I know I have already posted some of this information in other various threads, but though that it would be more useful for newer players as a stickied guide, as these are some of the more commonly asked questions by new players. I'm trying to make this into a comprehensive guide for players new to the series. I've tried to explain some of the fundamental aspects of the game so that newer players can learn and improve their play. If anyone has suggestions on anything that I have left out, please feel free to reply or PM me.
For this guide, and for basically all Tekken notations, the buttons will be referred to as followed:
1 = Left Punch
2 = Right Punch
3 = Left Kick
4 = Right Kick
1+2 means press both left and right punch at the same time, 3+4 means press both kicks at the same time, etc.
For all other basic commands and notations, click the Legend button on the Tekken Zaibatsu toolbar up at the top of the page. These notations are how pretty much everything is written out on this site, so it's very useful to know, and I would suggest taking a look at it before reading any further.
Movement
One of the cornerstones of any fighting game, your movements are how you get around the stage, space out your opponent, and evade attacks. Here are the basic types of movements.
Forward Dash
A movement used to close in on a opponent. Done by double tapping f (f~f). Use this to close the distance between you and your opponent when you knock them down and need to get up close. Some characters moves come out of a forward dash, so if you want to dash and jab with 1 and your character has a ff+1 move, use ff,N+1 instead of ff+1. You can also extend the range of ff+button attacks by holding the second f a bit longer (f~F+1).
Run
If your opponent is far away, pressing f,f will perform a run instead of a dash. During a run you can perform the following actions:
-Stop: Tap b to block or D to crouch.
-SS Cancel: Tap u~N or d~N.
-Stomp: Automatically done during a run on a grounded opponent after 6 steps.
-Tackle: After 11 steps this will be performed automatically on a standing or ducking opponent. Can follow up with 1,2,1,2_1,2,2,1_2,1,2,1_2,1,1,2 for mounted punches/slaps. Some characters can perform additional attacks from a tackle.
-Dive: Done by pressing 1+2 after 12 steps, the character will perform a mid-hitting dive forward that can hit grounded opponents. Cannot be performed if your character has a specific WR+1+2 attack.
-Slash Kick/Leaping Heel Kick: Done by pressing 3 after 12 steps. Males will do a Slash Kick, females will do a leaping heel kick, unless the character has a specific WR+3 attack. Can be executed instantly with f,f,f+3.
-Slide: Done by pressing 4 after 12 steps. Character slides on the ground with a low ground hitting kick. Cannot be performed if your character has an alternate WR+4 attack.
-Shoulder Ram: An unblockable shoulder attack that is automatically performed during a run after 18 steps.
There are other character specific attacks that can be performed while running, check individual character movelists for these moves.
Backdash (BD) and Backdash Canceling (BDC)
A very important movement used for spacing, a backdash is usually used to get out of an opponents range and to cause their attacks to whiff. If you backdash (b~b), there are frames at the end where you cannot block. Try looking at the backdash and you'll see after the movement where the character takes a second to put his foot down and return to normal stance. The backdash can be cancelled into any direction, or into a block with ~N~B or cancelled with an attack. The most common method of backdash cancelling is d/b. This puts you right into crouch block, and from there you roll the stick from d/b to b for standing block. Note that there are still frames where you are vulnerable, but nowhere near as long as an uncancelled BD. You can cancel a BD into another BD with b~b~d/b~b and repeat with b~b~d/b~b~d/b~b and so on. The other common way to cancel a BD is with a SS. The command for this is b~b~u_d.
***A note on BDC***
Most players just learning to do BDC do it too fast and end up canceling the BD before they really get any movement, causing them to be vulnerable as they twitch while slowly moving backwards. Time them so that the full backwards motion of your BD comes out, then you cancel into another BD as soon as the backwards movement stops.
