Fighting techniques

This page lists the Clans' various fighting techniques, as described in Secrets of the Clans and Battles of the Clans.

Techniques

• 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 all weight on your front paws.
• Belly Rake - A fight-stopper. Slice with unsheathed claws against the soft flesh of the opponent's belly. If you're pinned down, the belly rake quickly puts you back into control.
• Front Paw Blow - Frontal attack. Bring your front paw down hard on your opponent's head. Claws sheathed.
• Front Paw Strike/Forepaw Slash - Frontal attack. Slice downward with your front paw at the face or body of your opponent.
• 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 larger opponent. Spring onto opponent's back and grip with unsheathed claws. Now you are beyond the range of the opponent's paws and in position to inflict severe body wounds. A group of apprentices can defeat a large and dangerous warrior in this way. Watch for the drop-and-roll counter move, and try to jump free before you get squashed.
• Partner Fighting - Warriors who have trained and fought together will often fall instinctively into a defensive position, each protecting each other's back while fending off an 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 their grip, thinking you are defeated, push yourself up explosively. This will throw off an unwary opponent and put you in attacking position.
• Scruff Shake - Secure a strong teeth grip in the scruff of your opponent's neck; then shake violently until they are too rattled to fight back. Most effective against rats, who are small enough to throw. A strong throw will stun or kill them.
• Tail Yank - Grab your opponent's tail and yank it with such force that your opponent is thrown off balance.^[source?]
• Teeth Grip - Target your opponent's 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 remain free to fight.
• Upright Lock - Final, crushing move on already weakened opponent. Rear up on back legs and bring weight down on opponent. If opponent does the same, wrestle and flip them under you. This makes you vulnerable to the belly rake, so it takes great strength and speed.
• Half-Turn Belly Rake - Turn onto your side, slip under the opponent's belly, rake it with your claws, then swiftly turn back onto all fours out from under your opponent.
• Badger Defense: Leap over opponent, turn on your back legs and bite opponent's leg. Used only when fighting badgers.
• Duck and Twist: Simple defensive move. The cat ducks then twists around, rolling over onto their back, and then springs to their paws.
• Jump and pin: Complicated move. Leap backwards, and bounce off the wall. With precise accuracy, land on the cat.

Examples

Belly Rake:

• Mudfur has the upper hand fighting Adderfang when Adderfang uses this move on him, changing the possession of the upper hand.
• Fireheart uses the Belly Rake against Tigerclaw while defending Bluestar in the battle against the rogues.

Front Paw Blow:

• Used by Snowpaw and Bluepaw against Crookedpaw in the battle for defense of Sunningrocks.
• This move is also used to swipe at a dog's muzzle when it comes close to entering RiverClan's camp.
• Used by Crookedstar against Mapleshade when Willowbreeze dies, and he seeks vengeance. She then uses it in return on him.

Forepaw Slash:

• Frogkit asks Crookedjaw to show this move to him.
• While Shredtail and Thistleclaw are practicing battle moves in the Dark Forest, Shredtail executes a series of violent Forepaw Slashes on his opponent Thistleclaw.
• Used by both Mudfur and Adderfang in the fight for Sunningrocks.
• Mapleshade uses this on Crookedstar once she had gotten her revenge.
• Used by WindClan warriors against Sunfall and Sparrowpelt. Also used by Stonepelt in the same battle.

Killing Bite:

• Taught to and used against Thistleclaw by Silverhawk in the Dark Forest.
• Crookedstar attempts to use this against Mapleshade when Willowbreeze dies, but she fights back by pushing up, and Crookedstar fails.

Leap-and-Hold:

• Used by Ottersplash and Beetlepaw while attacking the heron.
• Used by Bluepaw against Crookedpaw in defense of Sunningrocks. It is noted that she was clinging onto him like a burr.
• Crookedpaw uses this to fight the dog that threatened Willowpaw and Graypaw's lives.
• Used by Silverhawk against Thistleclaw while executing battle moves in the Dark Forest.
• Crookedstar uses this against Mapleshade once Willowbreeze dies.
• Used against Adderfang by unknown WindClan warriors in the battle against WindClan.
• Used by a group of apprentices in The Darkest Hour.

Partner Fighting:

• Sunfall and Sparrowpelt partner fight to attack WindClan warriors in the battle against WindClan.
• Used by Stormtail and Dappletail in Bluestar's Prophecy against WindClan.
• Used by Bluepaw and Snowpaw fighting Crookedjaw in the battle in defense of the Sunningrocks.
• Used by Firepaw and Graypaw while fighting ShadowClan in Into the Wild
• Used by Ivypaw and Dovepaw fighting in Fading Echoes against ShadowClan.

Play Dead:

• Used many times by Firestar. As an apprentice, he surprise attacks Yellowfang by playing dead, then exploding upwards and throwing her back. .
• Firestar beat Scourge with this move by going limp under him then leaping up and taking him by surprise.
• Used by Lionpaw in Outcast against a black-and-white she-cat from the rogues invading the Tribe. The move was prompted by Hawkfrost.

