In Players of Gor, John Norman makes a brief reference to the combat knowledge associated with the Caste of Assassins and the Warriors. On pages 66–67, the narrator describes a knife attack, examining the importance of distance, timing, accuracy, and the control of an opponent.

The passage places Assassins and Warriors among those associated with this form of combat, while the narrator’s assessment of the attacker distinguishes him from both castes. Although brief, this reference contributes to the broader picture of the Assassin’s place within Gorean martial culture and the knowledge by which combatants are judged.

I jerked my body suddenly to the side, to evade the grasping left arm, seeking to hold the target in place for the short, low right-handed thrust of the knife, or the throat attack, if the assailant was right-handed, and of the assassins or the warriors.
. . .

The knife and arm, however, descending, passed over my body. The high stroke has various disadvantages. It begins from farther back and thus makes it difficult to use the left hand or arm to secure the target. It is easier to block. It does not have the same power as the short blow. The blade that has only six inches to move, with a full weight behind it, other things being equal, effects a deeper penetration than a blade which must move farther and has behind it primarily the weight of a shoulder and arm. Too, of course, the stab from a shorter distance at closer range, point-blank range, so to speak, is likely to be more accurate. The target, after the initiation of the blow, even if it is not held in place, has very little time, given the mathematics of reflexes, to shift its position. My assailant, I gathered, was neither of the assassins or warriors.
Pages 66

Combat Knowledge and Technique

The passage describes a close-range knife attack and examines the differences between a short, direct thrust and a higher, longer stroke. The discussion emphasizes the importance of distance, accuracy, timing, and the ability to control a target.

The Assassin and the Warrior

Assassins and Warriors are both associated with the knife attack described in the passage. Their inclusion places this form of combat within the martial knowledge attributed to these castes.

Training and Recognition

The narrator evaluates the attacker’s technique and concludes that the assailant belongs to neither the Caste of Assassins nor the Warriors. This distinction suggests that familiarity with combat techniques can inform how an opponent’s abilities are assessed, although the passage does not establish that a particular technique belongs exclusively to either caste.