Wave Dash Practice

[mtmaster]

So of all the advanced techniques that I know of the only one that I can't seem to really do well at all is wave dashing. Like its just extremely hard to do it fluidly without focusing too much on it, as when I focus on that I don't ever make any good use of it. I've tried it with several controller configurations, and regardless of the controller I use I just can't seem to get it down pact, So how do you all practice getting it? I'm beginning to wonder if I should just forgo it, even though I am aware of how useful it can be.

 

[Tryst]

I think I just got it by going infinate time alone and just going from side to side for a while, and then try to grab the edge by wave dashing (Even though I Moonwalk for that a lot more now) and trying to wave dash back on the stage from grabbing the ledge. I bet you have already tried that, although I hope that helps a little bit at least.

 

[mtmaster]

I think I just got it by going infinate time alone and just going from side to side for a while, and then try to grab the edge by wave dashing (Even though I Moonwalk for that a lot more now) and trying to wave dash back on the stage from grabbing the ledge. I bet you have already tried that, although I hope that helps a little bit at least.

I actually have never tried used waving dashing as a means of recovery, I have no idea how that works. I mainly wave dash backwards because its easier, when I wave dash forward I tend to mess a lot more with it by jumping to high lol. Considering who my main is that could be a very bad thing depending on how you look at it.

 

[Tryst]

I actually have never tried used waving dashing as a means of recovery, I have no idea how that works. I mainly wave dash backwards because its easier, when I wave dash forward I tend to mess a lot more with it by jumping to high lol. Considering who my main is that could be a very bad thing depending on how you look at it.

Well, if you get really good at it, you can let go of the ledge, and straight horizontal back onto the stage and be immediately on foot, although it is super risky because if you do it a little too early, you fall helpless to your doom, and if you do it too late you have a second or less of fall onto the stage. Although when I do get it right from practicing enough, it helps a lot. Especially because I haven't got spinshotting down yet. (Yeh, I' a Sonic main too. ) Another Really great thing is for stages with platforms, if you are jumping through them and wavedash directly right or left you will land on the platform immediately and be standing. That can be really really nice for quick grabs when you opponent is in the air near a platform. Both of those though, take quite a bit of practice. Oh, there is also one really crazy trick where from the ledge you immediately jump above the stage and wavedash back off and grab the ledge again and depending on how fast you do it and how fast you jump off the ledge, you are invincible while you continue to do it I think. There was a really helpful .gif I saw of Marth doing it in Melee and there was a name for it, but I forgot it and can't find the picture.

 

[ECHOnce]

Definitely don't forgo practice on WDing. It takes many people a long time to get used to using it consistently and more naturally. You're not alone; I got the button input down after a few days, but it took at least a few weeks to a month or so to get used to using it in matches. And that's with daily play. On the other hand, others get it down in just a few days. It just comes slower to some people than others, but it's definitely worth the practice - there is absolutely nothing worth skipping out on learning if it can potentially better your gameplay.

 

[KinGly]

Don't get me wrong, wave dashing is useful with every character, but due to sonics amazing ground speed and somewhat greater than average friction, it's not that necessary, especially when compared with characters who are slower/have lower friction. It is good to know for the small tricks you can do with it, but it's probably better to practice those rather than moving back and forth with it, since it's much faster to just sprint with sonic rather than wavedash.

 

[ECHOnce]

Don't get me wrong, wave dashing is useful with every character, but due to sonics amazing ground speed and somewhat greater than average friction, it's not that necessary, especially when compared with characters who are slower/have lower friction. It is good to know for the small tricks you can do with it, but it's probably better to practice those rather than moving back and forth with it, since it's much faster to just sprint with sonic rather than wavedash.

TBH I don't really know much about Sonic, but every character gets some use out of WDs. Falcon is on the same boat, with a meh-ish WD and great DD, but it's still important for him if he needs to make a quick minor adjustment to his placement in order to properly space a move, dodge, etc. Generally, people should also always learn WD before attempting WLs, which are pretty helpful for safe approaches and continuing CG tech chases onto platforms (I think Sonic has a CG...?). Regardless, Sonics dash is pretty fast, but I'd imagine that acts as a detriment to his DD, since iirc it's pretty short. Even if his WD is short, it may even be the better retreat option if his DD isn't any good. But that's just me going on theory cos I haven't touched Sonic before lol.

