Talk:Earthbending/@comment-4888161-20120409065656

One of my philosophies is that speed kills. Air is obviously the element famous for speed, which is partially why it is my favorite. Fire is probably considered the second fastest to to it's combustive force, although water can also be quite quick. But earthbenders can be quite slow. Or at least they have the reputation for being the slowest element. However, I believe that earthbenders could be just as fast (if not faster) then most benders who don't bend air. So I looked for awhile on potentially what could be done. I remembered most of it, but I needed to find the actual techniques. I found four abilities that were very effective in earth bending movement:

"Rock hanging: Earthbenders 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 onto the rocky surface.[14] "

"Earth launch: While earthbenders like being rooted to the ground, with some like Toph being unable to see in the air, 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. Toph and Bumi do this during the Battle at Wulong Forest and the Liberation of Ba Sing Se, respectively."

"Earth tunneling: Earthbenders 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 wave: High level earthbenders can create a wave of earth to ride on and use it as a form of transportation,|[4] as Aang and Toph have both done,|[20] as well as Roku and Sud while training.|[22] 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, as Aang was seen doing at General Fong's fortress."

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Now we have seen all of these things individually. But I don't recall anyone using more than one of these things combined, let alone all four. I believe that if earthbenders could use all four of these techniques to help them move about, they would not only be able to move really fast, but would have great maneuverability and agility. They'd be able to block and dodge. Also, there stealth potential for this is interesting as well. So what do you guys think?