Sidestep (SS)
A SS is a step to the side that can be used for spacing and for evading an opponents attack. It is performed by quickly tapping u or d then letting the stick return to neutral. Holding u or d will result in jumping or crouching, respectively. A SS can be cancelled with f to move forward, b to block, d/b to crouch, a jump, or an attack. Some attacks can only be executed from a SS. A SS move is noted as SS+button. Say you want SS then jab with 1, but your character has a SS+1 attack, you must SS then either wait for the animation to finish then jab, or SS, cancel with b_f, then go back to neutral position and hit 1.
Sidewalk (SW)
A sidewalk is similar to a sidestep only it is a continuous movement. It is much more evasive than a SS. It is performed by double tapping then holding u or d (u~U or d~D). A SW can cancel into a block (b), forward walk (f), crouch block (d/b), SS, jump or an attack. You cannot get a SS attack from a SW.
***A note on Spacing***
Using all of these movement, you want to create proper spacing. Generally, proper spacing is being far enough away to create whiffs, but close enough where you can punish those whiffs. Inversely, if you find you're whiffing attack a lot, you probably need to dash in before you attack. Different players have slightly different ranges they want to be in because of different character/playstyles, but this is a general rule.
Defending/Types of Attacks
One of the first thing that most players should learn in Tekken, or any other fighting game for that matter, is how to defend. All the fancy moves and combos won't be of any use to you unless you can survive the opponent's attack long enough to start your own attacks.
There are 3 types of Guard in Tekken:
Standing Guard (hold B)
This is that way that you will be blocking most attacks. By holding B you will be able to block high and mid level attacks, but will be hit by low attacks, throws, and unblockables.
Crouching Guard (hold D/B)
By holding D/B, you will be able to guard against low attacks and duck high attacks/throws, but you will be hit by mid level attacks and certain characters crouch throws. It is not recommended to duck often or without reason, as generally most launchers and heavy damaging attacks are mid.
Neutral Guard (Hold no direction, or N)
Neutral guard is essentially the same thing as high guard. If you are not hitting a direction or a button, you will be considered to be in neutral guard. However, the difference is if you are neutral guarding, many attack strings will break through your guard after the first hit, so most of the time you want to use B to guard. Some people find that using neutral guard makes it easier to punish after an attack, since they don't have to move the stick from B to a different direction to execute their attack.
In Tekken, there are varying heights/levels of attack, each with unique ways to defend against it. Most attacks you can tell just by looking what level (high, mid, or low) they hit at, but some you'll have to find out by checking the movelists. Let's look at some of the basic types of attack.
High attack
These include jabs and most characters standing kicks. High attacks can be blocked with Standing Guard, or ducked with Crouch.
Mid attack
Mid attacks can be blocked with Standing Guard, but will hit a Crouching opponent.
Low attack
Low attack will hit an opponent in Standing Guard, but will be blocked by Crouching Guard or avoided by jumping.
Throws
Throws will connect on Standing Guard opponents, but they can be ducked, or broken after the grab. Throw breaking will be discusses later in the guide. some characters have crouch throws that will grab opponent in Crouch, but will whiff against standing opponents. Generic throws for every character are performed by pressing 1+3 or 2+4. Long range throws, which also track opponent SSing, are done by pressing f+1+3 or f+2+4. Many other characters have other throws that are executed with different commands, refer to your character's movelist for these.
Special Mid
Special Mids are attacks that can be blocked with both Standing Guard and Crouching Guard. Most characters generic ducking jab (d+1 or FC+1) are special mids.
Unblockables
Unblockables are attacks that, as the name suggests, cannot be blocked. Most moves that generate a big flashy spark as the execute are unblockable. Most unblockable attacks are slow to execute and have the spark animation that gives them away.
Counterhits (CH)
A counterhit occurs when a character is hit during the startup of an attack animation. When you CH with a move, it is usually given different properties than if you would hit with it on normal hit. Sometimes a CH attack will cause a knockdown, stun, or juggle, when it would normally not on regular hit.
