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Showing posts with label fighting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fighting. Show all posts

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Eye of an Eagle Heart of a Tiger - A Fighting Mindset info for Writers with Danielle Serpico

Blue yin yang
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Today, we are talking with Danielle Serpico about a fighter's mindset, so we can get our characters right as well as write better fight scenes. Danielle, can you start us off? Tell us a bit about your background.


Danielle - 
Hi, sure yes, delighted to. The arts I have trained in are American and Chinese Kenpo and Taiji Chuan. I am a Gold and Silver European Champion. My instructor was Alan Ellis, and 
I also had the privilege of training on many occasions with, mainly Tommy Jordan, Erle Montague, Larry Tatum. I teach various classes and self defense seminars in the empowerment aspect of things.

Fiona - 
Is there a personality difference between a lover and a fighter?

Danielle -
I believe we can be both a lover and a fighter. We touched on this previously in my other interview with you, regarding yin yang.

(Read that article HERE.)

I believe we can be both a lover and a fighter but...

Our instinct is to avoid conflict and fighting, it is not natural for us to want to fight, however we posses a primal coding that enables us to move into fight mode when needed. Our most primitive state is one of fear, which is actually a good thing. Our ancestors would have known fear on a daily basis, and they would have understood how that fear worked, in order to enable them to survive, procreate and live some semblance of a 'happy life'. Unfortunately, society has eroded this sense of understanding of fear, and now we are confused and sometimes frightened by our 'fight' instinct. This can lead to severe emotional and health issues, such as depression and anxiety.

Fiona -
Can you talk about the mindset of a trained versus an untrained (oh, boy I hope I can get out of this one!) fighter?

Danielle - 

Essentially, a trained fighter will not 'think' but will react.

Fighting is an illogical activity for us to engage in as human beings. We are not programmed to harm each other so even when confronted with our own imminent destruction or injury many of us will tend to not want to fight.

The trained fighter is someone who has developed the ability to overcome layers of civilized behaviour and to automatically enter into a primal state. In this state, the thought process is bypassed because if we were to think during an altercation the thought process would slow us down.


The Chinese saying 'If someone attacks you, hit them first' is indicative of this philosophy.

In our training and preparation, we do of course have to 'think' about what we are doing, to the point of having to learn specific moves and body mechanics. However, during the actual moment of confrontation, we need to give ourselves over to our primal or animal instinct and allow that inner rage to come forth.

Fiona - 
So tell me about "self-defense for the mind."

Danielle -
The greatest enemy we face is fear. The paralyzing effects of fear cannot be underestimated. In defending the 'mind' and creating strategy of protection we need to KNOW fear.

What I mean by this is we need to embrace our fear, examine them and confront them one by one. I like to have my students and clients make out a fear pyramid, with the least fearful issue at the bottom and an ascending scale of fear as it reaches the top.

The object of this is to, from the bottom up, examine and actively confront each of those fears. We don't necessarily want to completely eradicate fear, but we want to know it and why we are fearful and to be able to get ourselves to a point where we can accept that fear but not let it bind us.

In a sense, to have NO fear one must KNOW fear.

Fiona -
Having the character confront their fears is an important part of character building and can make for some very interesting plot twists. 

Another technique that you speak about with your students is Eagle Vision - can you talk about this?

Danielle -
In a martial or fighting context, one should never look at an opponent's eyes, the person's eyes won't pop out and strike us!

If we concentrate on the attackers eyes or face, we narrow our field of vision, leading us vulnerable for attacks outside this visual range what we need to do is to have a peripheral view of our opponent, that is to say for example, if our opponent were standing in front of us, we would rest our gaze on their shoulder this allows us to pick up movement from our attackers hands or feet, and we can react accordingly

The Chinese call this Eagle Vision and what this technique mimics is how an eagle would look at its prey. The eagle doesn't focus on its prey, but rather on a wider area around the prey and in that way can track any movement.

I relate this technique to stepping back and taking an overview of any life situation, not just focusing on the problem but rather having a view of the bigger picture in order for us to have a better perspective of what we are dealing with.

Conversely, if the student does not understand the effects of adrenal dump, whereby the body is flooded with chemicals, which actually creates tunnel vision, then the concept of Eagle Vision will not work.

Its important for the student to understand that we must be quite proactive in our defence and learn to react before the adrenal dump kicks in, 
so we have a huge advantage on our opponent.

Likewise in life, in general, prompt action and positive thought can often preempt and negate many problems.

Fiona - 
Obviously, one of the aspects of a trained fighter mind v. an untrained fighter has to do with thinking about things/working with mindsets that aren't normally offered to us in our day to day lives, taking the time to ponder such things as stress and focus. 

What other techniques do you work with your students on to broaden their understanding, and how would these techniques show themselves in decision making by a trained fighter v. a seat of the pants fighter?



Danielle - 
Firstly, for us to manifest it in our outside world, we have to first manifest it in the inside world.

Therefore, we have to go there, to a place which is not necessarily pleasant. The same is true for the opposite of course.

