A question recently arose regarding Footsies Handbook Element 02 which made me realize that it could use some clarification. The whole concept is to perform an attack sequence which leaves you looking vulnerable, thus fooling your opponent into reacting brashly

The example provided was Alex Valle‘s SFA2 Sagat landing crossup j.LK, c.MP xx Tiger Shot, which positions Ken just outside of sweep range without knocking him down. Sagat could’ve done a slightly more damaging knockdown combo, but Ken still would’ve survived.

Valle’s gamble tricked John Choi into activating Custom Combo, which would’ve given Choi a great chance to win if Valle wasn’t prepared for it. But of course it was a trap all along, and Valle responded with that historic fierce Tiger Uppercut to win the B3 Alpha 2 tournament.

Now this isn’t something you can do on a regular basis. It requires a certain kind of combo, and even then it requires a certain lifebar/meter situation to make the gamble worthwhile.

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By design, almost every fighting game combo worth doing involves attacks which are unsafe if blocked. Otherwise everyone would repeat the same motions mindlessly no matter what.

Because fighting games are built to be highly interactive, being able to confirm whether your attacks are connecting is a critical skill. When you’re trying to combo into super moves, proper hit-confirming enables you to revert to a safe block string and avoid disaster.

What’s the best way to hit-confirm? Well, there are several equally good ones, so it boils down to a matter of personal preference. The important thing is to be realistic about your limitations and construct your gameplan to accomodate them.

In general terms, everyone should be able to react to three light attacks connecting – in time to cancel the third one into a special or super move. If you bring that number down to two light attacks, i believe that almost everyone should be able to react to that as well. It’s not exactly easy, but it is a very realistic goal if you practice with dedication and play with focus.

In special cases, it’s also possible to react to a single attack connecting in time to cancel it. However, this requires either someone with truly exceptional reaction time, or an especially lenient combo window such as the extended cancelability period of 3S Chun Li’s c.MK poke. At any rate, it’s generally not practical to worry about hit-confirming single attacks.

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If there’s one thing we’ve learned about the SF4 generation through two years, it’s that they love their wakeup uppercuts. The goal of this article is simple: to convince you to stop.

Think about who has the advantage in knockdown situations. The character on his feet can move around, establish his desired spacing freely, then attack at will. He can choose from his entire arsenal of moves, because he can perform slow attacks such as overheads without worrying about being interrupted during startup. He even gets to decide whether to hover inside or outside throw range. Simply put, he single-handedly controls the initiative.

By contrast, the character on his back can’t move and can’t attack until a specific, predictable moment. The only advantage he has is that he remains invincible before that instant, which isn’t a real advantage because it’s only passive invincibility. As soon as it ends, he has to deal with whatever attack the opponent has prepared.

The key here is realizing that your goal isn’t to punish your opponent for knocking you down. Your goal is survive the wakeup game so you can regain all your options. Don’t get suckered into playing the majority of the match from an unfavorable position.

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