Practicing Wavedashing Applications

[I_am_Error]

So i've been trying to get into competitive Melee after being in competitive Smash 4 for a while, so I'd say I have a decent game sense. The one thing I can't wrap my head around is how to use wave dashing in a game. I can do it fine in practice, but once a game starts, I struggle to use it to actually do anything useful. Ive searched for a while to try to find guides on when to use it, but I can't. I feel like this is really keeping me from making any more progress in melee, so if anyone can tell me if theres a way to practice and improve this, Id really appreciate it.

 

[KirinKQP]

Wave dashing is, in short, used for two things:

1.) Main movement option to get around the stage (Luigi's main movement option)

2.) A quick repositioning which should help get out of danger or run in for a punish (Jiggs can wavedash to get a rest in from a roll read).

In a game, you don't have the time to readjust the analog stick to get a further distance in your slide, usually, in training, you will go twice as fast as you do in a match against a person. A tip to go further is before you jump then wavedash, simply dash forward and jump before the white smoke appears at your feet. When doing this, you will slide during the jump squat frames than the normal distance you have gone. However, you will learn that wavedashing is most useful to get around platforms, the ledge and jump a quick slide to reposition your character, NOT YOUR ONLY MOVEMENT OPTION. With Jiggs for example, I found out that I prefer to simply walk or run or jump around because I can do things immediately out of them. Wavedashing, though you're moving is still punishable and you can't do crap until you are done sliding.

TL;DR: Dash forward first then jump immediately to get more distance. During your squat frames, you'll slide forward a bit. Don't rely on wavedashing as your only method of moving around, unless it is a character who relies on it. Figure out the opportune time to wavedash, such as combos that can be started/extended, things like tech chases and jab resets and approach options with your character.

 

[Sycorax]

So i've been trying to get into competitive Melee after being in competitive Smash 4 for a while, so I'd say I have a decent game sense. The one thing I can't wrap my head around is how to use wave dashing in a game. I can do it fine in practice, but once a game starts, I struggle to use it to actually do anything useful. Ive searched for a while to try to find guides on when to use it, but I can't. I feel like this is really keeping me from making any more progress in melee, so if anyone can tell me if theres a way to practice and improve this, Id really appreciate it.

Wavedashing has 4 properties that make it useful:

1. You can move backward while facing forward.
2. You can move anytime you are able to jump. The most notable example is out of shield, where you "normally" can't move, but another example is during a run.
3. You can quickly alter your momentum from forward to back or back to forward.
4. You can move while using a standing attack. You can't perform standing A moves during Run or Dash (unless you pivot which has restrictions). Wavedashing allows you to move then instantly use a grounded move. You can crouch during run to do a move, but that is much much slower than WD attacks. Moving while attacking also has the use of allowing you to take space or evade opponents while in the startup frames of grounded moves.

Think of these 4 properties of wavedash when you consider whether you might want to use it.

 

[Captain Phobos]

I used to be the same way. I would say wavedashing during a match is mostly muscle memory. Sometimes I just wavedash around the stage if my opponent is offstage or something. After a while you get used to do it during a fight. Wavedashing can be good for approaches and speeding up combos to keep your opponent from escaping.