***A note on Defense***
Good defense is absolutely essential in Tekken. One of the first things you should try to get comfortable with is your defensive stance. Simply stand and guard. You should have the mindset to always stand guard. You will be able to block any mid and high, break throws, and you should only duck to block seeable lows. Ducking to block small, unseeable poke lows is a good way to get yourself killed. The majority of the more damaging attacks in Tekken are mid, there's no sense in ducking to avoid 10 damage if by doing so you risk losing half of your life. If you get hit with a few of those poke lows, it's alright, just take them.
Misc. Defensive Techniques
There are other techniques for defending other than Guarding. These include:
Low Parry
This is a universal move accessible to every character that defends against a Low move by putting the opponent into B! state (which will be discussed later). To perform a Low parry, quickly tap d/f on the stick as soon as your opponent's Low hit would connect on you. You have a few frames where this works, but if you're too early, you will be hit, and if you are too late you will be hit. . All universal duck jabs are low parriable.
Throw Breaking
Most of the throws in Tekken are breakable, meaning, once the opponent grabs you, you have a short window of opportunity where you can break out of the grab. Generic grabs (1+3 or 2+4) are broken by pressing either 1 or 2 immediately after your opponent grabs you. You only have a few frames to do this, so you must be quick. The way to tell what button to break with is by looking at your opponent's character's hands. You will notice that during a throw, the character will either have his left arm extended (1 break), right arm extended (2 break), or both arms extended (1+2 break). This is true for all generic throws, as well as most command throws. side throws are broken depending on what side the opponent is on. If they throw from your left side, 1 break, from the right, 2 break. Back throws cannot be broken. There are some throws like King b+1+2, Asuka d/b+1+2, or Kuma's stance throw that cannot be broken, but in general you are able to break most throws. Crouch throws and ground throws have no distinct animation to tell what the break is, so it's a 50/50 guess.
***A note on throw breaks***
Most players new to the game have a lot of problems with throw breaks. IMO the easiest method to practice your breaks is to go into Practice mode > Defensive training and set the CPU to a 1+3 throw and 2+4 throw. When you're practicing breaking throws, don't guess and mash the punch buttons. Always input the correct escape, this way even if you are too late and get thrown, you are still learning to break correctly, with time your speed will improve and your correct inputs will be quick enough to break throws. Another note is that with most characters, they stand left foot forward, this means that when they do a 1 break throw, their torso position stays the same and they extend forward. With 2 break throws, their R arm goes forward, causing their torso to rotate to the left. Noticing small differences like this can help you recognize the different breaks.
Generic Tackle
A generic tackle is performed automatically when you near the opponent after running 11-17 steps. It hits crouching and standing opponents and can be followed up with punches by pressing 1,2,1,2_1,2,2,1_2,1,2,1_2,1,1,2. Some characters have other moves that can be done from tackle. The tackle can be broken by pressing 2 on contact, or reversed by pressing 1+2 as soon as your back hits the ground. Marduk's running tackle is inescapable.
Reversals/Parries
Some characters have a reversal/parry available to them. This is a technique that when timed with the opponents attack, will catch their attack and damage the opponent. Not all characters have one, and different characters have different properties to their reversal/parries. For example, Paul/Nina/Anna/Asuka's reversal (b+1+3 or b+2+4) is able to catch punches and kicks and it can be countered. King's reversal (b+2+4) catches only kicks, and is uncounterable. Bryan's parry (b+1+2) only catches punches. Jin's parry (b+1+2), instead of giving a throw-type animation, simply negates block stun, as does Wang's (b+1), but with canned followups. Marduk's Reversal (b+1+3 or b+2+4) puts the opponent into Mount. Some characters have attacks that have an automatic parry in them, such as Armor King's f+1+2, which parries punches in the initial animation. There are a lot of different types of reversals and parries, and most of them differ in how they work, so check your individual character section to see if your character is able to reverse or parry and how it works.
