How do you make the invisibility/shadow warrior backstab reasonable for non mage characters?

I have came into the conclusion (after one failed attemp to shadow-warrior backstab an enemy with shield), that you do a cheap move to mislead your opponent (like kicking dirt to his eyes, or doing a fake hit) followed by a determined strike and so surprising your opponent.

What do you say?

What if your character or characters family had some military training from the legion? They knew the ways to infiltrate and use this as an effective way to stop a fight before it begins?

Reasonable. I am talking more specifically how you think your character physically does that.

For example i dont believe my character becomes invisible in front of 10 soldiers. More like makes a swift move to surprise them.

Sorry I misunderstood. Probably what you said then, kicking dust in their face. You could even (if your character is underhanded or an antagonist rather than a protagonist) RP that they spit in their opponents face to cause the distraction - allowing them to get behind them to finish the job.

bump

Roleplay that you character is Tamriel's equivalent of Batman and/or Solid Snake? Smoke bombs, camouflage, hit and run tactics, disguises, eye damage as Fus R4mbo Dah (love that username!) mentioned and the like would be reasonable non-magic explanations. Heck, if you're on PC, there are probably mods for some or all of those.

Maybe it's a semi-spiritual discipline learned by only the most advanced students of the art. A bit like the Ki feats we sometimes hear about in connection with martial arts.

So it's sort of magical without being magic, if you get me.

So, something like a precise fighter (for example ninja or samurai) that does sneaky attack to enemies due to his swiftness?

Remember what passes for 'light' in Skyrim. Shadows are everywhere, and even the most well lit indoor areas would be considered 'dimly lit' compared to modern indoor lighting.

In those conditions, it is very reasonable that someone skilled in stealthy movement can 'disappear' while seemingly in plain sight.