In martial terms a huge part of the training with my students is the working of scenario based drills. By this I mean we deliberately fire the adrenal response.

This is achieved by placing the student under verbal assault and triggering the adrenal response by various verbal and physical methods.

The object is to place the student under a high level of stress to enable them to become familiar with the feeling of being swamped by an overload of chemicals running through the bloodstream.

It is important that they experience this because they can then know how to flip this switch in their opponent and this allows them the option of controlling the situation.

To control the situation at that point the student would have to practice what we call the Escalation drills. This allows the student to loophole their opponent and perhaps a get out clause to avoid the situation becoming physical.

I like to use what I term the Traffic Light method, whereby we have the reverse of the normal light procedure. We have red, amber and green.

Red, obviously you're stopped, nothing is happening. Amber you're switched on, your waiting and green is a go.

The life lessons from these drills in the studio can be easily assimilated into everyday life. A confrontation with the boss, a difficult argument with your spouse or children, etc. All this can be much better handled when we understand our own capacities.
And also, it doesn't have to be a violent confrontation. As I said pre-planning and programming works both ways. If you plan for a situation to go well, you stand a much better chance as you have prepared.

As is said..

Whether you think you can't or think you can, you are right!


Fiona - 
Let's talk about that last sentence for just a moment. I have found in the young people I speak with that our social environment encourages us to think we are capable of anything we put our minds to. Unfortunately, the last bit - we put our minds to - gets lopped off. They think that without putting in the brain training/muscle training/time and effort that spur of the moment they will have what it takes to do the job. That complicates the think you can/can't equation. Can you add your two cents?

Danielle -
The prevailing line of thought seems to be...that we are capable of anything.

The truth is and it is a lovely thing...is that we are not in fact capable of anything.

However, we are capable of MUCH more that we think we are.

Of course though, that requires effort as you say. The effort to success ratio is an extremely important factor.

Edison and the light bulb are a prime example. It took him many hundreds of attempts before finally achieving success. In fact each 'fail' takes us a step closer. Our unconscious mind, which makes up 93% of our decisions, doesn't know the difference between what
s real or imagined. When we visualise with real intent, the mind believes it has happened. This gives us drive and momentum but of course we now have to take action!

So whether in the Dojo or in everyday life, we must practice daily inside and out.

Fiona - 
Last thoughts?

Danielle - 
A true fighter will always recreate and innovate. Embrace your fears and get to know them. Remember...your mind is like a parachute. It only works when it's open.


Much of my teaching and philosophy was inspired by the works of Erle Montague, Larry Tatum.

Thanks, Danielle. 
You can stay in touch with Danielle Serpico HERE



Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.



Sunday, December 14, 2014

Can Your Character Survive Multiple Attackers? Info for Writers w/ Terror Expert Rock Higgins

_________________________________________

Hello Fellow Writers,
Today, my friend Rock Higgins is here to help me with a scene where multiple attackers gang up on my heroine.

Many of you have probably read some of my other interviews with Rock; but if not, let me tell you why he's my go-to guy for all scenes that save my girl.  Rock is an Executive Protection Officer. He is a Certified Anti-Terrorism Specialist who trains businesses in anti-terrorism procedures. He also teaches civilians, law enforcement, military, and bodyguards in close quarter combat.

To work through this plotting issue, we are using this tape of an actual attack.





Fiona - 
Okay Rock, can you walk me through this? What were the options? Mistakes? Did the victim do anything right?

Rock - 
Ok at 17 seconds he is surrounded by 5 guys to the front and left and right but no one to the rear, his escape route.

The next act is typical, no cognitive thought of escape and tunnel vision sets in. (to read about tunnel vision go HERE) He argues with the short guy to his right, exposing his back to the fat guy on his left. He had to expose his back to someone, and the fat guy was the best option as he was not going to run too far or too fast. This on the victim's part though was not a planned move.

What he did:
He pushes the short guy but closes with him at the same time so they are holding each other's arms so he cannot get free, at 23 seconds the rest are on him because he did not create space.

What he should have done:
Violent push on the short guy to; if not send him sprawling then to create space and then run full speed to his right, his rear previously. No pre-emptive strike in this case, if it didn't work there would be no space created and no time to correct the decision and run.

He breaks away at 30 seconds. He is either not a very fast runner or more likely he is dazed from the previous blows.

At 37 seconds they have him again up against the wall. He is standing square onto them trying to cover up, head down arms over his head. Here he cannot see where his attackers are, where the blows are coming from and cannot mount an attack from this position.

I have been in a similar position before, more attackers, and I was not alone.

I ended up with my back against the wall next to a friend with around 7-8 guys around us. Both in combat stances and fighting back anyone who ventured in. Effectively fighting back puts doubt into those attacking you, by effective I mean you seriously hurt one of them. They are then unsure whose turn it is to attack next.

To get to this stage you have to weather the initial attack by fighting and making space so that from everyone attacking at once it slows down to limited sporadic singular attacks.