A note on the usage Reversals/Parries: The biggest problem I notice newcomers have with Reversals/Parries is that they try to use them randomly to try and catch single moves as sort of a twitch reaction. While this may work sometimes, more often than not, using a reversal like this will be either too soon or too late, and you'll end up eating the move instead of reversing it. The best way to use Reversal/Parry is when you are fairly certain an opponent will be doing a specific move when they start to fall into a pattern. Say a Law player uses 1,2 a lot, and when it hits, he does d/f+1. Instead of blocking the d/f+1, that would be a good time to use the Reversal/Parry to grab his d/f+1, since you know they will probably do it, and the frames are such that a your Reversal/Parry coincides with their attack. Another method is to set up Reversal/Parries with your own blocked moves. For example, I like to use 1,2 or d/f+1 with Armor King. Most people block these moves then try a jab or quick poke of their own. So after I gauge how they react, I start using 1,2 or d/f+1, Punch Parry to catch them. As with most things, just be sure that you don't get predictable with your Reversal/Parries in this manner or you can be punished if the opponent baits one from you and doesn't attack.
Chickens
Originally just a mispronunciation of "tech hit", this technique is now officially known as a "chicken". A chicken is a reversal of a reversal. For example, Paul b+1+3_2+4 can reverse punches or kicks. If Paul catches you with his reversal, you can counter it according to which limb he reversed. If Paul reversed a 1 or 3 attack, you would press f+1+3 as soon as Paul attempts his reversal. If he reversed a 2 or 4 attack, you would press f+2+4 as soon as he starts his reversal. For combination button attack such as 1+2, 3+4, 1+4, etc. moves, it depends on the attack and limb used to determine what the proper chicken is.
Crush Sytem
With Tekken 5, a system was put in place called the "Crush" system. What this did was give most characters attack that would go under, or (High Crush) High attacks, or jump over, or (Low Crush) Low attacks. Every character has at least one of each type of Crush attack, and it's effectiveness/crush ability depends on the individual move. For example, Bryan's d/f+3 ducks almost immediately and Crushes high attacks for almost all of it's animation. Marduk's d+1+2 also Crushes highs, but only for part of it's animation as he can often be thrown or 1,2 jabbed out of it. All hopkicks Crush low, generic duck jabs Crush high. To determine what your characters Crush moves are refer to the individual character sections or movelist.
For this guide, and for basically all Tekken notations, the buttons will be referred to as followed:
1 = Left Punch
2 = Right Punch
3 = Left Kick
4 = Right Kick
1+2 means press both left and right punch at the same time, 3+4 means press both kicks at the same time, etc.
For all other basic commands and notations, click the Legend button on the Tekken Zaibatsu toolbar up at the top of the page. These notations are how pretty much everything is written out on this site, so it's very useful to know, and I would suggest taking a look at it before reading any further.
Movement
One of the cornerstones of any fighting game, your movements are how you get around the stage, space out your opponent, and evade attacks. Here are the basic types of movements.
Forward Dash
A movement used to close in on a opponent. Done by double tapping f (f~f). Use this to close the distance between you and your opponent when you knock them down and need to get up close. Some characters moves come out of a forward dash, so if you want to dash and jab with 1 and your character has a ff+1 move, use ff,N+1 instead of ff+1. You can also extend the range of ff+button attacks by holding the second f a bit longer (f~F+1).
Run
If your opponent is far away, pressing f,f will perform a run instead of a dash. During a run you can perform the following actions:
-Stop: Tap b to block or D to crouch.
-SS Cancel: Tap u~N or d~N.
-Stomp: Automatically done during a run on a grounded opponent after 6 steps.
-Tackle: After 11 steps this will be performed automatically on a standing or ducking opponent. Can follow up with 1,2,1,2_1,2,2,1_2,1,2,1_2,1,1,2 for mounted punches/slaps. Some characters can perform additional attacks from a tackle.
-Dive: Done by pressing 1+2 after 12 steps, the character will perform a mid-hitting dive forward that can hit grounded opponents. Cannot be performed if your character has a specific WR+1+2 attack.
