Fighting

Angel is good with martial arts, but is a lot like Buffy - he's taking different types of fighting techniques from for example Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, etc, and mixing them together. He's not fighting after the rules of just one, specific martial art. That, however, doesn't mean he doesn't *train* martial arts. We've seen him practice Tai Chi both on "Buffy" and "Angel."

Angel is also very good at getting out og jams such as headlocks, wrestler-grips, etc, and equally as good at holding his oponents there. (Remember the demon from Rm v/a Vu?) He *seems* to prefer working with his arms rather than his legs when he fights, and his most frequent movements includes his elbows. Using them to hit people's jaws, heads, shoulders, stomachs...

When it comes to weapons, I'm under the impression that Angel can handle just about every weapon there is. I can remember seeing him with battle axes, knives, stakes, quarterstaffs and swords. I'm also pretty sure he knows how to handle a crossbow.

He can also improvise with trashcans, pool cues, bats, shoes - everything... Whatever you choose to have laying around, he can probably use in one way or another. And don't forget those stylish stake things around his wrists, seen in 'City Of...' and 'The Harsh Light Of Day.' Angel is very direct about the killing. When he's fighting, it's about winning by either chasing the oponent away ro preferably kill it - not beat it to a bloody pulp first!

Spike is somewhat different from Angel beause he's using more dirty tricks; hair pulling, biting, kneeing etc. He's also using more 'professional' kicks and hits, though - at least that's what I've noticed - but he seems to prefer to fight using his own style.

Spike, like Angel, is very inventive and has no problems using whatever laying around as a weapon. I can also see him using couches, tables, walls and crates as platforms. Picture Spike fighting someone twice his height. He should be able to get in a really good kick if he first ran towards the wall, then kicked out from the wall again, thus bringing him higher.

We've seen that Spike has more trouble than Angel getting out of headlocks and such (think 'Lover's Walk' and 'In The Dark') but he has one advantage; He can flip very easily to his feet again after being knocked down.

He also has a mean streak for how to kill his oponents and how beat up he want them to get before he kills them. Spike rarely settles simply for snapping a neck or draining them dry unless he's in a hurry. He'll probably beat them to a bloody pulp first, rip open their throat, or something. Remember his very violent reputation and past, people.

Also, you shouldn't forget that he has two Slayers on his conscious, so that means he really is smart and fast-thinking.

Now this is always interesting, because they fit together so perfectly, and are so much alike each other. They're both powerful master vampires (well, Spike used to be) with an evil streak (well, Angel used to have one) and excellent fighting skills.

You can take this in practically every direction you want to - you can give either one the upper hand and still have it sound believable, you can make both of them weakened and tired, or you can make it a life-and-death fight. I've also read stories where they fought each other in an almost animalistic way, with clawing and biting and such, rather than kicks and punches.

You should have them make sounds while fighting - grunts and growls or whatever. I mean, it's impossible to to take a hit to your stomach without grunting the very least! (Trust me on this one...) If they're really fighting for their lives, make it bloody and graphic. Have them scream in extreme agony and pain - but only if you let them make up again afterwards, of course. ;o)

The most important thing to remember if you're letting Spike and Angel face each other, is that they're physically equals. They're both strong and powerful, so write their movements that way. Don't let Spike beat the crap out of Angel and that's it, or the other way around.

Think Lover's Walk. When Spike and Angel are fighting side by side, they obviously can fight separately like they did in Lover's Walk, each concentrating on their own task and their own current oponent. However, I do enjoy reading stories where they really fight *together,* using each other to anticipate the oponents next move and helping each other, watching each other's backs.

I do believe that they are Sire and Childe, and that they therefor have a special connection between them. Two vampires with vampiric strength, who also is such great fighters as Spike and Angel, can create a very impressive scene.

They can fight back to back like Buffy and Faith did in 'Revalations,' they can use each other for support, in order to launch themselves into kicks and spins, or if you're after something lighter you can have them take turns fighting or just simply have them sing the theme song to 'The Brady Bunch' until their enemies run away screaming.

