20 Fighting Poses (With Drawing Tips)

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Learn how to draw better fighting poses from professional artists

Co-authored by Marcus Pruitt, BS

Last Updated: January 28, 2026 Fact Checked

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When it comes to drawing fights, things can seem a little daunting at first. But when you have some good references, they help make the process much easier. That’s where we come in. In this article, we give you a list of 20 different fighting poses to draw or refer to. On top of that, we work with digital manga artist Arklight Blues and award-winning artist Claire Wentzel to help you improve at drawing fighting poses. Read on for everything you need to know about drawing fighting poses!

Coolest Fighting Poses to Draw

To draw fighting poses, focus on studying anatomy and using reference photos so your poses are accurate. It’s also important to study moving figures and subjects in motion so you can understand how bodies look when they’re moving. Practice drawing fighting poses regularly to improve your skill.

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Section 1 of 2:

Fighting Poses to Draw

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1. 1
   Clashing Swords Having your characters clash swords is a great way to get the battle started and show that stakes are serious. It’s a moment that makes sparks fly and shows how determined each character is to accomplish their goals. One character may have a fierce look on their face as they slash, while the other is angrily defending. Whatever the story calls for!

   • Do you need ideas for clashing sword poses? Have one character come down from the sky with their knees bent and their sword swung out in front of them. Draw the other character in a defensive position with their sword guarding their body.
   • Draw both characters in an offensive, grounded position with their swords clashing and making sparks fly to show how much force they’re both putting behind their swings.

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Arklight Blues is a Digital Manga Artist who has over 110k followers online and has been recognized in Shueisha’a MANGA Plus Creators section.

   Claire Wentzel is an Award-Winning Artist with over 20 years of experience specializing in media participatory art.
2. 2
   Looking Down with a Sword This one’s the perfect pose when you want to show that a character’s got their opponent dead to rights. All you have to do is draw your character looking down at the opponent with their sword to their face or body. Make sure the scene is drawn from the perspective of the opponent to really make your character menacing.
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3. 3
   Flying Kick Whether you want to draw your character moving like Bruce Lee or give them a cool scene where they’re knocking the enemy out with a powerful move, a flying kick is a great pose to go for. Just figure out what direction you want your character facing, then extend the top leg, bend the bottom one towards it, and add the design’s finishing touches.

   • You can draw the arms facing outward or towards the enemy, whatever feels best to you!
   • Experiment by playing around with the perspective. Instead of drawing your character from the side, draw them from the front or behind to really test your skills.
4. 4
   Upward Kick to the Face An upward kick to the face helps show that your character is dominating in battle. Whether you want to choose a ground kick or a flying kick is up to you, just make sure the kick connects to the face and that the opponent is shown flying back. That way, the impact of the kick will be felt through the page.
5. 5
   Upward Kick to the Side An upward kick to the side isn’t as dominating as an upward kick to the face, but it still shows how much the fight has escalated. Draw your character from the side as they deliver a powerful kick to their opponent’s ribs, or draw them from the front as they break through their opponent’s hip to best them in battle.

   • When drawing the kick, lower your character’s upper body so that it’s in line with real human anatomy.
6. 6
   Dropping Down with a Weapon Give your character a cool pose by drawing them dropping down from the sky with a weapon, like a staff or sword. You can draw them with their knees bent and their fists clenched above their head if they’re getting ready for a sword slash. Or you can draw them with a leg above their head if they’re delivering a strong kick with super-powered boots.
7. 7
   First-Person Punch When you want to show how menacing your character’s punch is, draw it from the perspective of the enemy. By having the reader look through their eyes, you’ll be able to show all of the detail behind the punch, like how clenched the fist is, how close the enemy is, and the look on the puncher’s face.

   • Draw speed lines around the fist to show how fast it’s moving.
8. 8
   First-Person Kick Create a quick, powerful moment by drawing your character kicking from the perspective of the opponent. Show their foot coming towards the enemy as their arms are stretched up (or out), then show the impact in the next panel. This will show how fast they’re moving and how hard the kick is, especially when paired with speed and impact lines.
9. 9
   Down on One Knee with a Staff If you’ve got a character who uses longer weapons to crush their enemies, draw them down on one knee with the spinning staff above their head to show that they’re getting ready to spring into battle.

   • To really show that your character’s ready to fight, draw them with a fierce, excited look on their face.
10. 10
    Fists Clenched & Ready for Action Whether your character’s walking into battle or on their knees and preparing for a major comeback, drawing them with their fist clenched and ready for action is a great way to show that they’re just getting started. Draw them with their fist at their side and their face matching the feelings to really give them some depth.

    • For example, if your character just got beat down but isn’t out of the fight, draw them lifting themselves off the ground with a determined, hopeful look on their face as they clench their fist.
    • Depending on the power system of your story, consider adding a bright aura or outline to your character’s fist to show them preparing for action.
11. 11
    Sword on Shoulder Give your character some crazy aura by drawing them holding their sword on their shoulder. It’s a great way to show that they’re ready for action or just bested their opponent in battle. All you have to do is draw them standing tall, holding their sword in their dominant hand with the dull part of the blade resting against one of their shoulders.