 

[mtmaster]

Don't get me wrong, wave dashing is useful with every character, but due to sonics amazing ground speed and somewhat greater than average friction, it's not that necessary, especially when compared with characters who are slower/have lower friction. It is good to know for the small tricks you can do with it, but it's probably better to practice those rather than moving back and forth with it, since it's much faster to just sprint with sonic rather than wavedash.

TBH I don't really know much about Sonic, but every character gets some use out of WDs. Falcon is on the same boat, with a meh-ish WD and great DD, but it's still important for him if he needs to make a quick minor adjustment to his placement in order to properly space a move, dodge, etc. Generally, people should also always learn WD before attempting WLs, which are pretty helpful for safe approaches and continuing CG tech chases onto platforms (I think Sonic has a CG...?). Regardless, Sonics dash is pretty fast, but I'd imagine that acts as a detriment to his DD, since iirc it's pretty short. Even if his WD is short, it may even be the better retreat option if his DD isn't any good. But that's just me going on theory cos I haven't touched Sonic before lol.

You're both right to me. Since I use Sonic I feel like I can probably forgoe it in his particular case since I don't feel like I need it as much, and for me personally I use moon walking (which I learned last week) to use to a similar effect of wave dashing. At the same time however I can't disagree with the fact that WD still has some GREAT use even with Sonic, who probably doesn't need as much as others, but can definitely can make great use of it. I can tell you as someone who mains Sonic that Sonic's dash dance is definitely one of his best assets even if it seems short, the really good Sonic players I.E (Wizzrobe, Solarath, Nazo, etc) punish people to great effect who try to approach incorrectly. I'm not anywhere near that level, but I how to make use it where I stand at the moment. As far as Sonic's dash goes, I don't really feel like its a detriment at all, and I do a lot of dash dancing with Sonic when I play my friends.

Edit: You guys will probably call me crazy for this, but my primary controller of choice just so happens to be the Wiichuck, and yes while I can use the GC controller I can never really pull off the advanced techiques with it like I can with the Wiichuck. It sounds totally crazy and impossible but as hard as wave dashing is for me, I can actually do it on the wiichuck whereas on the gamecube controller I just can't do it at all, but that's probably chalked up to me using the Wiichuck since Brawl came out (I forced myself to learn it when it first came out as I want to be different from everybody else lol)

 

[Sparklepower]

So of all the advanced techniques that I know of the only one that I can't seem to really do well at all is wave dashing. Like its just extremely hard to do it fluidly without focusing too much on it, as when I focus on that I don't ever make any good use of it. I've tried it with several controller configurations, and regardless of the controller I use I just can't seem to get it down pact, So how do you all practice getting it? I'm beginning to wonder if I should just forgo it, even though I am aware of how useful it can be.

Here's my advice on mastering wavedashing, and it can be applied to any tech skill.
1. Go on training mode and choose any static stage.
2. Try to wavedash forward, then wavedash back, then repeat.
3. Keep repeating until you wavedash forward and back successfully and consistently with no mistakes 10 times in a row.

After that, take a break and do something else (or practice another tech) and try to do it again after some time. If you keep doing this, eventually you'll be able to perform a wavedash without it taking too much focus. This method of practice will also keep yourself from become really bored by practice tech skills for too long.

The much harder part is learning how to apply it, which for sonic I have no idea. Watch some pro matches and see how they use it, as wavedashing can be applied pretty differently between each character. You could probably also find a lot of help on applying wavedash in the Sonic section of the Project M board.

 

[fdigl]

I've been taught to wavedash very early on, but from what I've remembered the person who taught me did so very intensely. They made it as difficult as possible so that way I could get it down in any situation.

