someone like that is not someone to be trifled with.

I love how much you can learn about a person just from the way they fight. I think that's part of what draws me to writing fight scenes, and exploring the way a person handles taking and giving blows.

You know. That and cause I'm a guy and fighting is cool.