Found Article: "Fight Write: Art, Sport, Subdual, and Lethality"

Tumblr bears great gifts. One of them from today is an article by bloggers ObsidianMichi and StarkeRealm, which rolled across my dash. It can be found at their Tumbleblog, How to Fight Write.

This is such a useful reference because it breaks down Martial Arts (MA) in terms of the intent behind the style: Art, which is primarily about introspection and spirituality; Sport, which is pretty self explanatory; Subdual, which is about injuring and incapacitating; and Lethality, which is about killing, quickly and effectively.

Though this is a great reference in and of itself, it also makes a good point about all characters who incorporate training or fighting into their daily lives, regardless of whether or not it has to do with Martial Arts. Based on their situations and their lives, they would look at fighting differently.

For example, my two main characters are a mix of subdual and lethal. Brother No.1, who was exposed to fighting early in his life, started out with a sport-based outlook; he was made to fight for money. But after some plot-related things he became more entrenched in a mindset that has two options: defend and run, or, in the event that escape is impossible, stand and kill. Brother No. 2, on the other hand, exists entirely in a subdual mindset and is trained with only that in mind. I wouldn't have considered the nuances of their mindsets without this article.

In short, it’s a good read. Go take a look.