Mastering movement in Tekken 9 involves understanding and practicing back dashes, side steps, and forward dashes to create space and evade attacks, effectively using these movement options to control the match.
Movement is key to success in Tekken 9. Players who control the space dominate the fight. This guide focuses on Tekken 9 how to utilize movement options effectively. We aim to give you the tools to move around with precision.
Learn to evade opponent’s offense and establish your own. Properly executed movements give you opportunities to strike. Knowing when to back dash or side step is crucial.
Tekken 9 How to Utilize Movement Options
Alright, Tekken fans! We all know that Tekken isn’t just about button mashing. If you want to truly excel in Tekken 9, you absolutely must understand and practice movement. It’s the secret sauce that separates the good players from the greats. We’re not just talking about walking back and forth; we’re diving deep into the different ways you can move around the stage, how these movements give you advantages, and how to use them to outsmart your opponents. Get ready to seriously level up your game!
Basic Movement: The Foundation
Before we get fancy, let’s cover the basics. These are the movements you’ll be using constantly, so make sure you’ve got them down pat.
Walking and Backwalking
Walking forward or backward seems simple, right? It is, but it’s crucial. Walking forward lets you close the distance on your opponent, putting you in range for attacks. Walking backward helps you keep a safe distance, giving you time to react to your opponent’s moves. Remember to walk, don’t just dash in every time. Walking is safe and predictable, therefore, you will have time to react to incoming attacks.
Dashing: Quick Advances and Retreats
Dashing is faster than walking. A forward dash will get you in range more quickly, great for pressuring your opponent. A back dash is your best friend when you need to quickly escape an attack. Don’t forget to dash when moving around, because it is much faster than walking. But keep in mind, that dashing consumes time, so you need to use it when you find it necessary. Also, continuous dashing is bad because it leaves you vulnerable to your opponent’s attacks.
Jumping: A Risky Move
Jumping in Tekken is a bit risky because it is slow, vulnerable, and easily countered, it’s not like the fighting games that allow you to jump a lot. Still, it can be useful for certain situations, especially when you need to jump over low attacks or create some space. A regular jump is slow and easily punished. But we still need to learn about jumps in Tekken 9, there are different types of jumps available in the game:
- Forward Jump: Moves forward in the air and can be used to close the distance or get over low moves. It is not the best move, if you jump without any motive, then you will receive punishment for sure.
- Back Jump: Moves back in the air and is used to create space or get out of sticky situations. It is not good to jump backwards a lot, because if your opponent is smart, he will see and punish you for jumping backwards.
- Neutral Jump: Jumps in place and can be used to avoid throws and attacks. It is good to use a neutral jump sometimes, but it is not that useful in most cases, because you cannot do anything after jumping in place.
Advanced Movement Techniques
Now, let’s get to the exciting stuff. These are the techniques that will really set you apart.
Sidestepping: Moving Around the 2D Plane
Tekken’s movement isn’t just about forward and backward. Sidestepping allows you to move to the left or right in the background. This is absolutely critical for evading linear attacks (moves that only go straight forward) and setting up your own attacks from unique angles. You will be using sidesteps a lot, especially against linear moves. Sidestepping can be done by taping the directional button towards left or right. Sidesteps are very important in Tekken, you will win more matches if you know how to use them. There are two types of sidesteps available in Tekken 9.
- Sidestep: A simple step to the side, great for dodging individual attacks. It is easy to use but it is not that great because it is easily tracked, meaning your opponent can adjust to you quickly.
- Sidewalk: It is more effective version of sidestepping. Sidewalk allows you to move at an angle, this makes you much harder to track. You can use sidewalk to completely evade some moves that would normally hit you while sidestepping, also, you can do very nasty things with sidewalks.
Korean Backdash (KBD): The King of Spacing
Okay, this one is a bit more complicated, but it’s absolutely essential for high-level play. The Korean Backdash is a sequence of back dashes and cancels that allows you to move backward extremely quickly. It gives you amazing spacing control and the ability to bait your opponent’s moves. It is a tricky thing to learn at first but if you do learn this, you will be much more effective player in the game.
Here’s the sequence:
- Press back.
- Then, quickly press down-back.
- Cancel by pressing back again.
- Repeat the process for backward movement.
It takes practice to get the timing right, but it’s one of the most valuable movement skills in Tekken 9. Learning KBD is going to be an asset for your gameplay, so try practicing this one often. Don’t worry if you can’t do it at first, everyone goes through that time of learning and practicing. KBD is mostly used to get out of the way when your opponent is applying pressure on you.
Crouching and Crouch Dashes: Dodging Highs and Going Low
Crouching is important to dodge high attacks and can set up some powerful low attacks of your own. It’s not just about staying low; it’s about being sneaky. Crouch dashing, done by quickly tapping down forward while crouched, allows you to quickly move in the crouching position, which can throw off your opponent. It is mostly used to evade high attacks.
