Writing fight scenes

Wow these are truly hard work. Trying to convey anything that is fast in words is a challenge. A few days ago I wrote an alley based brawl. It was fun to do and, according to informed friends, read well too.

This surprised me as I have no experience of alley brawls. Perhaps I've just seen enough films.

I am now engaged in writing a conversation that takes place between two characters who are in a  fencing match.

Why do I do this to myself?