All the while you are looking to escape. We escaped by both going on the offensive against one person, creating space and running as fast as we could.

Fiona - 
I was wondering about getting her back to the wall so at least she could see her attackers. What do you think about her getting in a doorway? Is this a trap or does it protect her on three sides?

Rock - 
I would not choose the doorway option as you are hemmed in and there is still going to be at least two attacking, more if the doorway is larger and the only escape is through the attackers. But if you are protecting someone, your spouse for example then a doorway would be a better option as you need to be in front of them to defend them anyway. But these are best or worst case scenarios, depends on how you look at it.

You could argue that the wall will protect your back, it does but again you have to work at your escape route.

With gang and multiple attackers you will more than likely not have the choice of where to stand your ground. Running at the earliest option is the best plan.

You can see from this and other clips how fast it all happens and how much ground the fight can cover in a short space of time. Each move and stop will bring different escape options.


Fiona - 
I was taught to turn a block into a shove aiming at shoving one bad guy into another if possible and the number one move was flee - but I was thinking also, of protecting a child or someone who could not flee.


Rock - 
Yes if your attackers are standing in such a fashion that you can use one as a shield or push them into each other then great. But here we have to remember that if we can grab them then they can grab us.

If your character is protecting someone, it is going to be a big problem. They're just going to have to run the gauntlet, sorry more like walk the gauntlet. It's going to be a fighting retreat. Your character and who your character is looking after are going to get hurt maybe more than normal because you cannot escape as fast when on your own. They're going to be in the contact area a lot longer.

Fiona - 
At the dojang, we drill with the kids in the hopes that if push did come to shove, their bodies would know what to do even if their brains turn off. We make it a game. In real life, out of the blue, adults should expect the kids to do the wrong thing - Freeze in place. Try to protect their parent. Not hear or follow directions. 

Rock tell me, what if a character knows her family is a target, can you go through some training scenarios that that family might engage in with their kids without terrifying them?

Rock - 
We do a drill for guys looking after young kids who are too old to be carried because of size. 

Because of the sensitive nature of this drill, the violence, it's not something that you can easily train for with the child. There has to be a lot of talking with the child first for them to understand what is happening, why it is happening and how they can help.

We have one person playing the child, one acting as the BG (bodyguard)/ parent and one acting as attacker. One variation is where the attacker has to get to the child but not attack the BG the BG can only push the attacker away. The BG also has to give orders to the child.

Another is where the attacker can attack the BG to get to the child, much harder. Then we put in multiple attackers, weapons and different locations, open spaces, getting in and out of vehicles, corridors, lifts, in fact most locations.

At all times you have to be in touching distance of the child so you can feel where they are. Difficult part for parents and child is telling their child to run when it is safe to do so while they cover their escape.

Most instruction only covers the physical aspect but if the child is (and will be) traumatised, frozen in place, then the training is useless.

A good game for the kids is to play this with both parents with no mention of what the game means. One tries to catch the child and the other defends. You could encompass trying to take the rag from the child's back pocket for instance.

Training can be done both armed and unarmed, single BG /parent, single/multiple kids lots of combinations.

Fiona - 
Fighting takes fitness.

Rock -
It's not pretty, and it's very tiring. Most people do not realise the amount of fitness you need for a situation like this. 


Fiona - 
Thank you, Rock for your help writing my scene.

You can catch up with Rock at:
Twitter


Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.


Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Them's Fightin' Words! Writing Fight Scenes Right with AJ Scudiere

______________________

Fight Scene Example 3
Fight Scene Example 3 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I recently met AJ Scudiere at the Writers' Police Academy where she helped to demonstrate how to remove a gun from someone's hand and just how lethal a knife can be.

AJ, can you tell the ThrillWriting crowd about your background?

AJ - 
I was a dancer for over 20 years, pointe, modern, tap, etc. as a performer, teacher and choreographer. Now, I'm a writer, with 6 released books and over 20 best fiction or suspense of the year awards.

Fiona -
Very nice to have you. What a treat. Our topic du jour is getting a fat lip. Let's talk about reading first. AJ, when you read fight scenes, what makes you skim over the words?

AJ:
*Obvious writer techniques for breaks in action - like the character
  pulls the trigger, and we stop for a mental review in a way that
  doesn't flow. 
* When I start rooting for the antagonist because the hero gets
   really dumb all of a sudden and doesn't even know it.
* And sudden shifts in character, setting or even gravity i.e. we
   need a knife, so our southern housewife was just carrying one
   down a dark alley for no reason.

Fiona - 
YES! Or suddenly has a skill-set that takes years of practice to develop.

BTW, this Southern housewife ALWAYS carries a knife down dark alleys. 

Can you talk about pacing? What are some effective pacing points you can offer so that the fight has the desired impact?


AJ -
There's a common saying that fast things happen slow and slow things happen fast, and while that's a good general rule, it can be tiring to read something consistently set up that way. 