A scene where Spike and Angel would be insteresting, again because they fit together perfectly. What Angel is excellent at, Spike isn't *that* good at, etc. Angel may 'like to work with his legs,' but he seems to use his arms more, while Spike don't have a problem with kicking, kneeing and spinning, using his legs.

A list over the episodes you should re-watch simply for the fighting and the cool moves there. I am aware that very little of this involves Angel or especially Spike, but the moves and the fighting are still very cool. And besides, I don't think Angel and Buffy's fighting are all that different, so why don't you give Angel a hit or a kick you saw Buffy throw sometime?

For more fighting scenes, moving out of the BtVS universe, you could e.g. check out some movies. There are tons of movies with good fighting scenes, for your ever need. You've got, e.g. Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon or Karate Kid for martial arts. You've got Fight Club and Lethal Weapon for street fighting - and you've got The Matrix and Mortal Kombat for more... far out stuff... :o) I mean - hey - it is vampires we're talking about after all, and we've seen what e.g. Penn can do...

***This essay was originally posted at Our Armageddon and is used with permission, reposting without the author's written permission is forbidden***


	The Adventures of Captain Peroxide and Deadboy The Angel/Spike Zone of the BtVS Writer's Guild Home Updates Stories Resources Extras News Music Forum Contact Guestbook Links Full Version How to write fight-scenes involving Spike and Angel... By Nemi When Angel Is Fighting \| When Spike Is Fighting When They Are Fighting Each Other \| When They Fight Side By Side Good Fighting Scenes *** When Angel is fighting...** Angel is good with martial arts, but is a lot like Buffy - he's taking different types of fighting techniques from for example Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, etc, and mixing them together. He's not fighting after the rules of just one, specific martial art. That, however, doesn't mean he doesn't train martial arts. We've seen him practice Tai Chi both on "Buffy" and "Angel." Angel is also very good at getting out og jams such as headlocks, wrestler-grips, etc, and equally as good at holding his oponents there. (Remember the demon from Rm v/a Vu?) He seems to prefer working with his arms rather than his legs when he fights, and his most frequent movements includes his elbows. Using them to hit people's jaws, heads, shoulders, stomachs... When it comes to weapons, I'm under the impression that Angel can handle just about every weapon there is. I can remember seeing him with battle axes, knives, stakes, quarterstaffs and swords. I'm also pretty sure he knows how to handle a crossbow. He can also improvise with trashcans, pool cues, bats, shoes - everything... Whatever you choose to have laying around, he can probably use in one way or another. And don't forget those stylish stake things around his wrists, seen in 'City Of...' and 'The Harsh Light Of Day.' Angel is very direct about the killing. When he's fighting, it's about winning by either chasing the oponent away ro preferably kill it - not beat it to a bloody pulp first! *** When Spike is fighting... Spike is somewhat different from Angel beause he's using more dirty tricks; hair pulling, biting, kneeing etc. He's also using more 'professional' kicks and hits, though - at least that's what I've noticed - but he seems to prefer to fight using his own style. Spike, like Angel, is very inventive and has no problems using whatever laying around as a weapon. I can also see him using couches, tables, walls and crates as platforms. Picture Spike fighting someone twice his height. He should be able to get in a really good kick if he first ran towards the wall, then kicked out from the wall again, thus bringing him higher. We've seen that Spike has more trouble than Angel getting out of headlocks and such (think 'Lover's Walk' and 'In The Dark') but he has one advantage; He can flip very easily to his feet again after being knocked down. He also has a mean streak for how to kill his oponents and how beat up he want them to get before he kills them. Spike rarely settles simply for snapping a neck or draining them dry unless he's in a hurry. He'll probably beat them to a bloody pulp first, rip open their throat, or something. Remember his very violent reputation and past, people. Also, you shouldn't forget that he has two Slayers on his conscious, so that means he really is smart and fast-thinking. * When they fight each other... Now this is always interesting, because they fit together so