Approaches?

[CHIP_FLOS]

As I play better people with my Falcon, I noticed how difficult it can be to initiate with his moveset. I usually use his nair, but I want to know if there is anything else I can do to switch it up without getting shield grabbed.

Or maybe it's just me, and I need to git gud.

 

[Immagraton]

Spaced bairs are super underrated.
Not necessarily an "approach" but good for zoning.

 

[CHIP_FLOS]

I feel that. Sometimes I'll throw out a bair when I'm DD'ing around to keep people away.

 

[Red Rice]

If people are shielding your nair approaches, mix it up and do a tomahawk grab. Or space your nairs so that you land behind the shield

 

[Alexo30]

I like to use platforms in a lot of my approaches, like a waveland off towards center stage with a quick aerial. Makes me really predictable because I do it all the time, but if you can throw this in occasionally with conventional approaches, it would be beneficial.

You don't always have to approach, let the opponent approach, and use reads and spacing to start up your offense.

 

[Citizen Snips]

My friends and I joke about it a lot, but Falcon doesn't really have approach options and generally initiates with grabs. He's an incredibly defensive character that relies on the opponent making a mistake and then obliterating them for it. A majority of your game is pressuring your opponent with dash dances and scattered safe aerials to bait them into committing to an option, at which point you can go to town on them. As such, I would say that you want to focus more on doing safe aerials than doing aerials that open you up for combos. Your goal with aerials out of neutral is pressure, not combos. With pressure comes grabs, and from grabs come combos. Late super well-spaced up airs, overshot nairs, and platform mixup aerials are your best aerial tools. Using them to condition your opponent into being afraid will open you up for more options like tomahawks, shield pressure, and the like.