    • Give your character an expression that goes with the emotions of the scene. For example, if they just beat an army of enemies, draw them with a tired expression and fierce grin to show that they’re proud, but exhausted.
12. 12
    Hands Up In Defense When your character’s on the receiving end of a punch or blast, draw them with their hands and arms up against their chest and face. This will show that they’re protecting their face and vital body parts from a powerful, threatening attack.

    • If your character’s taking a strong punch, draw them on the ground with firm footing.
    • If your character’s protecting themselves from a powerful blast, draw them in the air with their arms crossed like an X against their head and chest.
13. 13
    Jumping Up with Arms Out When your character’s getting ready to deliver a finishing blow or a fight-changing blast, draw them jumping into the air with their arms out to show what they’re getting ready to do. It’s a great way to set the stage for a battle and let the audience know the action’s about to ramp up!

    • If they’re preparing a blast, draw them with straight legs and outstretched arms to show them gathering energy.
    • If they’re getting ready to punch someone, draw them with their fist cocked back, their opposite arm protecting their face, and one of their knees bent.
14. 14
    Swinging From the Ground Add some surprise to your scene by drawing a character swinging from the ground. Draw them with their legs bent or spread out in a fighting stance and their fist coming upward. Draw the fist bigger than the other parts of the body to show how close it is, and consider adding hatch marks or bold lines to show the swing’s power.
15. 15
    Sword Drawn Against the Enemy This pose is best if your character is getting ready for battle. You know the classic scene. The character arrives on the battlefield, stares down the enemy, unsheaths their sword, and gets ready for action. Whether they’re preparing for a swift ‘strike-and-slice’ or the clashing of swords, it’s a great way to show how calm they are before the storm.
16. 16
    Choke Out If you’ve got a strong brawler character, draw them choking out their opponent to express how brutal they’re willing to get. Choke outs are typically finishing moves, so draw your character with a strong, determined look on their face as they take out an enemy who looks like they’re about to tap.

    • Have fun with the facial expressions here! Give the person being choked out a humorous expression if you want to use the move as a gag.
    • Draw the opponent with their eyes rolling back in their head if you want to show that they’re really being bested.
17. 17
    Eye-to-Eye Clash Show some emotion in the fight by drawing your characters clashing up close and personal. They can be wielding swords, exchanging blows, or defending against the opponent, either way, drawing your characters eye-to-eye as they clash is a great way to show what they’re feeling in a fight while still keeping the action at high levels.

    • For example, draw one of your characters with a worried look and another with an excited look to show that the excited character is winning.
    • You can also draw both characters with wide eyes and stone-faced expressions to show how locked in they are.
18. 18
    Tackle Drawing your character tackling their opponent is a great way to switch things up and change the stakes of a fight. They’re throwing their full force at their enemy and bringing them to the ground, which can often signal victory or shifting tides (depending on the direction of your story, of course).

    • Draw the tackler with an angry, determined look on their face to show the emotional weight behind their tackle.
    • Draw the dirt behind the tackler’s feet kicking up to show how much force they put into the tackle.
19. 19
    Holding Up the Enemy This pose is typically a sign of victory and humiliation. By having one character pick up another, you’re showing how much power they have over them, which is a great way to get ready to close off a fight or shift the stakes in the holder’s favor.

    • You can even draw the person being held with an exhausted, defeated expression to visually express that they’re tapped out of the fight.
20. 20
    Kick Out of a Chokehold Being put in a chokehold is already difficult, seeing as you’re fighting to retain your breath, but adding a kick into the mix really shows your desire to live. So when you’ve got a moment in the story that calls for that desire to be showcased, draw them kicking themselves out of a chokehold and catching their opponent off guard.

    • Draw the kicker with scrunched eyebrows and bared teeth to show how determined they are to break free.
    • Draw impact lines around the kicker’s foot and the opponent’s face to show how hard they swung their leg.
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Section 2 of 2:

Drawing Tips for Fighting Poses

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1. 1
   Study anatomy to see how the body really looks. Arklight Blues says having a good grasp of anatomy helps when drawing fighting poses. “You need to study anatomy and see how the bones look in the hand, how they operate, how they move and how far they can move before you can actually understand the mechanism of the hand and draw it correctly.”

   • This tip mainly applies to hands, but studying anatomy helps improve whole-body drawings, which are essential for fighting poses.
   • Arklight Blues suggests getting anatomy books “because no matter how good you are at anatomy, it always helps to have a direct reference.”
2. 2
   Study dynamic poses to grasp drawing motion. Wentzel suggests studying dynamic poses to get used to drawing things in motions. Crazy, aggressive poses like someone holding a chair over their head “really [forces] you to look at the body in a different way and try to catch what’s in motion.”
3. 3
   Practice drawing basic and dynamic poses regularly. On top of studying poses. Wentzel says to repeat drawing the basic poses because “the more times you do it, the better at it you will become.” Whether you’re drawing 100 hands or 50 fighting poses, regularly practicing them will help you improve.
4. 4
   Keep drawing until you find your artistic style. Even when drawing becomes difficult, Wentzel says to “just keep doing it and don’t judge yourself.” It may be a struggle, but as you draw, experiment with different materials, and represent subjects that are fascinating to you, “a visual language [and personal art style] will become apparent through that.”
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