Teeth Grip:

• Used by Crookedkit when first meeting Fleck.
• Used by Bluepaw against Crookedpaw in the battle for defense of Sunningrocks. In the same battle, this is used by Snowpaw against Crookedpaw.
• When Mudfur fights for RiverClan for Sunningrocks, he uses this against Adderfang, who quickly uses it on Mudfur again to snap at his forelegs.
• Used in battle against WindClan by Stormtail against countless WindClan warriors. WindClan warriors also used this against Adderfang.

Half-Turn Belly Rake:

• Used by Bluepaw in Bluestar's Prophecy when she shows Lionpaw and Goldenpaw the move after being asked by Lionpaw's mentor Swiftbreeze to perform it, to show the two younger apprentices how to do it one day at a battle training session. Lionpaw then tries the move. He is quick but clumsy, and his sister Goldenpaw performs the move well, but she thinks too long before she does the move, and is gently scolded by Swiftbreeze.
• Used by Snowfur against Crookedpaw when fighting RiverClan to defend Sunningrocks.
• Used by Crookedstar against Mapleshade when Willowbreeze dies.

Other techniques

Rear-up to Slash:

• To hurt opponents coming from the air, this move can be used to rear up on the hind legs and slashing at the enemy. Used by Crookedkit to defend against the magpie and Fleck.
• Taught to Crookedkit more accurately by Mapleshade.
• Used by Crookedpaw against Bluepaw to almost defeat her in the battle for Sunningrocks.
• When Thistleclaw is practicing in the Dark Forest, he uses this move against his mentor, Shredtail.
• Both Adderfang and Mudfur use this move to regain control of the Sunningrocks.

Attack Crouch:

• Crouching down to leap out onto your enemy. Used by Crookedkit when first meeting Fleck.

Tucking in the Tail:

• The less you give your enemy to hold on to, the better. This technique takes practice, as balancing with a tucked-in tail is tricky. Taught to Crookedpaw by Mapleshade. Crookedpaw later uses this against Beetlenose, who hisses that it wasn't fair to hide his tail. Cedarpelt's gaze darkens, saying that only ThunderClan cats hide their tails.
• Thistleclaw tucks in his tail when fighting Shredtail in the Dark Forest.

Bushing out Fur:

• Taught to Crookedpaw by Cedarpelt. In contrast, Mapleshade taught him to slick down his fur to fool his opponent into thinking he looked weaker than he really was.

Arched Back:

• Used to intimidate the opponent or to vent out anger. Used against Crookedpaw by Sunfall in the battle for Sunningrocks.

Shoulder Drop:

• This move is performed by grabbing the opponent's shoulders and then locking them against the ground. From here, the cat can do anything such as churning their hind paws against their spine. Crookedpaw used this technique against Bluepaw in the battle for Sunningrocks.
• Used by Crookedjaw later on when Mapleshade tells him he must show no love for Willowbreeze.
• Used by Mudfur against Adderfang for control of Sunningrocks. This move stops the battle, and RiverClan ends in success.
• Mapleshade locks Crookedstar in this position while she tells her bitter story and quest for revenge.

Roll Over:

• Used by rolling over to avoid an enemy's swipes or grip. Mudfur uses this against Adderfang in the battle for Sunningrocks.
• Used to crush an opponent that is on your back. Badgers can crush cats this way.

Duck and Headbutt

• Used by ducking an opponent's blow and headbutting them in the chest, bowling them over. Bramblestar and Jessy use this when fighting the kittypets in Bramblestar's Storm.

Dark Forest techniques

This is a list of fighting techniques taught by cats residing in The Place of No Stars, also known as the Dark Forest. Most of the names of these fighting techniques were unknown.

• Underbelly Slash- Dart under your enemy's underbelly, slashing at the back of their forepaws. When they twist, expecting you to emerge on the other side, back quickly out of the way you came. Hook your claws into your enemies fur, and drag them to the ground. This move was taught to Lionblaze by Tigerstar and Hawkfrost.
• Badger Defense ("Advanced")- An "advanced" Badger Defense taught to Lionblaze by Tigerstar. Leap over opponent, turn on your back legs, and, while turning, rake your claws on opponent's back. Then sink teeth into opponent's leg. Used only when fighting badgers.
• Spin Hind Kick- Flick your hind legs into the air while spinning around on your forepaws, then rear up and rake at the enemy with your claws before tucking your head down and perform a forward roll. This move was taught to Lionblaze by Tigerstar and Hawkfrost.
• Hold And Enemy Collapse- Leap onto an enemy's back, and hold their head with your forepaws and use your hindpaws to knock their hindlegs out from under them, thus making them collapse to the ground. This move was taught to Lionblaze by Tigerstar and Hawkfrost, and was used by Lionblaze against Breezepelt, easily allowing him to defeat him.

Gallery

Battle moves

Front paw blow

Scruff shake

Reverse branch swing

Double-front-paw slap-down

Underwater push-off

See also

• Tail signals
• Unique battle skills