Post by Combustion kid on Jan 4, 2008 1:36:39 GMT 1
Airbending is based on the Ba Gua style of martial arts with a small hint of Hsing Yi, also known as "mind heart boxing." These martial arts feature swift, evasive maneuvers that evoke the intangibility and explosive power of wind, drawing energy from the center of the abdomen.
Ba Gua, which utilizes circle walking, is known for its constant circular movement which makes it difficult for opponents to attack directly or land a blow. Maneuvers employ the entire body with smooth coiling and uncoiling movements utilizing dynamic footwork, open-hand techniques, and throws. A common tactic is to maneuver behind an opponent and mirror their movements preventing them from turning to face the practitioner. Aang has used this to great effect several times.
Unlike other bending disciplines, airbending lacks fatal finishing moves, being an almost entirely defensive art. None the less it is most dynamic and a bender could potentially hold there own in a fight without even attacking once.
Air Manipulation: By using circular, evasive movements, Airbenders build up massive inertia; this buildup of energy is released as massive power. It also allows for wind-based counterattacks that knock opponents off-balance, mimicking the sudden directional shifts of air currents. Attacks vary from simple gusts of wind to miniature tornadoes and cyclones maintaining there circular theme. Even a simple movement can create a air gust, and airbenders increase the power of their moves by perfoming larger sweeps and spins, using the momentum of their movement to simulate larger gusts. This is also demonstrated with their use of staffs or fans to increase or focus the air currents they create.
Air Shields: The most common defensive tactic involves circling enemies, suddenly changing direction when attacked and evading by physical movement rather than bending. However an airbender can still deflect as needed by throwing up gusts of air close to their bodies as a shield. This is rarely to stop attacks directly and more often pushes the attack aside and away, conserving energy and allowing them to turn the movement into an attack at the same moment. Since air can affect almost all physical objects it can also be used to enforce the momentum of thrown objects or manipulate other objects (though requiring a higher degree of precision).
Air Barrier: This is a more powerful defensive technique where the entire body is surrounded by a dome of air that deflects attacks from all directions.
Air Blast: A more offensive move involving a direct pulse or jet of wind from the hands or feet. The power is generated more from the benders own power than assisted by momentum. This direct blast can reach further with greater accuracy and is used to inflict greater damage.
Breath of Wind Very similar to standard air jet but created from the mouth and lungs. It requires extremely good breath control to employ effectively. Size and focus is more easily controlled, including narrow jets that can strike targets as small as insects, to large gale force gusts.
Enhanced Speed: Airbenders enhance their movement in battle, and can run swiftly by decreasing air resistance around them, and even sprint across or run up vertical surfaces by generating a wind current behind themselves to propel them along. Aang has been shown using this to run many times faster than an average human and maintain this for very long periods, alonging him to travel long distances even without gliding or jumping.
Enhanced Agility: Air movements can also be used a levitation aid. Airbenders jump high and far by riding on strong gusts of wind and can slow or deflect falls by creating cushions of air. The constant movement required by this art makes airbenders naturally flexible and agile. Even without actually bending they can easily maneuver around an opponent by ducking, jumping, and side stepping, appearing to flow around their opponents without expending any energy at all, letting the opponent tire themselves out and create exploitable openings. This conservation of energy combined with high stamina gives them an advantage in prolonged combat.
Master Airbender Level:
Air Vortex: A spinning funnel of air of various sizes. This can be used to trap and disorient opponents or as a potent defense since it will deflect and repel any objects and can even throw them back at an opponent (as demonstrated by Aang in his duel with Bumi, the air column easy throwing aside a boulder the size of bus).
Air Funnel: Similar to an Air vortex but to a smaller scale, Aang inventively used this technique as a canon by creating a small air funnel through which small rock projectiles could be entered through the top and could be fired out of the opposite end.
Air Blades: A more offensive move than is typical of airbending principle, this involves a focus slicing air current that can cut through stone or timber with relative ease. This is frequently conjured with a staff rather than the body, using the narrow profile of the object to create a more focused air movement.
Avatar Level Airbenders:
Tornadoes/Hurricanes: In addition to very large and powerful air movements, an Avatar level bender can create massive tornadoes and hurricanes at will.
Air Sphere: Similar to the air shield this powerful defense surrounds the bender in a sphere of spinning air that deflects anything coming in at them and can even disintegrate the ground beneath them. Aang sub-consciously uses this every time he enters the Avatar state when angered.