I find good writing reflects what's going on in the scene: introspection gets long sentences with heavier clauses and bigger vocabulary. Fights often go by with short, clipped sentence structure. This is often a good time to use fragments, commands, and other very short pieces. Vocab should stay short and ideally even contain words with sharp or harsh sounds when read aloud.

Fiona - 

Can you give us some fight scene sentence examples?

Fight Scene Example 2
Fight Scene Example 2 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
AJ
His fist was lead as it plowed into her cheek. She reeled. Gulped for air.


Fiona - 
How do you like to lead into and out of fight scenes? 

I know it's not formulaic - but there is a decided shift in real life fight events (to read about the body language of aggression, go HERE)  you're eyeing your opponent, experiencing feelings, and then there's a trigger...

AJ -
This really plays back to that tunnel vision Eli Jackson was talking about. (See Eli Jackson's blog article HERE) When I shift into fight mode (IF I shift--sometimes I just open a chapter in a fight) then the scene starts wide and narrows. I tend to follow the characters' thoughts. So in many cases, there's a house, a room, a scene. Then as the fight begins, things shift scope. There's a lamp we can grab and wield if necessary. The gun at our back (or not, depending on how things go down) . . .

Fiona - 
A fight scene is short on the page but long in planning - can you walk me through the process (knowing that you have a sister-ninja at the ready).

AJ -
I literally walk through the scene. My family likes to ask if it's a new dance. They usually get a dirty look from me, then get told to join me, so they can play my victim or something. I'll ask/make my husband stand with his arm out in a punch so I can see if I can grab his arm and how much effort it would take to pull or push someone his size. I also head down to the karate school and grab my two favorite ninjas (one is my sis, both are avid readers) to walk a scene for me. I always know what I want before I go in, and I always find out I'm either wrong, off base, or really had no idea what I wanted.

Fiona - 
LOL - I was just working with a co-author over Skype and telling him about slicing an artery. He would NOT believe me. So I grabbed a daughter (2nd degree black belt) and a marker and told her to act out the scene to show him how she'd fall. My writing partner was horrified. So much fun!

AJ - 
Yup - that's pretty much it. I don't understand why other people don't see how much fun it is. Afterward, I say thank you and happily bop up the stairs to my office and proceed to murder folks on paper. Good times. 



Fiona - 
You are helping to put together the writing/fighting weekend - what kinds of things as a writer did you feel it was important to make sure were included - the things every fight-scene writer should experience rather than make up in their imagination?

AJ -
I've added more of the "who" to have. I.E. we need someone who will teach X because so many writers use this type of weapon in their story. I'm on a handful of writers' forums, and I see the questions writers are asking. I'm making sure we are addressing fight needs across genres. Also, I'm making sure our writing classes fit writers' needs, too. Not just a big name to come in and tell a funny story but to teach something specific about fight writing.

Fiona -
What are some of the most common questions that writers ask about fight scenes - AND what weapons are they asking about. 

AJ - 
Right now, everyone is clamoring for longsword. Not only do we have longsword teachers and demos, we have several eras represented. Though no one asked outright about this second topic, the one that most makes writers light up is when we mention our physicist who will be teaching about lasers and a separate class for space/anti-gravity fighting.

Fiona - 
Whoop! A physicist teaching AND anti-gravity fighting!!!

When you're writing a fight scene, how much research do you do? And, what does research look like to you?

AJ - 
It takes a lot more to get it right than people think. I can swim, but I don't jump in the pool and think I'm Michael Phelps. 

A lot of people don't realize that when writers slap things on paper, we get called on it, just the same way anyone else does when not giving their craft/job the work it requires. 

It's my job to get it right. And I work really hard to make sure that everyone, fighters included, can read my books and not get pulled out of the story by errors.

(Watermelon) Citrullus lanatus
(Watermelon) Citrullus lanatus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Research takes many 
forms. In a lot of cases it can be done at the computer and involves reading or watching videos. 

But whenever I can, I go hands on. I lived in a firehouse for a while, and went on every call. I went into a police station and interviewed people at all different positions as well as rode along for over 24 hours. I shoot things, I break into my own house, and I've murdered a handful of watermelons.

Fiona - 
Can you tell me the story behind your favorite scar? (If no scar, then favorite harrowing story.)

AJ - 
No scars really. calluses on feet from spinning on hardwood barefoot for years.

Most harrowing story: I was in the the grocery store (with my then 6mo old infant) when two masked men came in and gunned down the two Brinks Guards there to pick up the daily cash. It was planned, they were never caught, and it happened 8 feet away from me. 

I learned that, no, you won't necessarily recognize gunfire when you hear it. And that traumatic situations are just that . . . shocking, out of nowhere, and very disjointed in our interpretations of them

Fiona - 
WOW!

Since you were there as a mother - what did you do first?

AJ -
I ran first. Major props go out to the store personnel who knew what they were doing. 

They filtered everyone out through the back door in a relatively orderly fashion considering the multiple murder at the front of the store. I'm pretty calm in a tough situation, so I carefully unhooked the car seat from the cart. I remember hooking it into my elbow, thinking my son was heavy, and he would bounce more there, but I'd be able to get farther hauling him. I remember he laughed and thought it was fun.