Try this out:
- Use the bunny ears. If you get no airtime at all, you're doing it right. This is to check if you are able to do it or not correctly.
- Go against a level 1, 2, or 3 bot and wavedash behind them when they attack. Your goal is to not get hit. "Don't get hit." Wait for a timeout to end the game. This is to check your consistency.
- Try to 4-stock a level 9 bot with your main. Whenever they attack, do the famous "wavedash out of shield backwards and then fsmash" and do this as many times as the situation presents itself. Alternatively, you can also switch this up by wavedashing behind them and using a bsmash. This checks how well you apply this against others.

- Practice constancy by going into training and seamlessly wavedash across the stage forwards and backwards. Once you become consistent, you can also create a dashdance out of wavedashes.
- Play against other people and use the wavedashdance to your advantage. The more diverse the play styles are, the better. This is to practice wavedashing for different uses in different situations. You'll want to adjust your play style to whoever you're fighting, but try not to be predictable.

Good luck!

 

[sunshinesan]

It took me months and I still mess up, if that makes you feel better. There is a milestone in which you just kinda do it without thinking about it. A lot of it is muscle memory depending on the character. No way around that than to just do it a bazillion times. Now as for wavelanding, that's trickier imo.

 

[fdigl]

It took me months and I still mess up, if that makes you feel better. There is a milestone in which you just kinda do it without thinking about it. A lot of it is muscle memory depending on the character. No way around that than to just do it a bazillion times. Now as for wavelanding, that's trickier imo.

One of the worst stages to do this on is definitely Corneria. The floor isn't flat, making it especially tricky to wavedash. One thing you have to do is be aware of your surroundings, kind of think like M2K. He always looks for the best option, and is one of the most situationally-aware players many people can think of right off the bat. Him and other top smashers don't mess up these techniques often and that's mainly because of practice, awareness, and control.

A great place to practice wavelanding is Battlefield. At 1/2 speed, go to the right platform and jump onto the platform on the top. Just as you are about to land (right about when you would wavedash), airdodge southwest quickly. If you've done it right, you should have wavedashed as you landed and should be falling onto the platform on the left. Now perform the same tasks here except this time, airdodge southeast. The practice doesn't end here; waveland eastward once you get to the floor. Right before the dash ends, jump and try to land on the right side of the right platform. Waveland westward and jump off the platform and continue the cycle by wavelanding to the left on the center platform. This may be difficult at first, and trust me - this is hard as hell. Once you get this down, increase the speed to 3/4. Proceed to full speed once finished.

 

[Kintae]

Like most people said, it might not come as easy as other people do. I remember even short-hopping took me weeks to get down, which is one of the basic parts of WDing. Just practice, assuming you already sort of know how to do it. Doesn't have to be consistent so fast, as long as you get 1 or 2 down in between like the other things that aren't wavedashes,

 

[mtmaster]

Like most people said, it might not come as easy as other people do. I remember even short-hopping took me weeks to get down, which is one of the basic parts of WDing. Just practice, assuming you already sort of know how to do it. Doesn't have to be consistent so fast, as long as you get 1 or 2 down in between like the other things that aren't wavedashes,

That's probably my biggest problem, I have never been particularly good at short hopping. You could say I have a heavy finger/trigger happy as I can never press the jump button(s) fast and light enough to initiate my short hop, and when I do manage to do so its typically by accident. I've been practicing short hopping for a few weeks now, and I have to say its painfully frustrating, especially as apart of the wave dashing process.

One of the worst stages to do this on is definitely Corneria. The floor isn't flat, making it especially tricky to wavedash. One thing you have to do is be aware of your surroundings, kind of think like M2K. He always looks for the best option, and is one of the most situationally-aware players many people can think of right off the bat. Him and other top smashers don't mess up these techniques often and that's mainly because of practice, awareness, and control.

A great place to practice wavelanding is Battlefield. At 1/2 speed, go to the right platform and jump onto the platform on the top. Just as you are about to land (right about when you would wavedash), airdodge southwest quickly. If you've done it right, you should have wavedashed as you landed and should be falling onto the platform on the left. Now perform the same tasks here except this time, airdodge southeast. The practice doesn't end here; waveland eastward once you get to the floor. Right before the dash ends, jump and try to land on the right side of the right platform. Waveland westward and jump off the platform and continue the cycle by wavelanding to the left on the center platform. This may be difficult at first, and trust me - this is hard as hell. Once you get this down, increase the speed to 3/4. Proceed to full speed once finished.

