Earth Bending

[El Santo Maxican]

'Earth bending' is written as 運土術 which in literal terms actually means 'move earth art' in Chinese.

Earthbending is one of the four elemental Bending Arts, the geokinetic ability to manipulate earth and rock, in all its various forms. It is used by people of the Earth Kingdom. Earth is the element of substance, making Earth benders and their people diverse, strong, persistent, and enduring.

Origin Point

Humans first learned Earth bending by observing and imitating the geokinetic powers of Badgermoles that naturally inhabit the mountains in what is now Earth Kingdom territory. According to legend, known widely as "The Legend of the Two Lovers", two star-crossed lovers named Oma and Shu, who came from separate villages that were at war against one another, learned the art to meet within the mountain that divided them. To make sure that no one could ever find them, they used their new abilities, which they learned from the Badgermoles, to create a labyrinth of tunnels inside this mountain where they knew they could only find their way to one another. One day, after many meetings in the series of passageways, the man did not come to see his lover, as he had died; a casualty of the villages' quarrel. His lover showcased a devastating assault of her powers and ultimately proclaimed the feud over. Then, the villages collaborated to construct a city, Omashu, in their honor. The pathways they made by Earth bending became known as the Cave of Two Lovers.


Notable Features


Earth bending is generally based on the Hung Gar style of Kung Fu, which features heavily rooted stances and strong kicks and punches that evoke the mass and power of earth. The martial art is based on the movements of animals, including the tiger, which is utilized when initiating hard blows, and the crane, which is used to land gently back on the Earth. Earth benders, mostly Earth bending soldiers and generals, typically go barefoot to increase their connection with the earth and their power.

Earth bending is also one of the most diverse of the bending arts fighting styles; from the common and most used Earth bending, the rigid and collectively learned Earth bending of the Dai Li, and the individually taught styles such as unique Earth bending technique. Earth benders are generally muscular, tough, and direct, and like all benders their technique reflects on their individualized personalities.

Earth bending differs from the other bending arts in that it maintains a distinct balance between offensive and defensive capabilities (though Water bending involves a more refined version by channeling defense into offense). Earth bending uses a balance of strength and defense to overwhelm opponents.

The principle of jing is the essence of battle strategy, with a total of 85 possible actions. Positive jing occurs when one chooses to fight while negative jing is when one chooses to evade. The Earth bending discipline stresses neutral jing, which involves listening, waiting, and attacking at the right moment.


Alternatives

• Sand Bending
  Sand benders are Earth benders who have adapted to live in the Si Wong Desert. They use Earth bending in a specialized style, which emphasizes the manipulation of sand. They move quickly in the desert on specialized wooden catamaran sailers that are propelled by bending miniature, localized sandstorms behind their sails. Because sand is sediment which travels in flows, their style resembles Air and Water bending more than Earth bending. It is displayed that most, if not all, Earth benders are capable of easily bending sand, but because of the loose shifty nature of sand it is not an easy transition for the average Earth bender. The Sand benders of the Desert are especially proficient with it due to their particular habitat.
  
  
• Mud Bending
  It has been seen that Earth benders can bend earth in mud as well. Notably, this is an art that is not average among earth benders, seeing as it is not normally possible without a water benders assistance. Along with this, it requires direct control to fully utilize, seeing as how the earth has changed from it's solid from to a liquid-y mush of it. Working with another bender is also a hampering effect of the art, seeing as they need to be in sync to truly use this bending to it's fullest, or else it ends up backfiring for it's users.
  
  
• Metal Bending
  Metal bending is a ferrokinetic sub-skill of Earth bending developed by some unknown bender. Most Earth benders are unable to affect processed metals. Usually, the trace amount of earth still present in metal is so minuscule that it goes undetected even to the best Earth benders, lending to its use in detaining Earth benders. However, due to the ability to "see" earth, Benders have been able to locate the small fragments of earth in metal, target them, and utilize them to "bend" the metal portion. In the beginning, a bender is not able to bend metal with the same power or ease seen in their normal Earth bending. Eventually, skills are developed in Metal bending to the point where one could effectively defeat Comet-enhanced Fire benders.
  

Specialized skills

Novice Level

[-] Earth & Stone Levitation
The most common attack involves levitating nearby pieces of earth and stone of numerous sizes (more powerful benders can move larger masses) and propelling them at foes with punching or kicking motions.

[-] Rock Shield
A levitated slab of rock can also double as a shield when positioned in front of a bender. This can also be performed with a slab or sheet of bedrock thrust out of the earth's surface. The shield can be hurled at the opponent for a quick retaliation.

[-] Earth Smash
Earth benders can easily destroy rocks and boulders with punches and kicks, even if they have a very small amount of muscle mass, possibly by making the earth in the rocks weaker, although the exact nature of this technique (or if it even is a technique) is never explained. This technique is useful when facing other Earth benders, as it allows the Earth bender to destroy any earth projectiles sent at them and break out of imprisoning techniques. However, it does not seem to affect objects not made of earth.


Practitioner Level

[-] Earth Sinking
More advanced Earth benders can forcibly sink their opponents into the ground, imprisoning them or even suffocating them in earth. The rate of which this is done is somewhat similar to quicksand, making it very gradual.

[-] Tremors
Striking the ground with feet, fists, or hammers, creates localized earthquakes or fissures to throw opponents off-balance. This same process can be used to sculpt a landmass or to slice large chunks of rock clean off a surface to create avalanches or rockfalls. More advanced Earth benders can make very narrow fissures for precise attacks.

