Tutorials in fighting games have always left a lot to be desired. They usually show you what your buttons do, run you through system mechanics, toss you a few combos to try and then that's about it. You wanna try and improve and compete with the best of em'? You’re on your own… unless you’re willing to seek help outside the game. That's what I'm going to try and do here.
I find there's a lot of technics and tactics used at mid to high level that just becomes second nature, but a foreign concept to people just starting out or just playing casually. If you want to dip your toes into the more competitive side, this article is for you.
We’ll be focusing on frame advantage, a foundational concept that governs how fights flow. I’ll be using Street Fighter 6 for examples (mainly because its training mode displays frames clearly), but the concepts apply to any traditional 2D fighter.
Why It's Called "Neutral"
Let’s set some groundwork.“Neutral” is the state where neither player is making contact with the other, and both have the freedom to move and act. It’s the default state at the start of each round, and you’ll return to it throughout a match. It’s called neutral because neither player has “frame advantage”. For now just think of frame advantage as a good thing to have. The ultimate goal of neutral is to exit it, preferably with you at advantage.
How you conduct yourself in neutral could fill an article all on it's own, but to summarize it's all about controlling space and finding angles of approach. Spacing your attacks well, stuffing your opponents approach options and closing in when the time is right. Positional advantage is also quite important, when your back is to the corner your ability to do all of these things is much more limited.
Gaining Advantage
So now you may be asking, "how do I gain frame advantage?". Well it's pretty simple, you have to land attacks that leave you "plus". How plus you are is measured in "frames", the tiniest units of time in a fighting game, usually 1/60th of a second each. Which attacks give plus frames is generally character specific, but the concept remains the same throughout. There are 3 main states you'll find plus frames in:- Attacks on hit that leave them standing
- Attacks on block
- Attacks that knockdown
First appearance of SF6's frame meter, for now just focus on where it says "advantage"
Light Hashogeki | Forward Heavy Punch | Light Tatsumaki |
Leaves them standing on hit | Move is blocked | Causes a knockdown on hit |
Is plus 2 | Is plus 3 | Is plus 35 |
Frame Advantage and The Concept of Turns
So you've got frame advantage, but what now?Let’s say you’re +3F after an attack. In this situation, being +3F means you recover 3 frames sooner than your opponent. In theory you'll always be able to act first. This is what it means for it to be "your turn". Who's turn it is will often shift rapidly throughout a match, being able to identify when it is and isn't your turn is crucial. Identifying these situations takes time and practice, but being aware of it is the first step.
Frame Traps: Punishing Disrespect
So what if your opponent doesn’t respect your turn and presses a button anyway? That's where "frame traps" come in. A frame trap is a sequence designed to catch someone mashing during your plus frames. The start-up of a move is also measured in frames, what the fastest move is differs by game but it's something you always have to consider. In SF6 you have to contend with 4 frame jabs. If they try to press that, it won’t actually come out until frame 7 of the exchange (because they’re still recovering for 3 frames first). If you press a move with 6 frame start-up or faster, it hits them first.Ryu's standing medium punch(6F) will beat Ken's jab(4F) in a +3 situation
SF6's frame bar displays what's going on in this interaction quite well. The top bar represents player 1 (Ryu) and the bottom player 2 (Ken). For starters, a quick rundown on what each colour represents.
= Attack Recovery
= Attack Start-up
= Attack Active Frames
= Hit and Block StunAs you can see, Ryu's recovery ends 3 frames before Ken exits block stun. They then both initiate their attacks. Ryu's stand medium punch is able to fully complete, hitting on the 6th frame and sending Ken into hit stun. While Ken is only able to get through the first 2 frames of crouch jab's start-up.
Invincible Moves: Stealing Turns Back
“But I don’t want to wait my turn, that sounds boring!”Well, I have a few answers for you. Fighting games are full of Invincible moves, some more than others. When done straight out of block stun, hit stun or wake-up they are often simply referred to as "Reversals"; which is the use case we will be focusing on. Whipping one of these out is one of the ways you can "steal your turn" back. These moves are invincible frame 1, It doesn't matter what the opponent pressed, these will always win. But the important part is IF they pressed something. Mind games are a big part of fighting games, if they read it and block these moves leave you very vulnerable to a punish. So don't over rely on it, or it will spell your doom!
Ken does reversal OD Shoryuken against Ryu's frame trap
Same situation as before, only this time Ken does a move with invincible start-up.
represents this state. You can see Ryu's move is able to complete it's start-up and even enter it's active frames, but Ken is unable to be hit because of his invincible state. Ken's move then enters it's active frames, hitting Ryu and sending him into hit stun.Abare: Fighting Back Under Pressure
So now we're just sitting and blocking, but the attacks never seem to stop. That's because your giving your opponents turn too much respect. You may think that sounds odd at this point, considering how appealing just blocking seems based on the previous two topics, but hear me out. When the opponent feels confident that you're going to block on their plus frames, some may start to try and stretch their advantage a bit too far.Let’s go back to Ryu’s forward heavy punch. It’s +3 on block. If you always block after it, Ryu may start abusing that respect, looping into more plus moves or tricky mix-ups. But maybe you take the risk. Maybe you mash a fast jab between his attacks and catch him trying to sneak in a slow button. That’s abare. It’s risky, sure, but it can force your opponent to tighten up their pressure or back off.
Knowing when to abare is just as important as knowing when not to.
Okizemi: Pressure After Knockdowns
Let’s finish with okizeme, or “wake-up pressure”.Knockdowns give you plus frames as well, but they work a little differently. First you want to make sure it's a "workable knockdown". As in, you're able to get close to them before they're back on their feet.
For example, Ryu’s light tatsu gives you enough time to dash in and stay in their face before they rise. Once you're in position, you can perform okizeme—an attack timed to hit just as they stand up.
Like frame traps, attacks on wake-up will beat anything that's not invincible. The extra plus frames from catching someone on wake-up mean you have a lot more options on what to use here. Ideally, use a move that’s:
- Plus on block
- Converts into a combo on hit
Drive rush stand medium punch leaves Ryu +3 on block, if Ken wakes-up with a button Ryu is able to convert into a combo
To Know Your Frames Is To Know Your Enemy
Frame advantage is the key to understanding the flow of a match. Knowing when it’s your turn and how to make the most of it, lets you apply pressure, punish mistakes, and defend smarter.These ideas might seem technical now, but with practice, they’ll become second nature. Study your game of choice's frame data, hit the lab, and start recognizing the rhythm of the fight.
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