Follow The Leader | A Guide to Clan Life

Battle Moves

Battle, and having the skills to engage in it, are very important in the warriors series. The Clans, having only teeth and claws to defend themselves with, rely on these weapons to keep them protected against all manners of creatures: foxes, badgers, Twolegs, and even rival Clans. Here is a rather condensed list of the basic battle moves used in the canon Warriors series!

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*complicated or difficult moves marked with an asterix*

Back kick
- how to execute: judge your opponent's distance from you carefully, then lash out with your back legs while taking your weight on your front paws
- when to use: when your back is towards your enemy and time does not permit you to turn around and defend yourself with your front paws
- severity: low - medium

Belly rake
- how to execute: with unsheathed claws, slice the your opponent's belly; if pinned down underneath, this will put you back in control
- when to use: when pinned down or you have direct access to your opponent's belly; a fight-stopper
- severity: medium - high

Drop-and-roll
- how to execute: drop low onto your paws and roll to the side
- when to use: a countermove to the leap-and-hold; dislodges opponent on your back
- severity: low

Duck-and-twist
- how to execute: twist around, rolling onto your back, and then spring to your paws
- when to use: as a simple defensive move to get away from most frontal attacks or pounces and leaps
- severity: very low

Front paw blow
- how to execute: bring your front paw down hard on your opponent's head, claws sheathed
- when to use: frontal attack
- severity: low

Front paw strike/forepaw slash
- how to execute: slice downward with your forepaw, aiming at the body or face of your opponent, claws unsheathed
- when to use: frontal attack
- severity: low - medium

Half-turn belly rake
- how to execute: turn onto your side and slip under your opponent's belly, raking with your claws, then turn back onto all fours out from under them
- when to use: a move that swiftly and effectively can take your opponent out or inflict severe damage
- severity: medium - high

Jump-and-pin*
- how to execute: leap backwards and bounce off of a wall, landing on opponent
- when to use: when cornered, or as an effective move to take an opponent out
- severity: medium - high

Killing bite
- how to execute: bite down on your opponent's neck; usually the back
- when to use: considered dishonourable, used only as a last resort
- severity: extreme

Leap-and-hold
- how to execute: spring onto opponent's back and grip with unsheathed claws, inflicting other damage while holding on
- when to use: ideal for small cats facing larger opponents; use to get out of range of your opponent's paws
- severity: medium - high

Partner fighting
- how to execute: requires two allies; face away from each other and protect each other's backs by fending off an opponent on either side
- when to use: in the midst of battle when there are opponents on all sides; used in conjunction with other battle moves
- severity: low - high (depending on skill level/cooperation of two partners)

Play dead
- how to execute: go limp as an opponent grips you; push yourself up explosively when they relax their hold
- when to use: in tight situations, especially when you are pinned
- severity: low

Scruff shake
- how to execute: secure a strong grip on your opponent's scruff with your teeth and shake violently
- when to use: against rats or small opponents to prevent them from fighting back; a strong throw can also stun or kill them
- severity: medium - high

Tail yank
- how to execute: grab your opponent's tail and yank with enough force to throw them off balance
- when to use: when there is access to your opponent's tail; in an effort to catch them off-guard
- severity: low

Teeth grip
- how to execute: sink your teeth into an opponent's extremities - legs, tail, scruff or ears - and hold
- when to use: useful in holding down an opponent while keeping your claws free to continue fighting
- severity: medium

Upright lock*
- how to execute: rear up on back legs and bring weight down on opponent; if they do the same, wrestle and flip them under you
- when to use: as a final, crushing move on an already weakened opponent
- severity: high

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These are just the most basic moves, as listed in Erin Hunters' warrior guides and on the Warriors wiki. I have attempted to give a gauge of how severe each move might be in battle, but that is hard to tell without the context. In some cases, a frontal attack may be just as effective as a much more complicated move if the opponent is already weakened by battle.

Depending on a Clan's abilities and assets, cats of that specific Clan can also have unique battle skills or special attacks taught only to the members of that group. For example, RiverClan cats would be trained in water combat while WindClan cats would rely on speed, agility and surprise to defeat their opponents. Similarly, ThunderClan would be more comfortable fighting in the forest than on an open field and ShadowClan would be at an advantage in the night because of their dark colouring and better eyesight.