Fiona - 
And I thought this interview was fun! Thanks AJ.


Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.


Sunday, October 12, 2014

BAM! SLAM! KURSPLAT! How to Write a Fight w/ Martial Arts Hall of Famer Eli Jackson



________________________________________


Eli Jackson is the smaller fighter on the right.
Ah, but there's POWER in her small frame - and mastery.
Don't mess with the best.
Let's fight it out!

Fiona - 
It's fun to imagine and write a fight scene - but fight scenes, just like the other details in your book, have to make sense and be as accurate as possible. There are real life fighters out there who will put your book down if you're writing garbage strikes and kicks. To save you from bad reviews, I've invited Eli Jackson to visit with us. 

Eli, please tell us about your background.

Eli - 
I have over 30 years of martial arts experience in Tae Kwon Do, Isshinryu, and MMA. I was ranked 3rd in the world in fighting and 4th in forms for 2 years by NASKA (North American Sport Karate Association). I was a member of Team Pepsi when I competed. I have been inducted into 2 martial arts Halls of Fame. I currently hold a 3rd degree in Isshinryu and a 3rd degree in MMA, and I have taught martial arts for over 15 years.

I also have over 10 years experience running large events and coordinating multi-day conventions.

Fiona -
From a technical POV, when you read fight scenes what makes you skim past all the words?

Eli -  
* I skim when authors get it 
   wrong. I hate reading that 
  someone took 20 punches, 
  wiped a bit of blood from their
  lip and kept on swinging. 
* I also skim when someone puts
   in too much detail. It's as if 
   they did the research and you
   (the reader) NEED to know 
   that they did it, so they include
   every single detail they ever
   learned. It's an action scene - it
   needs to keep the pace.

Fiona -
I just read a book where the guy survived a bomb blast, pieces from the surrounding structure were embedded in his leg. He dug out the pieces, end of information. Seriously, he ran miles and had maybe five fights, and they never mentioned his thigh again. 

Can we talk for a moment Eli about the after effects of a fight? How does someone feel? - How long is recovery? Any tips you can offer?

Eli -
This is something that authors often get wrong. It takes time for bruises and breaks to heal. It often takes lots of rest and sometimes physical therapy. But that's boring, so I understand why writers sometimes skip that part. 

If you want to be realistic at all, you have to have some of that. We've all had scrapes and scratches, and we know how long it takes for them to heal.

One thing people miss is the general scars from training. Especially guys who train very hard all the time, they have crooked noses from breaks, and they have what we call "cauliflower ears" where their ears have turned inside out from being rubbed on the mat. They aren't usually the hot, sexy guys authors make their heroes out to be.

Fiona - 
I know my knuckles are often bruised and raw. You do not have a crooked nose or cauliflower ears - how does training show up on your body?

Eli - 
I train using equipment (padding and gloves), and I don't go full out. I'm not in a cage going 75% on a daily basis. But I don't have cage matches to prepare for, nor do I fight in kickboxing matches where people consistently get knocked out. So that's why I don't have those types of injuries.

But I do have injuries. I injured my shoulder a couple years ago. I ended up having surgery to fix it, and it still isn't 100%. I was in a sling for weeks and unable to use my arm much at all for months. I still have lingering pains, and I may never do a push up again. Time will tell.

Fiona -
Let's talk about that - old injuries. I have cadaver parts in both of my knees from fights that went badly. Though they are supposedly even stronger robo-knees now, I am hyper protective of them in fights because each took me a year of painful recovery. 

You have shoulder issues - does this change how you fight, and how a character would approach a fight? 

Eli -
A fighter is DEFINITELY protective of injuries (trained or not). It's built into us. For me, I use my other side more. I'm not as fast with my left arm and when given the option, I will use my strong side whether in a stand up fight or on the ground. My options are more limited based on limited strength. And if anyone starts to attack that part of my body (shoulder locks are not uncommon in a trained ground fight), I am extra protective.

Fiona -
Let's talk timing. It will be different with trained fighters v. fighting-for-her-life fighters. But these fights don't/can't go on very long. Can you offer some basic timing parameters?

Eli - 
A real fight can end after only a couple of well placed blows. A trained fighter knows that they aren't doing their job if a fight goes on much longer than that. A bar fight, however, could go back and forth for a while.

Timing will vary tremendously based on who is fighting. Two untrained fighters could have any length of fight. It depends on how much damage they're willing to do. Are they wrestling around? Is one trying to force the other to do something? Does one care if the other lives? Is it an all-out brawl where one or both is fighting for their life?

As an author, try running in place for 60 seconds. When you do it, lift your knees above your waist and keep the pace up as fast as you can. That's what it feels like to be in a fight. 

Adrenaline helps, but only so much. It gives you a great burst up front, but it also drains you faster than normal. 

A real fight won't go more than 2 min and MOST fights are going to be maybe 30 seconds. Granted, there are ALWAYS exceptions, but a good rule of thumb is to put yourself in your character's shoes and ask yourself how much their body could handle.

