Earthbending

The proud, strong spirit of the Earth Kingdom embodies Earthbending, which uses the ground as a weapon against an opponent. Exceptionally muscular, Earthbenders use their strength to overpower opponents. To throw an enemy off balance, an Earthbender physically strikes the ground with his hands or feet, causing localized earthquakes. To dodge an attack, an Earthbender uses the earth as a catapult to buck his body high into the air, and then upon returning to the ground, he softens the earth, easing his landing. Additional moves include creating fissures as traps for enemies to fall in, and raising slabs of stone for defense and offense. An Earthbender attacks by levitating stones and then propelling them at his enemy. Earthbenders also possess the ability to 'magnetize' their limbs to stone, allowing them to scale shear walls and cliffs. A high level maneuver reduces solid ground to quicksand, providing a pitfall for approaching enemies. Earthbending's most significant weakness is its inability to manipulate man-altered metals. Firebenders exploit this weakness by smelting metal to remove its natural impurities, and then using it to construct their armor, ships, and forts.