Fighting Techniques

[Havic]

Back kick
Explosive surprise move to catch opponent from behind. Judge opponent's distance from you carefully, then lash out with your back legs, taking weight on your front paws.

Belly rake
A fight stopper. Slice with unsheathed claws across the soft flesh of opponent's belly. If you're pinned down, the belly rake quickly puts you back in control.

Front paw blow
Frontal attack. Bring your front paw down hard on your opponent's head. Claws sheathed.

Frontal paw strike
Frontal Attack. Slice downward with your front paw at the body or face of your opponent. Claws unsheathed.

Killing bite
A death blow to the back of the neck. Quick and silent and sometimes considered dishonorable. Used only as a last resort.

Leap-and-hold
Ideal for a small cat facing a large opponent. Spring onto the opponent's back and grip with unsheathed claws. Now you are beyond the range of your opponent's paws and in the position to inflict severe body wounds. A group of apprentices can defeat a large and dangerous warrior in this way. It was deployed to great effect against BloodClan's deputy, Bone. Watch for the drop-and-roll countermove, and try to jump free before you get squashed.

Partner fighting
Warriors who have trained and fought together will often instinctively fall into a paired defensive position, each protecting the others back while fending and opponent on either side. Slashing, clawing, and leaping together, battle pairs can be a whirlwind of danger for attackers.

Play dead
Effective in a tight situation, such as when you are pinned. Stop struggling and go limp. When your opponent relaxes his grip, thinking you are defeated, push yourself up explosively. This will throw off an unwary opponent and put you in an attacking position.

Scruff shake
Secure a strong teeth grip in the scruff of your opponent's neck; then shake violently until she or he is too rattled to fight back. Most effective against rats, which are small enough to throw. A strong throw will stun or kill them.

Teeth grip
Target your opponents extremities-the legs, tail, scruff, or ears-and sink in your teeth and hold. This move is similar to the leap-and-hold except your claws are free to fight.

Upright look
Final, crushing move on already weakened opponent. Rear up on back legs and bring full weight down on opponent. If opponent does the same, wrestle and flip him or her under you. This move makes you vulnerable to the belly rake, so this move requires great strength and speed.

Ambush drop
If it is possible to get above your opponent in a tree or higher ground, this move may prove very useful for an ambush and an advantage at the beginning of a fight. The element of surprise is priceless, and this move allows for a quick, direct attack. Climbing into a tree branch or even on the side of a tree to twist and fall onto the back of an intruder with claws unsheathed can give you a good position to give a nasty bite.

Drop-and-roll
Counter move for the leap-and-hold, this move is valuable when fighting a smaller or equal sized opponent who has a strong grip. Roll over and try to smother or squash them to loosen their grip. Be prepared for a quick recovery so as not to make yourself vulnerable.

Drop-and-kick
Counter move to the upright lock, this move requires the knowledge that your opponent will be using the upright lock -- watch for signs that your opponent is confident in their size and strength. When the opponent moves into the upright lock position with both paws raised, quickly move under them and strike up with powerful back legs. Preformed without enough speed this move is disastrous, and should only be used with confident fighters.

Dodge
A common but effective strategy for a quick cat to disarm an opponent and avoid attack. Watch an opponent's eyes carefully to anticipate the target, and leap out of the way when they strike.

Unbalance
This move is a natural one aimed at disarming an opponent by knocking them down or making them stumble. It's a straightforward attack, and it's necessary not to betray your target with your eyes. Target legs and shoulders to unbalance with a paw strike, backlegs, a muzzle, or go in with a powerful head butt.

Back leg rake
The back legs are less mobile then the front, but have a lot of power, which makes them useful weapons of attack. This move requires pinning the opponent down by the shoulders and clawing their back with the hind legs.

Badger defense
This advanced move is used for warding of badgers and fighting them, and is a combination of power and wits which takes advantage of the lumbering slowness of a badger. It requires balance and speed. Jump high to avoid a badger's claws and land behind, spinning and biting. An extra bit of attack can be added with the slash of unsheathed claws during the spin.

Reverse reared strike
This is another unusual advanced battle move using a combination of the front paw strike, upright lock, back kick and a powerful jump. Kicking behind with the back legs and leaping backward onto the front paws (which acts as an automatic dodge for the drop-and kick move) and raking down with a powerful front strike.

Defense roll
Below the opponent's move can strike, duck your head and roll sideways and leap up. It's not an offensive move, but a quick move with a fluid recovery can catch your opponent off guard.

Environmental strategies
A wise and quick-thinking warrior can use their surroundings to their own advantage, be it backing a warrior into a thick bramble bush, suffocating an opponent with a collar by pulling on it, or puncturing an enemy throat with a sharp stick -- all of which have made an appearance in the series so far.