Fiona -
What does it really take to knock someone out? How long until they usually get up?

Eli -
It takes training or luck to knock someone out. While a trained fighter knows where to hit and how to strike, the ability to do that on a moving opponent is extremely difficult. With that said, we've all seen it happen. So it can be done. It will happen more for a trained fighter, but it isn't a given.

How long it takes to get back up depends on the strike or choke and it also depends on the person who went down.

Fiona -
Eli, we met at Writer's Police Academy, and I pointed out to a fellow writer that you stand with your weight on your back foot and your front foot is ready - like a sheathed weapon. 

You're getting ready to have your own writers' weekend. Can you tell us all about it and maybe share a few tidbits that writers might pick up while there?

Eli - 
I feel like all my answers about fights are "it depends," but that's just kind of true. Every situation is different. This is why we recommend talking to someone about your specific scene. Getting it right is harder than just using some general guidelines.

I am the CEO of Griffyn Ink Publishing. I have over 15 books published currently. I am not a writer, but I am an avid reader. I believe in giving authors the opportunity to present the stories they want to write, so my authors have a lot of freedom. We try not to make them write something simply because someone somewhere thinks it might sell. We want quality writing and great stories.





We are putting together an amazing weekend full of fighters and business professionals to show writers how to write fight scenes. 

We want them to see the different types of fighting up close and ask the experts questions about their specific scenes. 

We will have martial artists, military professionals, physicists (teaching a class on space battles, specifically gravity and lasers), a doctor (to discuss what happens to the body), gun specialists, historians who specialize in weapons, and so much more. 

We are also bringing in NY Times best selling authors (Sherrilyn Kenyon and Jon Jefferson) to discuss how to write tension and hand-to-hand scenes. We will also have publishers, artists, publicists, and brand managers.

But our coolest feature is Rent-A-Ninja. Attendees can work with 1 to 3 ninjas to play out their very own scenes and ask questions. Our trained fighters will walk through what the writer has in mind and offer suggestions. The writer can also see and experience what things really look and feel like.

Fiona - 
This is such an exciting opportunity - can you tell us when and where and give us the link?

Eli - 
We will be in Nashville, TN April 17-19 at the Inn at Opryland. The link is www.AuthorsCombatAcademy.com

Fiona - 
Eli - we always ask this question - tell us about your favorite scar. 


Eli - 
I have 3 small scars on my left hand where I was drug across a driveway trying to break up a dogfight. I think it lasted about 7 or 8 seconds, but it felt like an eternity. 

It was amazing how the chemicals released in my body made me hyper-aware of everything going on and seemed to slow down time. 

I was afraid, but not enough to get out of the fight. What surprised me even more was the time it took afterward to feel "normal" again. It was almost 24 hours before I didn't feel like I was high on something and hyper-alert. And I still remember what happened very clearly as if it is burned into my brain.

Fiona - 
As we close, what piece of information do you wish all writers knew BEFORE they constructed a fight scene?

Eli - 
I hope all authors know that there are details that they don't know. They need to talk to someone before they write a fight scene. The mistakes are glaring to anyone who knows what is going on. 

Body mechanics play a huge part in a fight, as do angles of attack, reaction times, counters, state of mind, etc. Seeing it done (even in a mock situation) and understanding WHY it happens the way it does will make it so much clearer to the writer.

BEFORE conducting a fight scene, try it. You don't have to actually hit anyone, but stand in front of someone and see how you lift your arm and how you guard your body. See where your strike will fall and how your opponent would react. See what that sets up for the opponent to do in reaction.

Fight scenes are like chess matches. Every move dictates the board for the next move. I can't plan to use my favorite choke hold unless the opportunity presents itself. I can do things to set that up, but my opponent may see an opening I didn't realize and the whole scene changes instantly. Fights are reactionary because the playing field is constantly changing.

Fiona -
It's a chess game for a trained fighter. I know you probably can't remember this far back in your fight career - but adrenaline has a way of making you do stupid stuff, and you end up being very reactive.

Eli -
You absolutely do! It's reactionary for everyone. A trained fighter just has a toolbox to work from and knows which tools to use for which situation.

Fiona -
One last question, can you tell us about tunnel vision in a fight and if someone questioned you (the police) afterwards what would you be able to tell them about what had happened?

Eli -
Tunnel vision is extremely common when you are threatened. Your brain puts all it's power into the threat, and so you can become extremely aware of every little detail about that one thing, excluding everything else around you. 

That's why it can feel like slow motion: because you took in so much information. Later, if you were talking to the police, you might remember exactly how the fight went, but you might also not remember anything about the person yelling at you from 2 feet away the entire time or even the person who tried to pull you out of the fight.

Fiona -
And that detail might turn out badly - especially if it is a police officer ordering you to stop. It's very possible you never heard them. Or never saw the man with the gun coming up on your right...

You can also reach Eli Jackson on Facebook LINK
and Twitter @AuthorsCombat


Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.