Special Techniques:
Gliding: Although all Airbenders can levitate or extend jumps via Airbending, most if not all Airbenders possess a glider for mid range flight. These hand crafted portable wood and canvas structures can collapse into a staff for storage and as an aid when bending. In glider form it is used in conjunction with bending to fly as long as the bender has the strength to maintain the air currents. With stronger winds multiple people can be carried for short distances. As a normal staff, it can be used as a weapon in battle, to aid in bending, and even as a levitation aid when spun above the head like a helicopter propeller.
At the beginning of season 3, though, Aang destroyed his damaged glider, though it was replaced at the beginning of the invasion of the fire nation by a more advanced version created by the Mechanist and his son Teo.
Air Scooter: The Air Scooter, a form of ground transportation invented by Aang himself, is a spherical "ball" of air that can be ridden balancing on it like a top. He has used the technique in many episodes, usually to provide quick bursts of speed as well as to overcome vertical surfaces, including in The Drill in order to scale the wall of Ba Sing Se. The Air Scooter is also shown to be capable of levitating in the air for short periods. The Air Scooter first appeared in, "The Avatar Returns", where Aang uses it to escape Zuko's ship.
It was Aang's invention of this technique that subsequently earned him his tattoos and title of a master at such a young age. In a flashback in the episode, The Storm, Aang tries to teach this move to his Airbending friends. They all fail, at first, but eventually they master the art and develop a game that requires the air scooter to play.
Cloudbending: In, "The Fortuneteller", it's shown that (because clouds are made of water in air) a skilled air or waterbender can manipulate them easily. In the same episode, Aang and Katara join their powers to created a giant skull form with the clouds who is the sign that the volcano will erupt, so the villagers will be safe. It's still unknown if an airbender can perform this technique without a waterbender and vice versa. But even if it's the case, the Avatar can manipulate that two kind of bending so it's not a problem for Aang.
It has also been hinted that since airbenders have control over the air around them they can control the climate around them as a higher-level type of airbending.
Soundbending?: In, "The Tales of Ba Sing Se", Aang is shown blowing into his whistle and sending a high frequency sound wave through Ba Sing Sae to round up the animals. It may be possible for airbenders to control sound because sound waves travels through air.
Weapons
Unlike other nations, who only rarely use weapons with their bending, airbenders commonly use their signature staffs to augment their powers in battle. This is usually done by enhancing the air movements created by sweeps or thrusts of the staff. With the staffs narrow profile the currents created can be be more accuratly controlled and even shaped into cutting blades. Metal fans can also be used in combination with airbending as seen by Avatar Kyoshi and Avatar Aang.
info from wiki
Ba Gua, which utilizes circle walking, is known for its constant circular movement which makes it difficult for opponents to attack directly or land a blow. Maneuvers employ the entire body with smooth coiling and uncoiling movements utilizing dynamic footwork, open-hand techniques, and throws. A common tactic is to maneuver behind an opponent and mirror their movements preventing them from turning to face the practitioner. Aang has used this to great effect several times.
Unlike other bending disciplines, airbending lacks fatal finishing moves, being an almost entirely defensive art. None the less it is most dynamic and a bender could potentially hold there own in a fight without even attacking once.
Air Manipulation: By using circular, evasive movements, Airbenders build up massive inertia; this buildup of energy is released as massive power. It also allows for wind-based counterattacks that knock opponents off-balance, mimicking the sudden directional shifts of air currents. Attacks vary from simple gusts of wind to miniature tornadoes and cyclones maintaining there circular theme. Even a simple movement can create a air gust, and airbenders increase the power of their moves by perfoming larger sweeps and spins, using the momentum of their movement to simulate larger gusts. This is also demonstrated with their use of staffs or fans to increase or focus the air currents they create.
Air Shields: The most common defensive tactic involves circling enemies, suddenly changing direction when attacked and evading by physical movement rather than bending. However an airbender can still deflect as needed by throwing up gusts of air close to their bodies as a shield. This is rarely to stop attacks directly and more often pushes the attack aside and away, conserving energy and allowing them to turn the movement into an attack at the same moment. Since air can affect almost all physical objects it can also be used to enforce the momentum of thrown objects or manipulate other objects (though requiring a higher degree of precision).
Air Barrier: This is a more powerful defensive technique where the entire body is surrounded by a dome of air that deflects attacks from all directions.
Air Blast: A more offensive move involving a direct pulse or jet of wind from the hands or feet. The power is generated more from the benders own power than assisted by momentum. This direct blast can reach further with greater accuracy and is used to inflict greater damage.
Breath of Wind Very similar to standard air jet but created from the mouth and lungs. It requires extremely good breath control to employ effectively. Size and focus is more easily controlled, including narrow jets that can strike targets as small as insects, to large gale force gusts.
