The best of the mahalli were formed into units called grup-i zarbati (shock troops), semi-mobile groups that acted as reserve forces for the defense of several strongholds.
Early cavalry were employed as shock troops, needed to punch holes into the enemy lines to allow infantry to dig through, isolate pockets and eliminate them.
Historians are uncertain when the use of heavy cavalry in the form of mounted shock troops first occurred, but the technique had become widespread by the mid-12th century.