Mix-Up Movement: Keeping Them Guessing
The key is to use a variety of movements. Don’t always walk, don’t always dash. Mix up your walking, dashing, sidestepping, and crouching. This makes it harder for your opponent to predict your next move. For example, you can walk to lure your opponent into thinking that you are moving in, then suddenly back dash out of the range, then punish.
Here’s a quick example of mix-up movement:
- Walk forward slowly.
- Then quickly back dash.
- Sidestep.
- Crouch dash in.
- Then attack.
The more unpredictable you are, the harder it will be for your opponent to win against you. Use all of your movement tools wisely to mix-up your approach.
How Movement Creates Opportunities
Movement isn’t just about moving around. It’s a way to create opportunities to attack, defend, and control the match.
Spacing: Controlling the Distance
Spacing is all about being at the right distance to hit your opponent while staying safe from their attacks. Using a Korean Backdash, sidesteps, and dashes effectively, helps you control the space. Sometimes, it is best to play aggressively and stay close to your opponent, in those cases, you might want to use more of dashes and walk. While, in some matches, you might want to create distance between you and your opponent, in those cases, you should use back dashes and KBDs.
Whiff Punishing: Making Them Pay
Whiffing is when your opponent throws an attack but doesn’t hit you. Good movement allows you to avoid the attack and then immediately punish them while they are still open. For example, your opponent throws an attack and you use sidestep to dodge it and then punish. This is a very fundamental strategy that you need to be good at, to win matches.
Setting Up Offense: Moving into Attack Range
Effective movement can help you get into the range you need to launch your attacks. Don’t just walk into range randomly, you need to use a combination of dashes and sidesteps to confuse your opponent and move into the attack range. The closer you are, the more you can pressure them with your attack.
Avoiding Pressure: Staying Safe
Sometimes, the best offense is a good defense. Movement can be used to escape an opponent’s pressure, allowing you to create space and reset the pace. This can be done by using backdashes, sidesteps, and KBDs.
Practicing Your Movement
You will not become a movement god overnight. It takes practice, but it will be worth it.
Training Mode Drills
Spend time in training mode working on specific movements, like the Korean Backdash. Use the recording function to practice punishing whiffed attacks, and also practice different types of mix-up movement. You can use the dummy in training mode and set it to do certain moves, and then practice evading it and then punishing.
Play Against Others
Don’t just practice against the computer. Playing against real people is the best way to test your movement skills in a live setting, because they will not do the same thing over and over. You will find unique strategies to deal with real players. You can also watch how they move, and learn some new strategies from them.
Watch Professionals
Watching professionals and high-level players is a great way to learn how to use movement more effectively. You can learn new tips, tricks, and strategies by observing them closely. You can see the movement patterns of these players and try to implement them in your gameplay.
Record Your Own Gameplay
Record your matches, then watch them back. You’ll often see places where you could have used a different movement to gain an advantage. Also, this will help you notice some bad habits you have. You can improve by observing your gameplay videos.
Character-Specific Movement
Keep in mind, not every character is built the same way. Some characters might be more mobile than others, and some characters might have special movement options. It’s important to get comfortable with how your character moves. You have to learn about different characters in the game, so you can learn their weakness and strength. Use this information to your advantage. Always be aware of your movement options, and always be ready to use them. Here are some common character movement characteristics you should keep in mind:
- Size: Larger characters might have a harder time with movement compared to smaller characters.
- Speed: Some characters are very fast and agile and are built to be close to the opponent, while some are slower and better at long range.
- Unique Moves: Characters such as Yoshimitsu have moves such as flash, which allows you to move very quickly. You should learn about this.
Experiment and learn your character’s specific traits and learn how you can take advantage of those traits. By doing this, you will be one step ahead of your opponent.
Movement is not just an important thing in Tekken 9, it is the main foundation of Tekken 9 gameplay. A player with better movement skill will win much more compared to a player who just knows how to throw out attacks. Mastering the movement in Tekken 9 will take a lot of time, but it is definitely worth it. You have to consistently practice these different techniques to get a hang of them. Start with the basic movement, and gradually implement the advanced techniques, and watch yourself get better at the game. Now you have the knowledge and the tools, all that is left is to put in the time. Get into the training mode and see yourself improve. Have fun playing Tekken 9!
Tekken Tips – The Most Important Wake Up Option
Final Thoughts
Effectively using movement provides a critical advantage in Tekken 9. Sidestepping, backdashing, and wavedashing create opportunities and evade attacks. Understanding each option allows players to control space better.
Knowing when to use which movement is key for both offense and defense. Practice these techniques to see significant improvements in your Tekken 9 gameplay. The strategic use of movement is central to winning matches.
Therefore, ‘Tekken 9 how to utilize movement options’ well is essential.