Enhanced Speed: Airbenders enhance their movement in battle, and can run swiftly by decreasing air resistance around them, and even sprint across or run up vertical surfaces by generating a wind current behind themselves to propel them along. Aang has been shown using this to run many times faster than an average human and maintain this for very long periods, alonging him to travel long distances even without gliding or jumping.
Enhanced Agility: Air movements can also be used a levitation aid. Airbenders jump high and far by riding on strong gusts of wind and can slow or deflect falls by creating cushions of air. The constant movement required by this art makes airbenders naturally flexible and agile. Even without actually bending they can easily maneuver around an opponent by ducking, jumping, and side stepping, appearing to flow around their opponents without expending any energy at all, letting the opponent tire themselves out and create exploitable openings. This conservation of energy combined with high stamina gives them an advantage in prolonged combat.
Master Airbender Level:
Air Vortex: A spinning funnel of air of various sizes. This can be used to trap and disorient opponents or as a potent defense since it will deflect and repel any objects and can even throw them back at an opponent (as demonstrated by Aang in his duel with Bumi, the air column easy throwing aside a boulder the size of bus).
Air Funnel: Similar to an Air vortex but to a smaller scale, Aang inventively used this technique as a canon by creating a small air funnel through which small rock projectiles could be entered through the top and could be fired out of the opposite end.
Air Blades: A more offensive move than is typical of airbending principle, this involves a focus slicing air current that can cut through stone or timber with relative ease. This is frequently conjured with a staff rather than the body, using the narrow profile of the object to create a more focused air movement.
Avatar Level Airbenders:
Tornadoes/Hurricanes: In addition to very large and powerful air movements, an Avatar level bender can create massive tornadoes and hurricanes at will.
Air Sphere: Similar to the air shield this powerful defense surrounds the bender in a sphere of spinning air that deflects anything coming in at them and can even disintegrate the ground beneath them. Aang sub-consciously uses this every time he enters the Avatar state when angered.
Special Techniques:
Gliding: Although all Airbenders can levitate or extend jumps via Airbending, most if not all Airbenders possess a glider for mid range flight. These hand crafted portable wood and canvas structures can collapse into a staff for storage and as an aid when bending. In glider form it is used in conjunction with bending to fly as long as the bender has the strength to maintain the air currents. With stronger winds multiple people can be carried for short distances. As a normal staff, it can be used as a weapon in battle, to aid in bending, and even as a levitation aid when spun above the head like a helicopter propeller.
At the beginning of season 3, though, Aang destroyed his damaged glider, though it was replaced at the beginning of the invasion of the fire nation by a more advanced version created by the Mechanist and his son Teo.
Air Scooter: The Air Scooter, a form of ground transportation invented by Aang himself, is a spherical "ball" of air that can be ridden balancing on it like a top. He has used the technique in many episodes, usually to provide quick bursts of speed as well as to overcome vertical surfaces, including in The Drill in order to scale the wall of Ba Sing Se. The Air Scooter is also shown to be capable of levitating in the air for short periods. The Air Scooter first appeared in, "The Avatar Returns", where Aang uses it to escape Zuko's ship.
It was Aang's invention of this technique that subsequently earned him his tattoos and title of a master at such a young age. In a flashback in the episode, The Storm, Aang tries to teach this move to his Airbending friends. They all fail, at first, but eventually they master the art and develop a game that requires the air scooter to play.
Cloudbending: In, "The Fortuneteller", it's shown that (because clouds are made of water in air) a skilled air or waterbender can manipulate them easily. In the same episode, Aang and Katara join their powers to created a giant skull form with the clouds who is the sign that the volcano will erupt, so the villagers will be safe. It's still unknown if an airbender can perform this technique without a waterbender and vice versa. But even if it's the case, the Avatar can manipulate that two kind of bending so it's not a problem for Aang.
It has also been hinted that since airbenders have control over the air around them they can control the climate around them as a higher-level type of airbending.
Soundbending?: In, "The Tales of Ba Sing Se", Aang is shown blowing into his whistle and sending a high frequency sound wave through Ba Sing Sae to round up the animals. It may be possible for airbenders to control sound because sound waves travels through air.
Weapons
Unlike other nations, who only rarely use weapons with their bending, airbenders commonly use their signature staffs to augment their powers in battle. This is usually done by enhancing the air movements created by sweeps or thrusts of the staff. With the staffs narrow profile the currents created can be be more accuratly controlled and even shaped into cutting blades. Metal fans can also be used in combination with airbending as seen by Avatar Kyoshi and Avatar Aang.
info from wiki
