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How to Fight Like a Girl

Celts were typically taller than Romans and used longer swords, yet the Romans almost always won. Tall Celt swings long sword. Roman catches it on shield and stabs up into Celts belly and chest, rips blade off to the side as he withdraws and eviscerates Celt. Plan B was to reach behind the Celt's leg and hamstring him.

Weren't the reasons why the Celts lost to Romans (1) numbers (2) battle coordination and (3) Celt allies?
 

X Equestris

Maester
Weren't the reasons why the Celts lost to Romans (1) numbers (2) battle coordination and (3) Celt allies?

It was their terrible discipline, irregular equipment, and disunity. Even when they did unite under competent leadership, like Vercingetorix, they still lost to the Romans, despite overwhelming numbers.
 

Guy

Inkling
Weren't the reasons why the Celts lost to Romans (1) numbers (2) battle coordination and (3) Celt allies?
There were several reasons. My point was simply to show how fighters with shorter reach can beat fighters with longer reach.
 
There were several reasons. My point was simply to show how fighters with shorter reach can beat fighters with longer reach.



I think we can all agree that fighting has several elements to it. Athleticism and physical attributes, technique, fight smarts, and other things. But the question for writers is how to apply these attributes to make them believable. If your fighter is at a physical disadvantage she has to use her smarts or be a superior technician. Which, I think is a point we are all shooting at but on indirectly connecting with.
 

SeverinR

Vala
I think a warrior can be smart, quick and strong, but if they encounter something they have never seen before or dealt with before, they might be hesitant to engage or might make a mistake.

If they have never faced a competent woman before, she has a skreiking Kiai he's not heard before, she gets in closer then other fighters, or she attacks like a chihuahua, fast and furious might set him off balance. In a world of male fighting, fighting a female is different, physically and mentally.
Chivalry does place women on a pedestial, how can a chivalrous knight strike a woman?

Martial arts is a study of itself. Exploiting your opponents weaknesses, and minimizing yours, maximizing your strengths while minimizing your opponents. In the martial arts, when dealing with life or death, you never give your opponent a break. One slip could mean its your head being smashed like a grape by a mountain.

Professional wrestling shows it in almost every match, the one on top gets cocky, the underdog comes back and wins the match. In "the Incredibles" they call it monologing.Bascially, the villain thinks the hero is defeated so they info dump thier plans, allowing the hero to figure out an escape or way to turn the tables on the villian.
 

SeverinR

Vala
I did see a set of pics labeled with this title; Fight like a girl: a picture of Furiosa(Mad Max Fury Road), Brianne of Tarth(Game of Thrones) and two other tough women from hit shows.
 

Tom

Istar
I just came back to note that "fighting like a girl" can mean a lot of things. For instance, I have three female warriors in Southerner (well, actually more than that--these three are just main characters). All of them have different builds and abilities, and individualized fighting styles to match.

Eleha, leader of a rebellion, is a tall, heavily muscled woman who wields a longsword and a heavy shield, which she also uses as an offensive weapon. She can easily dominate an opponent using sheer brute strength, and often stuns and disarms her opponents with fast, furious bludgeoning attacks. However, she's also a cunning tactician--if facing an opponent who outclasses her in strength or skill, she'll start off weak, lulling him into a false confidence, then catch him off-guard and just hammer him into the ground.

Ilaryu is a famous general, lauded for her genius strategies and cool head under fire. She's far shorter than Eleha, having a petite build, but still carries a lot of muscle on her frame. Her weapon of choice is a bastard sword, for its versatility. She relies on her speed, skill with a blade, and ability to read her opponent in a fight. Not at all an explosive fighter, her style leans more on logic, using psychological intimidation tactics and intricate attacks to erode her opponents' confidence.

Aeyu is far younger than Eleha and Ilaryu, and much less experienced. She has some wiry muscle, but overall is kind of slim and willowy. She uses a shortsword and a dagger. To make up for her small size, she relies on agility and speed, and employs a fast, aggressive fighting style. To keep one step ahead of larger and stronger opponents, she's not afraid to fight dirty--she'll kick up dust, aim low blows, and use other traditionally dishonorable tactics.

Three warriors of the same gender--three totally different builds, personalities, weapon preferences, and fighting styles. Variety is an important factor to remember when designing badass warrior women!



Maybe their names should have more variety then...hmmm. The naming conventions I came up with for their culture are very limiting.
 

fantastic

Minstrel
I just came back to note that "fighting like a girl" can mean a lot of things. For instance, I have three female warriors in Southerner (well, actually more than that--these three are just main characters). All of them have different builds and abilities, and individualized fighting styles to match.

Eleha, leader of a rebellion, is a tall, heavily muscled woman who wields a longsword and a heavy shield, which she also uses as an offensive weapon. She can easily dominate an opponent using sheer brute strength, and often stuns and disarms her opponents with fast, furious bludgeoning attacks. However, she's also a cunning tactician--if facing an opponent who outclasses her in strength or skill, she'll start off weak, lulling him into a false confidence, then catch him off-guard and just hammer him into the ground.

Ilaryu is a famous general, lauded for her genius strategies and cool head under fire. She's far shorter than Eleha, having a petite build, but still carries a lot of muscle on her frame. Her weapon of choice is a bastard sword, for its versatility. She relies on her speed, skill with a blade, and ability to read her opponent in a fight. Not at all an explosive fighter, her style leans more on logic, using psychological intimidation tactics and intricate attacks to erode her opponents' confidence.

Aeyu is far younger than Eleha and Ilaryu, and much less experienced. She has some wiry muscle, but overall is kind of slim and willowy. She uses a shortsword and a dagger. To make up for her small size, she relies on agility and speed, and employs a fast, aggressive fighting style. To keep one step ahead of larger and stronger opponents, she's not afraid to fight dirty--she'll kick up dust, aim low blows, and use other traditionally dishonorable tactics.

Three warriors of the same gender--three totally different builds, personalities, weapon preferences, and fighting styles. Variety is an important factor to remember when designing badass warrior women!



Maybe their names should have more variety then...hmmm. The naming conventions I came up with for their culture are very limiting.

And if it is not something that would spoil the story, which one is the best and would win the fight? If they fought one on one in a place where there is no objects or places to exploit.
 
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Tom

Istar
And if it is not something that would spoil the story, which one is the best and would win the fight? If they fought one on one in a place where there is no objects or places to exploit.

All of them have different strengths, so I don't think any one of them would be better than the others. However, Ilaryu would probably win if they fought, since she is the best strategist of the three of them, and the most experienced in combat. Eleha can be rash and is too reliant on sheer strength, and Aeyu just doesn't have the skill yet to rival either of them. With training, she might be able to rival Eleha by playing her strength against her, but not Ilaryu.
 
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