Thursday, March 27, 2014

Bounced: An interview for Writers with Bouncer/Author Bill Carson.



Fiona -
Well, hello there - who are you and why are you here?

Bill -
Hi all, My name is Bill Carson writer and ex- bouncer among other things. I worked as a nightclub bouncer for about five years back in the nineties.

Fiona -
Good to have you here. You know, I came across your book, Modern Warrior Handbook, and I was a little dubious, so I only got the Kindle free sample. It was tasty though - so now I have the whole platter. You're very violent.

Bill - 
It's a good book, and I have to disagree with the last statement, Fiona. I'm just quite good at defending myself.

Fiona - 
I don't mind the correction - violence is often required to defend oneself. How did you get this good?

Bill - 
Amazon Link
I started to learn Karate as a teenager I was bullied a few times and decided to take up Karate and was lucky enough to have an excellent teacher. I have been training ever since.

Fiona - 
How old were you when that turned into a career as a bouncer?

Bill - 
Oh I was pretty old for this game probably about thirty I think

Fiona - 
So you had some wisdom behind your techniques. What is life like for a bouncer? Can you walk us through a typical night?

Bill - 
Well it's dangerous, as you might imagine.
I always wore a bulletproof vest. 
Two of my compatriots had been stabbed to death, so that 
type of thing was always in the forefront of my mind. I would park my car in different places vary my arrival times.

Fiona - My understanding is that a bulletproof vest does not protect against stab and slash wounds - did your vest also have stab plates? Was it cumbersome?



Amazon Link

Bill -
 I had a stab proof vest with the ballistic trauma plate in the front pouch. Yes, it was a little awkward, but it definitely was a great piece of kit. 

I would recommend that anyone in that line of work to obtain one.
Fiona - Anyone trying a rabbit punch would have had broken knuckles - just another bonus for the vest.

So you were making enemies - people who would want to get back at you? Why did you need to vary time and route to work? Were you concerned that the issues would follow you home?

Bill -
You will inevitably run into a few lunatics in this line of work. I lost count at the amount of death threats. I employed a whole range of techniques of avoidance.

Fiona -
I assume you never sported a fake mustache. Can you add a few to the list you started?

Bill -
 
I learned from the mistakes of others. Well, I never went in for disguises, but I didn't use my real name,

for example; you could get away with that in those days not so now though.



Amazon Link

Fiona - 
Yes, well now you're a famous author. Can I just pause here to say that your book is very accessible to writers who need to write a fight scene and they have never had to fight - or had any training. There are great graphics to make the move visual. You really go step-by-step. I would caution those who think that reading your book will give them superpowers - you can't read about a move then apply it under bad circumstances.

These are skill sets that are trained and practiced.

Bill - 
Thanks, I tried to show the reality behind a violent confrontation. There's so much rubbish out there on this subject.

Fiona - 
Sadly true. Okay so back to bouncing. You arrived safely with your vest in place. Now what?

Bill - 
When I arrived at the door, I would have a little briefing with my team to remind them to stay switched on. The thumping soundtrack would then start up the noisy punters (patrons) would begin to arrive. You spend half the night checking ID's and staying on the lookout for drugs and the dealers.

Then the tell tale signs of a fight - the breaking glass, the high pitched screams - that was our cue. We would go in.

I had a system. Basically if a fight broke out, we were alerted by an alarm or the lights would flash on and off at the front door to alert me. I would always sneak in around the back of the disturbance and take down the troublemaker from behind with a technique that we had developed back at our little gym. Then I'd show them to the nearest exit.



Amazon Link

Fiona - 
How often were these women?

Bill - 
Quite often I found some women to be most aggressive.

Once, I was called to a disturbance where two women were fighting. They weren't pulling hair and scratching one another; they were throwing punches like boxers. And one of them was heavily pregnant!

Fiona - 
How do you unravel the girls who have entwined themselves into each others' long hair? Do you just jerk them apart and let them rip each others' heads?

Bill - 
I tried to be as gentle as possible. When fisticuffs broke out between the ladies, it was difficult to know where to put my hands. But yes, we just yanked them apart basically.

Fiona - 
Bahaha! And did this ever cause "wardrobe malfunctions?"

Bill - 
I've seen some sights Fiona, scary. Yes, interestingly not so much with women,

but almost always when guys had been in an altercation their shirts would end up in shreds.

Fiona - 
Why does that surprise me? That seems more of a cat fight kind of move - nails and all.
What sort of place is this? What kinds of clientele?

Bill - 
I worked in a huge night club at Kings Cross in London. Rough was not the word to describe it.

I have worked in lots of different venues some were rough, some really rough, and some that were okay.

Fiona - 
And you mentioned drug users and pushers - what cued you in about them?

Bill - 
Well they are not very bright, or they just don't care. But if you are vigilant enough,

you can spot them dealing and also cannabis smokers usually reek of the stuff. 
Horrible sickly bitter sweet smell.

Fiona - 
Eventually, you decided to impart your wisdom and write a book. How did all that come about?

