10 Facts About Fighting That Action Movies Always Get Wrong

6. (Street) Fighting Styles Aren't Pretty

As talented as Jet Li and Jackie Chan are as true martial artists (and they're both exceptional in their own ways), there's no getting around the fact that the Jet Li and Jackie Chan you see on the silver screen look nothing like their real-life, street fight counterparts. In real life, perhaps an eighth of the techniques used on Hong Kong or Hollywood movie sets would be effective. (Perhaps not even that many.) High kicks are for people who want to receive monumental damage to their genitals. Spin moves are best used in breakdancing. Backflips are a good way to get the nicest room in the ER. Even the most experienced, well-prepared martial artist is going to look sloppy when they're in the middle of a real fight. Here's some good practice: Study the fight scenes of Jean-Claude Van Damme. Take note of every move he does. And then promptly disregard all of it, because there's a 99 percent chance you'll get your head taken off if you try any of it in a legitimate fight.