From an awesome 'Ask Amon' blog:

 

I was actually more interested in Lin

Spoiler

Particularly when she jumped on that mech and started punching holes through with her two giant spikes. Seriously would have killed that mook if he weren't dodging left and right.

 

Yeah, you don't mess with Lin Beifong.

 

I imagine it'll happen in the episode 12 season one finale. Amon will of course take away her bending while she's Avatar stating, thus breaking the avatar cycle and setting the conflict for the next book.

 

A wild idea occurs.

Korra would defeat Amon in the season finale - and then Koh, through its connection with Amon (a popular theory is that Amon got his bending-suppression ability from Koh) took over the Equalist leader's body and descended into the mortal world. The whole Amon/Equalist uprising had been Koh's plan all along. BAM!

 

Having her bending removed during the Avatar State won't break the Avatar Cycle. The only way to do that is to actually kill Korra during the state. Of course, we don't even know if the Avatar's bending can be removed, especially in the state, not to mention the fact Amon would have to her Korra subdued to remove her bending, which, in the Avatar State, doesn't seem likely.

 

I think you've really hit on the point I was making Cheddar. Its not that Airbending is a prereq for the Avatar state but that the spirituality of one lends itself to the other. That would explain why we have the lack of Avatar state thus far, without the spirituality Korra's left in the position of only being able to activiate it in a life or death situation.

 

I'm not so sure it's about the spirituality so much as the desire to avoid confrontation. Whereas Aang wants to escape the situation, and is receptive to this alien force taking over his body, combat is where Korra thrives. She is never more in control over herself than in the heat of battle.

My curiousity is piqued by wondering if the Avatar state will be triggered by emotional extremes which cause her to shut down, rather than violence. Think Aang finding Gyatso's corpse.

Of course, there being a hidden 'spirit' cycle kinda fits, as the path would then go water->earth->fire->air->spirit, and fit into both ATLA and ATLK's timelines.

 

Aang may not have always felt spiritual during the times he entered the Avatar State, but he'd already achieved spirituality due to the fact that he was an Airbender. Korra's admitted to having trouble with the spiritual side of bending and she can't even do basic meditation, so the most plausible theory for why she didn't go into the Avatar state when she believed Amon was going to take away her bending is that she's not spiritual. Other than that, I can't see any other reason for her not to go into the Avatar state.

 

As Kalas said earlier, her chi was blocked.

 

Isn't chi blocking just temporarily disabling someone's ability to bend by rendering their muscles useless by hitting pressure points?

 

It blocks the flow of energy as well. See first time Katara gets chi-blocked.

 

Huh, it seems like they changed it up a bit after that fight. During the Katara-Ty Lee fight, Katara could still move her arms but couldn't bend, but the few other times after that fight, every time Ty Lee uses Chi Blocking on her opponents, they're unable to move the muscle that were struck. The first Katara-Ty Lee fight was so long ago that I'd assumed it was because they weren't able to move their limbs that people that are chi blocked can't bend. Derp.

 

What I want to know is why in gods name did none of the damn earth benders bend earth....UNDERGROUND!

Oh no! Platinum armored mechs are attacking us! Oh wait we'll just sink em into the ground durr hurr. Or are you telling me the floor was made of platinum too? Toph would of iced these chumps ages ago.

You would think Korra or Lin would have realized that....

 

This guy was one of the richest guys in the world. I can guarantee that the walls and floor were made of platinum.

Also, like they said, Platinum is even a purer form of Earth than iron. It took Toph awhile to metalbend and her skills were legendary.