On Fri, 12 Dec 2003, Chris Olson - SunPS wrote: > Jot Powers wrote: > > It is obvious that any movie on martial arts isn't going to be how it > > is really practiced. 3 moves, fight over, just doesn't make for > > interesting cinema. :) > > Combine that with the fact that movie fights are choreographed, > and you'll get the general idea. > > I've seen martial arts tournaments (and participated in a couple, ouch!) > and they're never like the movies. They usualy involve the > participants circling each other, mixed with a flurry of > blows, kicks, and blocks. And yeah, it can often be a "3-move, done" > fight. <grin> Is it Zelazny's book _Doorways in the Sand_ where we see a duel between two expert swordsmen, the duel consisting entirely of the men circling each other looking for an deadly advantage? I remember one dueler saying, "You almost had me there" at some point, though nothing visible changed.