-Slash Kick/Leaping Heel Kick: Done by pressing 3 after 12 steps. Males will do a Slash Kick, females will do a leaping heel kick, unless the character has a specific WR+3 attack. Can be executed instantly with f,f,f+3.
-Slide: Done by pressing 4 after 12 steps. Character slides on the ground with a low ground hitting kick. Cannot be performed if your character has an alternate WR+4 attack.
-Shoulder Ram: An unblockable shoulder attack that is automatically performed during a run after 18 steps.
There are other character specific attacks that can be performed while running, check individual character movelists for these moves.
Backdash (BD) and Backdash Canceling (BDC)
A very important movement used for spacing, a backdash is usually used to get out of an opponents range and to cause their attacks to whiff. If you backdash (b~b), there are frames at the end where you cannot block. Try looking at the backdash and you'll see after the movement where the character takes a second to put his foot down and return to normal stance. The backdash can be cancelled into any direction, or into a block with ~N~B or cancelled with an attack. The most common method of backdash cancelling is d/b. This puts you right into crouch block, and from there you roll the stick from d/b to b for standing block. Note that there are still frames where you are vulnerable, but nowhere near as long as an uncancelled BD. You can cancel a BD into another BD with b~b~d/b~b and repeat with b~b~d/b~b~d/b~b and so on. The other common way to cancel a BD is with a SS. The command for this is b~b~u_d.
***A note on BDC***
Most players just learning to do BDC do it too fast and end up canceling the BD before they really get any movement, causing them to be vulnerable as they twitch while slowly moving backwards. Time them so that the full backwards motion of your BD comes out, then you cancel into another BD as soon as the backwards movement stops.
Sidestep (SS)
A SS is a step to the side that can be used for spacing and for evading an opponents attack. It is performed by quickly tapping u or d then letting the stick return to neutral. Holding u or d will result in jumping or crouching, respectively. A SS can be cancelled with f to move forward, b to block, d/b to crouch, a jump, or an attack. Some attacks can only be executed from a SS. A SS move is noted as SS+button. Say you want SS then jab with 1, but your character has a SS+1 attack, you must SS then either wait for the animation to finish then jab, or SS, cancel with b_f, then go back to neutral position and hit 1.
Sidewalk (SW)
A sidewalk is similar to a sidestep only it is a continuous movement. It is much more evasive than a SS. It is performed by double tapping then holding u or d (u~U or d~D). A SW can cancel into a block (b), forward walk (f), crouch block (d/b), SS, jump or an attack. You cannot get a SS attack from a SW.
***A note on Spacing***
Using all of these movement, you want to create proper spacing. Generally, proper spacing is being far enough away to create whiffs, but close enough where you can punish those whiffs. Inversely, if you find you're whiffing attack a lot, you probably need to dash in before you attack. Different players have slightly different ranges they want to be in because of different character/playstyles, but this is a general rule.
Defending/Types of Attacks
One of the first thing that most players should learn in Tekken, or any other fighting game for that matter, is how to defend. All the fancy moves and combos won't be of any use to you unless you can survive the opponent's attack long enough to start your own attacks.
There are 3 types of Guard in Tekken:
Standing Guard (hold B)
This is that way that you will be blocking most attacks. By holding B you will be able to block high and mid level attacks, but will be hit by low attacks, throws, and unblockables.
Crouching Guard (hold D/B)
By holding D/B, you will be able to guard against low attacks and duck high attacks/throws, but you will be hit by mid level attacks and certain characters crouch throws. It is not recommended to duck often or without reason, as generally most launchers and heavy damaging attacks are mid.
Neutral Guard (Hold no direction, or N)
Neutral guard is essentially the same thing as high guard. If you are not hitting a direction or a button, you will be considered to be in neutral guard. However, the difference is if you are neutral guarding, many attack strings will break through your guard after the first hit, so most of the time you want to use B to guard. Some people find that using neutral guard makes it easier to punish after an attack, since they don't have to move the stick from B to a different direction to execute their attack.
