I’ve personally learned that mobility in Tekken is one of the core aspects to playing at a higher level.  Unlike in Street Fighter 4, there’s no FADC’s to get you out of trouble when momentum isn’t going your way.  If you don’t know how to maneuver in Tekken, you might as well be dead on site.  Fortunately to teach us all about maneuvering in Tekken is SV’s very own Rob Plumber!  Rob has come out with his second installment in his “Tekken Strategies 101” series.  This time around, Rob goes over the importance of mobility and movement in Tekken.

Chapter II: Movement

Movement in Tekken is extremely important. The four main forms of movement available to all characters are dashing, running, sidestepping, and sidewalking. You can also jump, but jumping is best used in specific situations and will not be covered in this chapter.

-Dashing

There are two basic kinds of dashing: forward dash and backward dash. Both are done just like in any other fighting game by inputting f,f or b,b, respectively. Forward dash is very simple and won’t require much practice, so focus on learning how far it’ll take you for spacing purposes. Note that a forward dash can be used to buffer directional inputs. Finally, you can cancel a forward dash by pressing back. If you hold back, you can block in case the opponent retaliates. If you simply tap back and return to neutral, it resets your character and allows you to perform any move you wish instead of forcing you to do a f,f+X move.

The other form of dashing is backdashing. If you just input bb, your character will take a big step backwards. This is very important for spacing and defense, as a well-time backdash can make your opponent whiff and give you an easy opening. Unfortunately, if you just backdash and not do anything else, your character will be unable to block for half a second at the end of their dash. This is where backdash cancelling comes in handy.

Normally you can cancel a backdash with a move. While potentially safer than the half second pause mentioned above, this still forces you to do something that is potentially risky. A better method is to cancel your backdash by ducking or sidestepping. Sidestepping is the easier method, and can be done by tapping up or down after b,b. Ducking, however, is arguably safer and lets you block faster. In this case, you should duck by tapping down-back instead of down. You can even cancel your duck into another backdash and repeat. This takes some practice and, based on the recent discussions on TZ, seems to lack a universally accepted method. The long way is to do bb~db~bb, but some people input the cancel is b,b~db~b~db. It’s almost like a reverse wavedash (which I’ll talk about in a bit), and may or may not require you to go back to neutral.

I’m going to save an in-depth breakdown of backdash cancelling for a later chapter, so don’t worry if the above description seems lacking. For now, just focus on cancelling your backdash into a sidestep or crouch. That’s much easier than trying to backdash into infinity.

There are also a few character-specific backdashes. Heihachi can input bb,N,3+4 to backdash into a quick backwards run. In addition, a lot of characters can cancel their backdash into a backflip. The universal backflip is b,b~ub, and is generally limited to female characters and a select handful of males (Bruce’s backflip is b,b+3+4). Backflips aren’t used too often in high level play due to the recovery, but they still have their uses. Even if your character lacks a b,b~ub backflip, check their movelist for any potential substitute.

-Running

Running in Tekken is pretty simple. To run, do a forward dash and hold the second input (f,f(hold)). You usually need to be a few character lengths away in order to run, and will always stop upon reaching your opponent. You can also cancel your run by tapping back, just like when dashing forward.

Certain moves can only be done while running, the most common one being your running 3. Almost every character has one, and most give you advantage on block. To make the most of these moves, you’ll want to learn how to do them instantly. As I mentioned earlier, running cannot be done at close range. This is true when dashing and holding forward. If you quickly tap forward three times, however, there will be a brief window in which your character is considered running, thus allowing you to do running moves at any distance (with some exceptions; more on that later). Here are the basics:

• The basic input for instant running is f,f,f, followed by whichever button(s) the move requires.
• How quickly you do this input depends on your distance from the opponent; the closer you are, the faster it needs to be.
• If you’re having problems with f,f,f, you can try f,N,f,f instead; while easier, this alternate method is very difficult at point blank range.
• You can also use directional buffering for the first forward input; this is necessary for combo enders such as King’s f,f,f+2+4 and Julia’s f,f,f+1.

In addition to the basic running 3 and character-specific moves, all characters gain additional moves after running for a certain distance which is measured in how many steps you’ve taken. There are three running moves that do not require any input whatsoever:

• 6 steps or more: Running stomp on a grounded opponent, hits low.
• Between steps 11 and 18: Running tackle (we’ll go over tackles and throws in a later chapter).
• Between steps 18 and 22: Unblockable shoulder ram, hits mid; can be avoided by jumping with precise timing, but only if you are not recovering from getting knocked back.

There are also two additional moves you can do beginning on step 12:

• Running 4: A low attack that usually knocks down; actual properties might differ depending on your character.
• Running 1+2: A running dive, hits mid; gives you frame advantage on block.

Again, all five of the above moves are ONLY available after running for a certain distance. They cannot be done using the instant running input. This is a big reason why you won’t use them very often; most of the time you’re simply too close to run far enough. Otherwise, instant running moves are a must for some characters. Without this technique, they wouldn’t be able to access some of their best moves or combos.

-Sidestep and Sidewalk

More often than not, sidestep and sidewalk will be your primary means of evasion, so it’s important to understand the difference between the two and how they work.

Sidestepping is done by tapping up or down and letting the stick or pad go back to neutral (u,N or d,N). Again, you MUST tap up or down and release immediately. If you press and hold the input, your character will jump or crouch instead of sidestep.

To sidewalk, double tap up or down and hold the second input. The exact notation would be u,N,u(hold) or d,N,d(hold), so think of it as doing a double sidestep. Your character will continue to walk in the direction you chose until you release the input or press a button to attack.

Now for the hard part: figuring out when to evade and whether to step or walk. This can be frustrating because there’s no universal rule that applies to every character. The two kinds of attacks that can never be evaded are any move with a white streak and long range throws (f+1+3 or f+2+4). Both will always track your opponent, although the latter is less reliable at max throw range.

For every other move, it comes down to four main factors: its horizontal hit box; the opponent’s character’s hit box; the distance between both characters; and timing. Trying to discuss each of these in-depth would take way too long, so here’s what you need to know:

• As a general rule, evading is always easier at the opponent’s max range; exceptions are characters like Julia, whose key mid-range moves are easier to avoid when you are close.
• Evading is always more difficult when the opponent has frame advantage, without exception; that being said, it is still a viable option when you are only at a slight disadvantage (think -1 or -2), especially if there is some distance between you and the opponent (see above).
• Most characters have a weak side, meaning the moves they use to cover that direction are slow, punishable, and/or do little damage; if you know your opponent’s weak side, be sure to passively sidestep that direction on a regular basis.
• Big characters (Marduk, Jack, Bears) are at a major disadvantage when evading due to their larger hit box, especially at close range; when playing against these characters, remember to spam fast moves that other characters would be able to sidestep.
• Some moves will track both sides even if they don’t have a white streak; be sure to learn which of your moves can do so, because they might be your best option in certain situations.
• Any move with built-in evasion is more effect if you do it right after a sidestep; this is best used with moves that sidestep as part of their animation.

For now, these general rules should help get you started. As for choosing which form of movement to use, understand that sidestepping is faster and should be your preferred option. Sidewalking takes longer to get going but covers more ground, so it’s a better option for avoiding slow moves or strings at a distance.

One last note: if you cancel a sidestep into a sidewalk, you will no longer have access to any sidestep moves. In other words, your character is in a “neutral” state when walking. Don’t worry about this distinction, though; it only matters in extremely rare circumstances, namely combos.