One of the most fundamental, yet hardest things to master in 3rd Strike is defense, particularly after getting knocked down. When it comes to offense, a lot of development occurs outside of competitive play - practicing combos until your execution is perfect, mastering the timing for various mixups, etc. This isn't as true for learning how to defend properly - learning to defend well primarily comes from experience under actual pressure against other players. In this post I will focus primarily on how to defend, after getting knocked down.
Despite the presence of numerous factors that should all be considered when deciding what to do on wakeup, most beginners fall into the trap of focusing one just one or two of them, and consequently limiting themselves to one or two options after getting knocked down. This in turn makes them very predictable, which makes the attacker's job much easier. It's important to be aware of all of the possibilities when deciding what to do on wake up.
Factors that should be considered on wake-up:
Despite the presence of numerous factors that should all be considered when deciding what to do on wakeup, most beginners fall into the trap of focusing one just one or two of them, and consequently limiting themselves to one or two options after getting knocked down. This in turn makes them very predictable, which makes the attacker's job much easier. It's important to be aware of all of the possibilities when deciding what to do on wake up.
Factors that should be considered on wake-up:
- Spacing - spacing plays a large role in determining what mixups are available to a character after a knockdown. Throws, for example, usually only come into play at fairly close range; kara-throws and tick throw setups can extend this range greatly. However, it's important not to get too hung up on throw-teching just because you got thrown 2 or 3 times in a row, or because the same tick throw setup got you the previous 2 times. Far more damaging options such as short-short-super (shotos) also exist in this range for virtually all characters, and the risk-reward of going for a throw tech has to be considered.
At a longer range, throws come out of the equation, but new factors come in. For example, moves that would be unsafe at closer range - e.g. shoto cr. hk, or shoto UOH - now become safe or more viable. Since throws are out (barring things like kara-throws), blocking low is often very safe, as very few characters have overheads that can't be blocked on reaction, or lead into big damage. Parrying is also more viable at this range, although it's still risky, and shouldn't be done just for the sake or parrying.
Whether or not you're in the corner or midscreen is also a key consideration. It's much easier to get out of pressure midscreen, since tech-rolling and backdashing can put a lot of distance between you and your opponent. Some players will underestimate this distance and dash recklessly in order to try and stay close, which allows you to counter with stuff like throw or uppercut; more experienced players will close the gap as much as possible, but also accept that some amount of offensive pressure will be lost.
Spacing also comes into the equation for jump-in mixups after a knockdown. If attempt an ambiguous crossup (with Yun or Ken, for example), your options are fairly limited, but so are theirs, since they're airborne. If they come in at a decent range from the front, then you have more freedom to choose an anti-air that suits the situation. - Meter, Risk/Reward - Some characters become considerably scarier after getting meter; while getting knocked down against a Dudley without meter might not be too bad, a Dudley with meter has one of the most frightening high-low mixups in the game. Chun-Li and Yun are all about getting meter ASAP; control, and the flow of the game turns drastically in their favor once they get it.
Naturally, the risk of doing something like wake-up uppercut or parrying goes up enormously against such characters; it's important to adjust your tactics on wake-up accordingly. Having your health chipped away by Chun-li's kara throws is frustrating, but when you're below 40% health and one super combo means certain death, it may be a necessary evil, up to a point. On the flip side, if you get knocked down at the start of a round and she doesn't have any meter, taking a risk in order to turn the tables and put her on the defensive (which prevents her from getting easy meter and controlling the flow of the game) may be worthwhile, especially if the matchup is a very difficult one. - Your respective kits - both players have different options at their disposal, and this plays into the mindgames that occur after knockdowns. Against characters with wake-up uppercut or other strong wakeup options (like Dudley ex backswing blow, Akuma HK hurricane kick, etc.), beginners tend to take one of two one-track approaches:
1. Play as if wake-up uppercut doesn't exist, continuing to rush down recklessly, or
2. Play very timidly, usually blocking for an interval after you get up just to avoid getting uppercutted
Now, both of these patterns are very predictable, and have very simple counters. If they rush down recklessly, just wake-up uppercut. Of course you don't do it 5 times in a row, but until they pick up on it and play with enough caution to avoid eating it repeatedly, it'll always be in your back pocket as a get out of jail free card. Against timid players, you take the offensive - if they block a lot, throw; if they're blocking high, throw in stuff like cr. MK xx shoryuken; sometimes, you can take the opportunity to just jump out of the corner and stick them in it. The point is, in order to deal with a threat like wake-up uppercut, you need to know a variety of counters (which I'll cover in part 2), and you need to avoid falling into patterns/habits.
On the flip side, characters with weak wake-up options that are easily pressured - Yun, Makoto, etc. - usually provoke the first style of play mentioned earlier, thoughtless aggression. Although your options are more limited, a beginner opponent will often unintentionally limit themselves in response by committing to their offensive pressure early, not varying their timing, and often forgoing lower damage options like throws in favor of big damage chains/combos, since they think you can't do much about it. If you latch on to a habit like this, then you can turn things around with a parry, or just by blocking and waiting out the pressure until you have some room to maneuver. You don't have to go from defense to offense immediately to turn the tides; if you start out getting off your ass, and end up with a half-screen of distance between the two of you without taking any damage, then the net change in the position is in your favor. - Your previous wake-up responses - It's common, and to some extend understandable, to get hung up on what immediately preceded the current state of affairs during the course of a game - "I just got thrown, I don't want to get thrown again", or "He just wake-up uppercutted me, I'd better not let that happen twice in a row". If you get knocked down, try to be aware of:
- How you responded previously to a similar situation, and
- How your opponent handled your response
The first point is simply a matter of knowing your habits, and consciously trying to break them. Take into account as many factors as possible; there's a lot more to it than just what your opponent did to knock you down. Ask yourself: Am I responding predictably to a particular manner of getting knocked down? (E.g. Always tech-throwing after getting knocked down by a throw?) Do I fall back on a particular tactic when I'm low health? When I have meter? When he doesn't have meter? And so on.
On the second point let's consider an example. If you connected with a wake-up uppercut on the previous occasion, it's a fairly safe bet they are going to be watching out for it, which opens the door to jump out of the corner, throw them, etc. On the other hand, if your previous wake-up uppercut was blocked, then your response should be based on what your analysis of playstyle is - if they're very cautious, then they'll probably be on the lookout again for another one. If they're more aggressive, then they may have mentally ticked off "blocked wake-up uppercut, don't need to worry about it for a while now", and a second one in a row can catch them by surprise.
This sort of analysis isn't just limited to uppercut or offensive counterattacks on wake-up - it's just as important for wake-up throws, jumps, blocks, doesn't matter. If you're always keeping tabs on how you react to certain situations, and how they react to what you do, then difficult situations like getting knocked down become a lot less painful. In part 2, I'm going to discuss commonly overused and underused tactics/moves on wake-up.