In Tekken, there are varying heights/levels of attack, each with unique ways to defend against it. Most attacks you can tell just by looking what level (high, mid, or low) they hit at, but some you'll have to find out by checking the movelists. Let's look at some of the basic types of attack.
High attack
These include jabs and most characters standing kicks. High attacks can be blocked with Standing Guard, or ducked with Crouch.
Mid attack
Mid attacks can be blocked with Standing Guard, but will hit a Crouching opponent.
Low attack
Low attack will hit an opponent in Standing Guard, but will be blocked by Crouching Guard or avoided by jumping.
Throws
Throws will connect on Standing Guard opponents, but they can be ducked, or broken after the grab. Throw breaking will be discusses later in the guide. some characters have crouch throws that will grab opponent in Crouch, but will whiff against standing opponents. Generic throws for every character are performed by pressing 1+3 or 2+4. Long range throws, which also track opponent SSing, are done by pressing f+1+3 or f+2+4. Many other characters have other throws that are executed with different commands, refer to your character's movelist for these.
Special Mid
Special Mids are attacks that can be blocked with both Standing Guard and Crouching Guard. Most characters generic ducking jab (d+1 or FC+1) are special mids.
Unblockables
Unblockables are attacks that, as the name suggests, cannot be blocked. Most moves that generate a big flashy spark as the execute are unblockable. Most unblockable attacks are slow to execute and have the spark animation that gives them away.
Counterhits (CH)
A counterhit occurs when a character is hit during the startup of an attack animation. When you CH with a move, it is usually given different properties than if you would hit with it on normal hit. Sometimes a CH attack will cause a knockdown, stun, or juggle, when it would normally not on regular hit.
***A note on Defense***
Good defense is absolutely essential in Tekken. One of the first things you should try to get comfortable with is your defensive stance. Simply stand and guard. You should have the mindset to always stand guard. You will be able to block any mid and high, break throws, and you should only duck to block seeable lows. Ducking to block small, unseeable poke lows is a good way to get yourself killed. The majority of the more damaging attacks in Tekken are mid, there's no sense in ducking to avoid 10 damage if by doing so you risk losing half of your life. If you get hit with a few of those poke lows, it's alright, just take them.
Misc. Defensive Techniques
There are other techniques for defending other than Guarding. These include:
Low Parry
This is a universal move accessible to every character that defends against a Low move by putting the opponent into B! state (which will be discussed later). To perform a Low parry, quickly tap d/f on the stick as soon as your opponent's Low hit would connect on you. You have a few frames where this works, but if you're too early, you will be hit, and if you are too late you will be hit. . All universal duck jabs are low parriable.
Throw Breaking
Most of the throws in Tekken are breakable, meaning, once the opponent grabs you, you have a short window of opportunity where you can break out of the grab. Generic grabs (1+3 or 2+4) are broken by pressing either 1 or 2 immediately after your opponent grabs you. You only have a few frames to do this, so you must be quick. The way to tell what button to break with is by looking at your opponent's character's hands. You will notice that during a throw, the character will either have his left arm extended (1 break), right arm extended (2 break), or both arms extended (1+2 break). This is true for all generic throws, as well as most command throws. side throws are broken depending on what side the opponent is on. If they throw from your left side, 1 break, from the right, 2 break. Back throws cannot be broken. There are some throws like King b+1+2, Asuka d/b+1+2, or Kuma's stance throw that cannot be broken, but in general you are able to break most throws. Crouch throws and ground throws have no distinct animation to tell what the break is, so it's a 50/50 guess.
***A note on throw breaks***
Most players new to the game have a lot of problems with throw breaks. IMO the easiest method to practice your breaks is to go into Practice mode > Defensive training and set the CPU to a 1+3 throw and 2+4 throw. When you're practicing breaking throws, don't guess and mash the punch buttons. Always input the correct escape, this way even if you are too late and get thrown, you are still learning to break correctly, with time your speed will improve and your correct inputs will be quick enough to break throws. Another note is that with most characters, they stand left foot forward, this means that when they do a 1 break throw, their torso position stays the same and they extend forward. With 2 break throws, their R arm goes forward, causing their torso to rotate to the left. Noticing small differences like this can help you recognize the different breaks.
