Tips for Believable Stage Slaps and Punches

Stage combat is one of the most interesting and entertaining aspects of live theatre. A properly choreographed fight looks completely real, but the performers involved are never in any danger of harming themselves. Here are a few tips for choreographing believable slaps and punches on stage.

Safety First
Actors need to understand that stage combat is a team effort - both the victim and the attacker have to be alert at all times. All combat moves must be well-rehearsed at slow speeds before trying them out in real time. Slaps and punches need to have established cues to determine the readiness of both partners, either through eye contact, physical contact or a verbal cue. Above all, performers must be conscious of spacing and distance on stage, so that they don't accidentally make contact in a non-contact move. A punch or slap to the face should miss the victim's face by at least 12". Punches to the stomach or other major muscle group can be contact or non-contact, but proper safety precautions must be taken in either case.

Windup and Reaction
Once both actors are cued and spaced appropriately, the attacker must execute a windup motion to make the slap or punch look real. The victim's job is to time his or her reaction correctly, including the clapping sound or "clap knap" that is the hallmark of a well-executed stage slap. To perform a clap knap, the victim must clap his or her hands just as the attacker's hand passes by his or her face. The victim then raises one hand to the side of the face that received the fake slap or punch. In the case of a punch to the stomach, the attacker's can either stop short of the victim's stomach (in which case the victim must make a loud vocal reaction to cover the lack of a clap knap) or perform a contact punch, in which the attacker opens his or her hand just before contact and slaps the victim's stomach lightly, then returns his or her hand to fist position as it is pulled away. The victim must still create an audible reaction, but it need not be as loud as in the case of the non-contact punch.

Body Position
Although slaps and punches can be executed anywhere on the stage, one of the best ways to make a "fake" punch or slap look real is to position the actors so that their bodies block the fake-looking aspects of the move. The attacker should face directly downstage and the victim upstage with their left shoulders lined up (if the attacker is left handed, the right shoulders should be aligned), so that the audience can see the attacker's body and angry expression, and get a clear view of his or her right hand windup motion. This position also prevents the audience from seeing the distance between the attacker's hand and the victim's face. With his or her back to the audience, the victim can easily hide his or her hands while executing the clap knap. During the reaction, the victim should turn 180 degrees, so that his or her pained or shocked expression can be seen by the audience.

A well-executed stage fight can add excitement to any production, but only if the slaps and punches are realistic. However, care must be taken to protect the safety of the actors involved. Using these techniques will allow any actor to create believable and safe stage punches and slaps.