Morgiana from ‘Magi’

We’ll see if I can actually come up with seven tips.  All of these are going to be opinions because I’m aiming primarily to avoid the ‘mountain of muscle’ woman that many think is the only option.  So, let’s see:

1. Like with men, women should know how to punch and kick.  Don’t have them flail wildly or slap.  A brawler can throw a punch.  Not only with how to do it without shattering their hands, but where to hit.  It doesn’t have to be formerly trained, but can be learned through years of experience.  This tip stems from seeing many female brawlers written solely to slap, scratch, bite, and latch onto an opponent’s back while shrieking.
2. There are ways to write a woman as being muscular without having them be bodybuilders.  They can be toned, athletic, and other words that show they aren’t demure sticks.  Having them described as such shows they are in shape enough to throw down even if they aren’t going to hurl dining tables like their male counterparts.
3. While I am sticking primarily to hand-t0-hand, brawlers are known to use weapons of convenience.  These are objects in the area, which they can throw or bash enemies with in addition to their fists and feet.  Doing so shows their battle intelligence and how they can think in the midst of chaotic action.  This is usually done when it’s ‘one vs many’ like in a Jackie Chan movie.  For some reason, people commonly forget about this tactic with female brawlers, but do remember it for female martial artists.
4. Groin and throat shots are allowed.  Honestly, I think male brawlers should do these more often.  Women in fiction tend to depend exclusively on these though, which I guess is close to reality.  Anyway, it doesn’t hurt to have these occur, but they are pretty big fight enders.
5. A female brawler doesn’t have to act aggressive, drunk, belligerent, or rude.  Basically, they don’t have to act like a stereotypical anti-hero male.  They can still be friendly and show emotions while having the ability to beat people into a pulp.  There doesn’t have to be a sacrifice of these things for the sake of combat.  It shouldn’t even be done to men, but it seems to go to extremes when someone wants to show a female is into fighting.
6. Long hair is a challenge.  People tend to associate it with being feminine, but it’s a liability in a fight.  So, it makes sense for a brawler to have short hair.  That really only matters if that’s their focus though.  If a character isn’t combat-minded, but is able to fight then they might not go for the look.  This could be a weakness if they don’t have a way to tie it up or hide it before battle.  Then again, I have met women who have gotten into fights and grabbing their hair meant you were in hitting range.
7. A big aspect of being a brawler is taking a hit and continuing to fight.  Now, men are expected to take more physical beatings than women.  There might be some biological truth to this, but that doesn’t mean one hit and a female brawler goes down.  The individual is a big factor here.  There are men who can tank blows and men who will fall to a single slap.  So, there should be women who can rush through a series of blows to get within reach too.