[-] Earth Gauntlet
A much less advanced version of Earth armor that can be used to throw back opponents with hard solid force. The technique is useful in that it grants some level of the protection of Earth Armor but allows the rest of the body to remain flexible.

[-] Softening & Compacting
The Earth bender turns the ground to quicksand to immobilize an enemy, or catapults into the air and softens the earth to ensure a safe landing. Earth benders can also do the reverse of this, compacting sand together to create harder projectiles or a firmer grip on the ground.

[-] Water Filtering
When working in concert with a Water bender, an Earth bender can purify polluted water. The Water bender suspends the polluted water in the air while the Earth bender removes the pollutants and sets them aside.


Expert Level

[-] Rock Slide
If an Earth bender is near a cliff or mountain, he or she can cause many rocks of a multitude of sizes to fall down on his or her opponent. Canyon Guides demonstrated that it would be possible to redirect the path of a rock slide.

[-] Earth Column
A more powerful version of rock projectiles, involving forcing columns of rock out of the ground. Using a similar principle an Earth bender can shoot a stream of small ruts and protrusions from underground at their opponent. This can also be used to enhance the benders' jumps. It is however limited to the ground and does not have the same range as a rock projectile.

[-] Earth Wall
Earth benders can create walls of earth, which can be used for both defense and offense, as well as for practical things, like construction.

[-] Earth Material Manipulation
Earth bending is not limited to rock or soil alone. An Earth bender can also manipulate coal, gems, crystals, and other earth-based materials, like meteorites.

[-] Rock Hanging
Earth benders also possess limited magnetic capabilities, allowing them to grasp vertical surfaces and cling unsupported to earthen structures. The Dai Li are the only ones that have demonstrated this ability, although it may be that they used their earth gloves to cling on the rocky surface.


Sifu Level

[-] Earth Launch
While Earth benders like being rooted to the ground, they can quickly move rock beneath them and launch them several tens of feet into the air, whether to catch airborne opponents or to travel faster.

[-] Earth Shelter
This can be used by Earth benders to create a shelter or dome which can provide an instant shelter in the wilderness. It can probably also be used to trap enemies, but this application would not work against an Earth bending opponent, who would be able to cancel out the technique.

[-] Earth Mannequin
An Earth bender with a decent grasp of sculpting can cause human-like figures to sprout out of the ground and slide from place to place.

[-] Earthquakes
Earth benders with significant power and skill can pull off small magnitude earthquakes with simply impressive impacts. Somewhat similar to creating a tremor, it's notable that this technique can leave people off balance for a while.

[-] Dust Cloud
By shaking the ground back and forth, Earth benders can create dust clouds of various size to provide cover.


Master Level

[-] Earth Tunneling
Earth benders can move through the earth to out-maneuver their foes either by opening tunnels or by pulling the earth past them, literally swimming through the ground.

[-] Earth Armor
Earth benders can bring rocks, dusts, pebbles or crystals around them and mold them to fit their body and create something similar to armor. They can also hide inside the earth by bending the rock around them as a shell. This Earth bending move is great for defense, especially against fire. It's not as effective for offensive moves, since it limits the practitioner's range of motion.

[-] Earth Wave
High level Earth benders can create a wave of earth to ride on and use it as a form of transportation. The downsides of the wave are that it takes a lot of energy to produce, as well as intense concentration; the slightest distraction could cause the user to lose control of the wave. They can also force a wave of earth outwards and use it as an extremely powerful offensive attack.

[-] Earth Bomb
By sending a rock towards the ground, Earth benders can cause massive damage as well as throw their opponents off their feet.

[-] Remote Earth bending
If an Earth bender is suspended from the ground, but is aware that there is earth somewhere near, the Earth bender can focus his energies and bend that earth out of his physical reach out of sheer concentration.


Special Sets

[-]Seismic Sense
A technique originally developed by the blind Badgermoles, skilled Earth benders are able to sense vibrations through the ground, "seeing" by sensing their surroundings and making a mental image of it. It allows for a 360 degree field of "vision", outside of normal line-of-sight. To operate, the user needs direct contact with the ground, preferably without something like shoes in between. It only works on earth-based material, including metal. Practitioners cannot use the ability on non-earth grounding like ice. Seismic senses can become so acute that benders are capable of sensing even ants moving about, can identify people by the way they walk, and can almost always tell if someone is lying by sensing his or her physical reactions, such as breathing and heart rate. It is also the basis of her unique ability of Metal bending.

[-]Rock Gloves
The Dai Li have mastered the rock glove technique. Similar to Earth Armor, they cover their hands in small rocks then project them at a target as bullets or compacted fists to bludgeon the opponent. A more refined and favored method however is to use them as detachable hands, maintaining the hand shape and literally grabbing and restraining the opponent from a distance.

Earth bending Spirit

It is rooted in the Hung Gar style of Kung Fu. Hung Gar, characterized by its rooted stance, also stresses the use of animal movements, the Tiger and the Crane. The Tiger embodies Hard Power, while the Crane embodies Soft Power. Earth bending also expresses the aspect of neutral jing, which involves listening and waiting. Finally, Earth bending requires decisiveness; when the time comes to strike, it must be done without hesitation or uncertainty. If an Earth bender lacks determination, the earth will not respond to their will. Being connected to the earth is also a very important aspect of Earth benders' spirituality.

I would love to thank all of the lovely people at the Avatar Wikipedia for their insightful knowledge and breakdown of the series, as it is most useful to the forum and understanding the world of avatar itself. I thank each and every one of you who've went out of your way to improve the article.