tl;dr

Set up background and tension before the fight; plan end goal and motivation
Clarity through lexicon, positioning, and flow
Condensed and quick pacing by using actions to imply, not tell, personality, psychology, and intensity; word choice is key here
Maintain immersion with clarity and pacing; sometimes complexity and creativity need to be sacrificed for clarity and pacing
Artistry through iconic moments and lexicon that specifies actions, not a generalized style, and can be understood by the layman
Consider perspective; protagonist or enemy or outside party
Each paragraph is a separate sequence of moves with a clear transition (ranged to close, level of intensity, new tactics, etc.)
Occasional paragraphs of characters' perspective about the fight, for rests from the action into their psychology, then back into the action (don't linger too long!)
No exposition during the fight! Explain before or after; during training or post-evaluation.
Rocket Jump notes for reference: school.rocketjump.com/learn/directing-container/intro-to-fight-choreography

The best thing to figure out how you would want to write a fight scene is to watch a fight scene, then write about it. What stands out the most? What details are important? Whose perspective are you writing from, and does it change?
Yeah, I totally agree with you; the article you linked uses way too many technical terms with too much telling. I don't want exposition in the middle of a fight! Explain it before the fight, or not at all. Because of the limited time, the writer had to use a bunch of metaphors and description that could be explained beforehand or assessed later by the characters. The action needs to happen now! I'd recommend at least 1-2 moves per sentence, 2-3 sentences per paragraph.

Pacing and Clarity
I suppose it depends on your preference, but the martial arts sequences that I enjoy reading the most are clear and dynamic, describing only a few moves at a time. The pacing of the actions can be rapid, small movements, or larger, more complex actions. Consider how many words you want to use for each move; this will measure the pacing.
As someone who loves martial arts scenes, I prefer iconic actions that stand out and can be imagined clearly, paced well with a rhythm, rather than a confusing flurry of movement. To prevent wordiness, use the proper terms and lexicon for the character, like "jab, fake left, duck, uppercut", "sweeping the leg, crouching into a backflip for a bicycle kick to the crown", or "spear hand to the jugular, then the solar plexus". Terms convey artistry and the style of martial arts, as well as condensing the action. It can portray the character's personality (like "solar plexus" vs "abdomen" vs "gut") and intensity. If terms might be confusing, simplify or explain beforehand for the layman. If something like "judo flip" or "crane kick" isn't clear, use something else.
What also takes me out of the fight is when I don't know how the character moves from one position to the next. Consider what the layman imagines based on your words. Often I'm thinking, "Wait, how does he duck while both hands grab the guy's head?" I don't want to puzzle out their positioning. A move needs to logically flow into the next. Unless you can find a way to make it work, sometimes complexity and creativity need to be sacrificed for clarity and pacing, so as not to disrupt the immersion.

Perspective
If you can imply psychology or the characters' perspectives from actions alone, even better! Just don't let it disrupt the flow. There are ways to imply feelings, reasoning, and reactions from a character's perspective. They'll execute one action for a specific aim, looking at their face, not noticing the other's feet to be caught off-guard, stumbling doubled over and trying to regain footing, then looking up to receive a right hook to the temple. Let the actions and perspective show how the characters are feeling, or how they outwit the other.

Structure
Consider how you will structure the fight scene. For me, each paragraph in a fight scene has a clear transition, like moving from ranged to close combat, increasing the level of intensity and savagery, or employing new styles or surrounding equipment.
Occasionally, a paragraph will offer a break from the actual fighting and moves into the main character's thoughts, their impressions of the other fighter, of themselves, their plans for the next move, their shock at the impact, motivations, etc. A reader can only hold one mode of thinking for so long before you lose them, even if it's intense. Though it's meant to give rest for the reader, these paragraphs might also change the way the character fights. But keep it on the fight; don't wander too far. Also, don't linger there too long. Move back into the fight, where it escalates, new strategies are employed, the motivation has changed, etc.
Feel free to break the pattern! Sometimes a fight can be more exciting when one is caught off-guard and the pacing is broken. Try different perspectives. Something to experiment with!

Choreography
For the actual choreography, Rocket Jump has a concise and workable guide to making a fight scene, and I think it can be translated to writing with these principles: pacing, performance, reason to fight, camera movement (or "perspective"). Lots of great pointers. Check it out here: school.rocketjump.com/learn/directing-container/intro-to-fight-choreography It's about this video, "London Brawling":

He says, "A great fight scene pleases the eyes, soothes the ears, blows the mind, touches the heart". I interpret it for writing as clear and iconic moves and positions, the vocabulary used and the way the words might sound together, unexpected development, and clear motivation.
Hope this helps!

---

(0)

Login to post a comment!