Firebending training



Firebending is one of the four main bending arts in the world of Avatar. In several episodes, such as "The Firebending Masters" and "The Deserter", Firebending training is shown.

Breathing
Breath control seems to be a very important part of Firebending training, as Jeong Jeong made Aang practice it for hours at a time in "The Deserter". Later, in "The Firebending Masters", Zuko is heard saying "breathe and release" showing that breath control is important. The correct way to do this seems, obviously, to breath in and out slowly. Iroh states that power in Firebending comes from the breath, which becomes energy in the body, and is released as fire. Jeong Jeong stresses the importance of proper breath control, comparing Firebending with other bending arts: "A rock without a bender won't throw itself, but fire is alive, it breathes, it grows".

Energy and Drive
For every form of bending there must be a drive within you to bend. Originally Firebending was about energy and life, but was later distorted into rage, hatred, and destruction by the modern day Fire Nation. As, Aang stated about fire: "It's like a little heartbeat". Initially, Zuko's drive was to capture the Avatar, and that was what made his bending powerful, but when he changed sides his bending was obviously weaker. He had lost the drive to firebend, but regained it when he realized it was his duty to help Aang bring balance to the world.

Types of Training
There are two known types of training forms. The traditional form employed by most firebenders in the Fire Nation, and the ancient form employed by the Sun Warriors, Zuko, and Aang. The traditional forms use strong strikes that require firm stances, not entirely unlike Earthbending. The style that the Sun Warriors learned from the dragons employs a more natural and flowing movement, and allows the user a more flexible style of combat, as seen many times by Zuko, who had initially learned some of the unique forms from Iroh during his private training.