Bill - 
I always took a small diary with me and entered the nights shenanigans into it. One of my brethren saw it and suggested that it might make a good book. After I hung up my stab proof vest and gum shield, I wrote Show No Fear a bouncers diary.






Amazon Link
Fiona - This quote from Amazon gets to the core of it:

"Time for a bit of scum bag cleansing." In this eye-opener of a book, the author records the "more unusual and violent incidents" in his career as a bouncer. It may shock you to realise exactly the risks that bouncers take on the doors of night clubs and pubs, and even at private functions. If the bouncer is to "show no fear", he must build up strong mental and physical toughness through disciplined training. The author gets plenty of opportunities to try out the techniques he learns in the gym, whether it's a stranglehold or a right hook. If you have a run-in with some "weekend warriors", words are simply not enough to deal with it. But this is not a disheartening story of mindless aggression. Some incidents are really funny, and the author's colourful language and wry humour help soften the blows when they come. Read this book, and next time you'll spare a thought for the bouncer who takes the crap so you don't have to.

Fiona - I'm sure it's a fantastic resource for people who want to write bouncer characters correctly in their books. You have been awesome Bill, and I know you are hot and sweaty from your workout - I really appreciate your stopping what you were doing to chat with us. I will just keep you for this one last question. Can you please tell me about your favorite scar?

Bill - 
I have a few, not sure about having a favorite though. I do have one just above my right eye. A chap punched me in the face one day, not an unusual occurrence in that job but the problem was that the had two sharp door keys protruding between his fingers which left a nasty little scar. He had one two though afterwards.

Fiona - 
Oh you know that the ladies love it - it makes you very rakish. Bill, thank you so much for your time.

HERE'S A video of bouncers talking shop and how to avoid a bad night.


Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all. And they're FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited!




Monday, June 17, 2013

TROUBLE! Body Language 101 for Writers Writing Aggression

______________________________________________

English: A photo I took of a Fremont Police Of...
. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Is your character a police officer? Or maybe your character is the criminal? Here are some of the key "tells" that trouble is brewing.

Remember in your writing that a mind and therefore a body does not go from 0-60 in 1.3 seconds. Unless the person is a victim of a sudden attack, the body will follow the mind's processing and ramp up in aggressive signaling.

KEY BODY LANGUAGE INDICATORS:


In a traffic stop:


English: A traffic stop executed by an officer...
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. The suspect keeps looking in the rearview mirror
2. The suspect moves their hands a lot. They should
    be still. This is a cautionary sign to which officers
    should pay close attention.
3. The suspect exits their vehicle - this can be
    interpreted in 2 ways
    a. This is part of a lier's body language
        LINK TO LYING 101 and the suspect is
        trying to distance themselves from some
       evidence.
    b. This is an act of aggression.
4. Either in or out of the vehicle: If the officer makes a
    request and there is a hesitation or non-compliance,
    the suspect has a plan in his mind.
5. Watch the hands. Does the suspect close off by
    pulling clothes tighter to the body or put their hands in pockets?
    a. This is a lier's body language that they are concealing something, either the truth or an actual object
    b. This is an act of nervousness
    c. The suspect is reaching for a weapon

Compliance is a key indicator.

Is the subject dancing around? Showing that s/he won't be following requests? Are they oppositional? Then look for these further signs that aggression will follow:

1 Defensive Barrier - arms folded across the chest
Fist by David Shankbone
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
2 Avoiding eye contact and/or averting the face
3 Rocking motions
4 Clenching fists and/or teeth
5 Target Glance - such as at your weapon or the
   point where they mean to make contact
6 Facial wipe

Further Signs of aggression
1 Squinting
2 Lowering and spreading (opening the chest and
   arms) the body for stability. This happens from a
   standing or sitting position.
3 Redness in the face
4 Exaggerated gestures including shaking fingers,
   fists
Forward head butts is a sign of imminent physical aggression


Clapping the hands is one of the last indicators used prior to a fight. A clap of the hands is the MAJOR tell. Violence happens immediately afterwards.


Body Language tells and concealed carry of ANY weapon


1 Belt adjustment - especially if getting up.
2 Blading - if the suspect is carrying concealed and they know an officer is on one side they will shift their
  bodies slightly away from the officer hiding any bulges from the officer.
3 Billowing - where the suspect takes their clothing and pulls it away and loosens it to hide the weapon.
4 Thumb - prior to reaching for a concealed weapon the brain will process through the action. Getting the
   thumb to clear the weapon is key. The brain practices the event prior to execution, so the thumb will often
   twitch just prior to pulling the weapon.
5 "C" hands in to the front sides of the body at the edge of the shirt hem happens prior to pulling a weapon.
6 Holding on to the bottom of the shirt with one hand in preparation for pulling it out of the way to grab a
   weapon.


VIDEO QUICK STUDY

Video 1 (4:24) Concealed Carry Body Language
Video 2 (1:26) Avoiding Violence
Video 3 (2:10) Pre-attack Indicators - real crime with tutorial


    Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.





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