Thankfully I actually never play on that stage. I'm typically only ever playing on Stages on the First page, and when I do go to the second page, its only for Hyrule Castle and the Wind Waker level lol. Side note you're going to have to explain wave landing to me a little, I'm not completely saavy with all the competitive terms/techniques by name or application.

 

[Kintae]

That's probably my biggest problem, I have never been particularly good at short hopping. You could say I have a heavy finger/trigger happy as I can never press the jump button(s) fast and light enough to initiate my short hop, and when I do manage to do so its typically by accident. I've been practicing short hopping for a few weeks now, and I have to say its painfully frustrating, especially as apart of the wave dashing process.

Here's a tip for short-hopping. Before I used to try and short hop with (which is a pain in the ass) or putting all my finger on the jump key. Doing either of those things will make short hopping a lot harder. What I do is I skim my finger across the left side of , in an angle where your thumb will end up somewhere between the and the . You have to do it really fast, because if you hold it there too long, you'll end up doing a full jump. Reasons why I use instead of is because it can position me to use or quicker, but if you manage to do it with then that's fine.

Sorry if that doesn't make sense, I'm pretty bad at explaining things, but that's how I learned to short hop. WDing becomes a lot easier when you learn to short-hop. After shorthopping, tilt the movestick down and press or blablabla. It will be easier if you think shorthop, then airdodge rather than trying to do everything at the same time.

Hop this helps

that was a typo but I'm leaving it there because I realized that was a great pun

 

[Bellioes]

Just to clarify, you dont actually need to short hop in order to wavedash. Any jump will work actually. The input for wavedash is jump > airdodge diagonally downwards. The first step doesnt differentiate between short or full hops.

Only thing is there may be a difference in jumpsquat frames making one way faster than another. I actually dont think there is but dont quote me on that. If someone could clarify, that would be great.

Side note you're going to have to explain wave landing to me a little, I'm not completely saavy with all the competitive terms/techniques by name or application.

Wavelanding is landing with a "wavedash" from an already aerial position. Its pretty much doing the diagonal airdodge like in a normal wavedash close enough to the ground to land and get the same wavedash slide effect upon landing. Basically, wavedashing starts from the ground and wavelanding starts from an aerial position. Very useful on platforms where you can jump through them and then immediately waveland onto them. Gives you some really nice movement options but is a lot harder to incorporate into your gameplay than wavedashing. You should really start with getting regular wavedashing down before wavelanding.

 

[mtmaster]

Here's a tip for short-hopping. Before I used to try and short hop with (which is a pain in the ***) or putting all my finger on the jump key. Doing either of those things will make short hopping a lot harder. What I do is I skim my finger across the left side of , in an angle where your thumb will end up somewhere between the and the . You have to do it really fast, because if you hold it there too long, you'll end up doing a full jump. Reasons why I use instead of is because it can position me to use or quicker, but if you manage to do it with then that's fine.

Sorry if that doesn't make sense, I'm pretty bad at explaining things, but that's how I learned to short hop. WDing becomes a lot easier when you learn to short-hop. After shorthopping, tilt the movestick down and press or blablabla. It will be easier if you think shorthop, then airdodge rather than trying to do everything at the same time.

Hop this helps

that was a typo but I'm leaving it there because I realized that was a great pun

Kinda helps. As I mentioned earlier I use a Wii Remote and Nunhuck, but my controller is set up in away that has my buttons maped in a way that is identical to what you described. The only thing I really lack is A C Stick and that is because the motion smash function is kind is some crap lol. REGARDLESS this makes perfect sense to me to me, I just have to control how hard I am pressing or C (which is the equivalent to the ) on my Wii Remote.

 

[InfinityCollision]

Thankfully I actually never play on that stage. I'm typically only ever playing on Stages on the First page, and when I do go to the second page, its only for Hyrule Castle and the Wind Waker level lol. Side note you're going to have to explain wave landing to me a little, I'm not completely saavy with all the competitive terms/techniques by name or application.