Generic Tackle
A generic tackle is performed automatically when you near the opponent after running 11-17 steps. It hits crouching and standing opponents and can be followed up with punches by pressing 1,2,1,2_1,2,2,1_2,1,2,1_2,1,1,2. Some characters have other moves that can be done from tackle. The tackle can be broken by pressing 2 on contact, or reversed by pressing 1+2 as soon as your back hits the ground. Marduk's running tackle is inescapable.
Reversals/Parries
Some characters have a reversal/parry available to them. This is a technique that when timed with the opponents attack, will catch their attack and damage the opponent. Not all characters have one, and different characters have different properties to their reversal/parries. For example, Paul/Nina/Anna/Asuka's reversal (b+1+3 or b+2+4) is able to catch punches and kicks and it can be countered. King's reversal (b+2+4) catches only kicks, and is uncounterable. Bryan's parry (b+1+2) only catches punches. Jin's parry (b+1+2), instead of giving a throw-type animation, simply negates block stun, as does Wang's (b+1), but with canned followups. Marduk's Reversal (b+1+3 or b+2+4) puts the opponent into Mount. Some characters have attacks that have an automatic parry in them, such as Armor King's f+1+2, which parries punches in the initial animation. There are a lot of different types of reversals and parries, and most of them differ in how they work, so check your individual character section to see if your character is able to reverse or parry and how it works.
A note on the usage Reversals/Parries: The biggest problem I notice newcomers have with Reversals/Parries is that they try to use them randomly to try and catch single moves as sort of a twitch reaction. While this may work sometimes, more often than not, using a reversal like this will be either too soon or too late, and you'll end up eating the move instead of reversing it. The best way to use Reversal/Parry is when you are fairly certain an opponent will be doing a specific move when they start to fall into a pattern. Say a Law player uses 1,2 a lot, and when it hits, he does d/f+1. Instead of blocking the d/f+1, that would be a good time to use the Reversal/Parry to grab his d/f+1, since you know they will probably do it, and the frames are such that a your Reversal/Parry coincides with their attack. Another method is to set up Reversal/Parries with your own blocked moves. For example, I like to use 1,2 or d/f+1 with Armor King. Most people block these moves then try a jab or quick poke of their own. So after I gauge how they react, I start using 1,2 or d/f+1, Punch Parry to catch them. As with most things, just be sure that you don't get predictable with your Reversal/Parries in this manner or you can be punished if the opponent baits one from you and doesn't attack.
Chickens
Originally just a mispronunciation of "tech hit", this technique is now officially known as a "chicken". A chicken is a reversal of a reversal. For example, Paul b+1+3_2+4 can reverse punches or kicks. If Paul catches you with his reversal, you can counter it according to which limb he reversed. If Paul reversed a 1 or 3 attack, you would press f+1+3 as soon as Paul attempts his reversal. If he reversed a 2 or 4 attack, you would press f+2+4 as soon as he starts his reversal. For combination button attack such as 1+2, 3+4, 1+4, etc. moves, it depends on the attack and limb used to determine what the proper chicken is.
Crush Sytem
With Tekken 5, a system was put in place called the "Crush" system. What this did was give most characters attack that would go under, or (High Crush) High attacks, or jump over, or (Low Crush) Low attacks. Every character has at least one of each type of Crush attack, and it's effectiveness/crush ability depends on the individual move. For example, Bryan's d/f+3 ducks almost immediately and Crushes high attacks for almost all of it's animation. Marduk's d+1+2 also Crushes highs, but only for part of it's animation as he can often be thrown or 1,2 jabbed out of it. All hopkicks Crush low, generic duck jabs Crush high. To determine what your characters Crush moves are refer to the individual character sections or movelist.
Last edited by Brahma on Jan 18th, 2011 at 21:49