A martial art, to be specific, and few snakes have mastered it fully. So many pythons out there who think of nothing else than get full-loop coils over their opponent and entomb them in a stack of scaled donuts only to crush them afterward.

The most important part in coiling is controlling the breath and the blood-flow through the neck - but you do not need to have full 180 degree grips over neck and chest to achieve either, not to mention they take forever to place; lay a folded coil over the back and press down, for nine out of ten prey it will be enough to pin it to the ground and start smothering its breath; press a length of your body under the jaw against the throat and get an incomplete loop over the back of the neck and constrict that grip - it's the neck, you do not need to apply granite-crushing pressure to choke it.
Make sure to lay a 'nest' around your prey in form of a single coil surrounding it on the ground, so that it cannot reach for anything to assist itself with or get a good footing to lift itself under your coils.
For catch that has a muscular tail, you should coil it with your own, as high-speed whipping on your sides can be unpleasant and distracting.

Follow these basic rules and soon enough your prey will be nothing but a foggy-minded morsel with eyes rolled back and a uselessly open mouth, gasping for air that it cannot inhale. And do not be dissuaded by any tapping or wiggling - it can take your constriction, so just hold its face tight, sit back, and enjoy the helplessly begging look in your snack's eyes.

Sparring partner, Baera:  microphone


Commissioned by  microphone