It's still good to practice for Yoshi's Island, Yoshi's Story, Skyloft, and Lylat Cruise. I actually use Skyloft to teach WDing - you can practice basic WDing on the upper-right platform, practice WLing onto surfaces from various heights, then practice both on the various angled surfaces in different directions. That upper-right platform is especially good for practicing with Marth; two maximum distance WDs with him will take you from one end to the other almost perfectly.

 

[mtmaster]

Eh not really perfect, and I still can't use it in battle yet, but uhm here's what I got.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6u1ed9IQsM

 

[mtmaster]

It's still good to practice for Yoshi's Island, Yoshi's Story, Skyloft, and Lylat Cruise. I actually use Skyloft to teach WDing - you can practice basic WDing on the upper-right platform, practice WLing onto surfaces from various heights, then practice both on the various angled surfaces in different directions. That upper-right platform is especially good for practicing with Marth; two maximum distance WDs with him will take you from one end to the other almost perfectly.

Here's a tip for short-hopping. Before I used to try and short hop with (which is a pain in the ***) or putting all my finger on the jump key. Doing either of those things will make short hopping a lot harder. What I do is I skim my finger across the left side of , in an angle where your thumb will end up somewhere between the and the . You have to do it really fast, because if you hold it there too long, you'll end up doing a full jump. Reasons why I use instead of is because it can position me to use or quicker, but if you manage to do it with then that's fine.

One of the worst stages to do this on is definitely Corneria. The floor isn't flat, making it especially tricky to wavedash. One thing you have to do is be aware of your surroundings, kind of think like M2K. He always looks for the best option, and is one of the most situationally-aware players many people can think of right off the bat. Him and other top smashers don't mess up these techniques often and that's mainly because of practice, awareness, and control.

Eh not really perfect, and I still can't use it in battle yet, but uhm here's what I got.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6u1ed9IQsM

 

[ECHOnce]

Eh not really perfect, and I still can't use it in battle yet, but uhm here's what I got.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6u1ed9IQsM

Nice, you got it lol. The harder part now is to get comfortable using it while in a match. Wavedashing should feel like a natural reaction, like how you might want to spot-dodge or roll if you anticipate or see a hit coming. For most people, this'll take much longer to get used to than just being able to time the button inputs correctly. Play against friends IRL or on WiFi/Netplay, or against CPUs if you have no other option. Play friendlies as you normally would, but constantly keep the thought of when you can WD to your benefit, and try to do so. If you mess up or miss an opportunity, make a mental note of what you could've done and try make adjustments.

Also, I would definitely not recommend practicing on Yoshi's Island, or any other stage with slanted ground/platforms. Battlefield, Final Destination, Smashville, etc. are generally better for practicing on.

 

[mtmaster]

Nice, you got it lol. The harder part now is to get comfortable using it while in a match. Wavedashing should feel like a natural reaction, like how you might want to spot-dodge or roll if you anticipate or see a hit coming. For most people, this'll take much longer to get used to than just being able to time the button inputs correctly. Play against friends IRL or on WiFi/Netplay, or against CPUs if you have no other option. Play friendlies as you normally would, but constantly keep the thought of when you can WD to your benefit, and try to do so. If you mess up or miss an opportunity, make a mental note of what you could've done and try make adjustments.

Also, I would definitely not recommend practicing on Yoshi's Island, or any other stage with slanted ground/platforms. Battlefield, Final Destination, Smashville, etc. are generally better for practicing on.

Thanks . I've tried practicing against the computer but they have such stupid ridiculous reaction time I can never make it applicable against them :V, although when I was playing with my friend after I was finished practicing it for awhile I managed to do a few wave dashes, mainly wave landing surprisingly enough. As for the stage I practiced on I chose that stage specifically because of that slant, as I figure if I can do it on a stage like that I can definitely do it on a more flat and natural stage, well that and because I just really like the music I have set on that stage lol. I did a little bit of practice on Corneria as well as, even though I almost NEVER play on that stage anymore, solely because when I play with friends I only play on the stages I have music on (its stupid I know, but the music just makes the game more enjoyable for me).

I definitely have to say wave dashing and then attacking afterward is ridiculously hard, while grabbing seems a little simpler when I actually do manage to do it right in a fight.