In the quest The Warm-Up, you beat up on a huge Yeti that has been chained up nearby. If you find yourself in trouble, you can back out of range.
In the quests Into the Pit and Back to the Pit, you find yourself facing (other) Hyldnir on their own warbears. The Pit of the Fang is a free-for-all among the warbear riders. You can as easily find yourself facing 3 at a time as you can attack another warbear while it is attacking a third warbear.
Using the Charge stuns the target for a moment, allowing you to get a few more hits in without getting thwacked in return. To achieve the minimum distance in the pit, you most often have to do the Smash first, then follow up with your charge. Mostly, the Maul ability will be used.