I don't get startled by any of my ball pythons' movements, but I am continually amazed at how much power they have when they do strike and coil.

I feed F/T rats and was dangling a rat in my adult male's cage (he always strikes and eats quickly) by it's hind leg. He struck and wrapped two or three coils around it so fast that it ripped the leg right out if it's socket. I looked down and found a disgusting bloody rat foot/ankle left in the jaws of my tongs!

It's amazing that these docile animals that hardly ever hint of defensiveness can be so powerful when feeding.