perfectly, and are so much alike each other. They're both powerful master vampires (well, Spike used to be) with an evil streak (well, Angel used to have one) and excellent fighting skills. You can take this in practically every direction you want to - you can give either one the upper hand and still have it sound believable, you can make both of them weakened and tired, or you can make it a life-and-death fight. I've also read stories where they fought each other in an almost animalistic way, with clawing and biting and such, rather than kicks and punches. You should have them make sounds while fighting - grunts and growls or whatever. I mean, it's impossible to to take a hit to your stomach without grunting the very least! (Trust me on this one...) If they're really fighting for their lives, make it bloody and graphic. Have them scream in extreme agony and pain - but only if you let them make up again afterwards, of course. ;o) The most important thing to remember if you're letting Spike and Angel face each other, is that they're physically equals. They're both strong and powerful, so write their movements that way. Don't let Spike beat the crap out of Angel and that's it, or the other way around. * When they fight side by side...** Think Lover's Walk. When Spike and Angel are fighting side by side, they obviously can fight separately like they did in Lover's Walk, each concentrating on their own task and their own current oponent. However, I do enjoy reading stories where they really fight together, using each other to anticipate the oponents next move and helping each other, watching each other's backs. I do believe that they are Sire and Childe, and that they therefor have a special connection between them. Two vampires with vampiric strength, who also is such great fighters as Spike and Angel, can create a very impressive scene. They can fight back to back like Buffy and Faith did in 'Revalations,' they can use each other for support, in order to launch themselves into kicks and spins, or if you're after something lighter you can have them take turns fighting or just simply have them sing the theme song to 'The Brady Bunch' until their enemies run away screaming. A scene where Spike and Angel would be insteresting, again because they fit together perfectly. What Angel is excellent at, Spike isn't that good at, etc. Angel may 'like to work with his legs,' but he seems to use his arms more, while Spike don't have a problem with kicking, kneeing and spinning, using his legs. *** Good fighting scenes A list over the episodes you should re-watch simply for the fighting and the cool moves there. I am aware that very little of this involves Angel or especially Spike, but the moves and the fighting are still very cool. And besides, I don't think Angel and Buffy's fighting are all that different, so why don't you give Angel a hit or a kick you saw Buffy throw sometime? "Buffy - the Vampire Slayer" Season 1 Scooby Gang vs vampires at the Bronze - The Harvest Buffy vs Mark - The Puppet Show Season 2 Buffy & Angel vs Vamps - When She Was Bad Spike's general moves - School Hard Spike & Order Of Taraka vs Buffy & Kendra - What's My Line 2 Angelus vs Buffy - Innocence Angelus vs Buffy - Becoming 2 Season 3 Buffy vs Guards from hell - Anne Buffy, Angel & Spike vs Lenny and his vamps - Lover's Walk Everyebody vs Everybody - The Wish Faith & Buffy's general movements - Bad Girls & Consequences Scooby Gang vs Vampires at the Bronze - The Doppelgangland Buffy vs Faith - Graduation 1 Season 4 Buffy's general movements - Living Conditions Spike vs Buffy - The Harsh Light Of Day Buffy & Riley vs The Gentlemen's henchmen - Hush Scooby Gang & Spike vs demons - Doomed Faith vs Buffy - This Year's Girl & Who Are You? Buffy vs Adam - Primeval "Angel" Angel vs Spike - In The Dark Angel vs Demon torpedo - Rm v/a Vu Angel's general movements - The Bachelor Party & Hero Angel vs Penn - Somnambulist Angel & teens' general movements - War Zone For more fighting scenes, moving out of the BtVS universe, you could e.g. check out some movies. There are tons of movies with good fighting scenes, for your ever need. You've got, e.g. Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon or Karate Kid for martial arts. You've got Fight Club and Lethal Weapon for street fighting - and you've got The Matrix and Mortal Kombat for more... far out stuff... :o) I mean - hey - it is vampires we're talking about after all, and we've seen what e.g. Penn can do... This essay was originally posted at Our Armageddon and is used with permission, reposting without the author's written permission is forbidden Back to Essays Return to the Resources Section**