Starting out with Goh #4- Sideturned

Note: This post is the fourth of seven written by Midi and translated by Modelah.

Midi's VF5FS Beginner's Blog post

1. How complete beginners can win! (part 1)
2. How complete beginners can win! (part 2)
3. Sabaki moves
4. Sideturned
5. Ringouts
6. Goh vs. Goh
7. The Wall Game

4. Sideturned
Sideturned situations are a major part of the game but quite confusing, so for beginners I'd like to separate this into 2 areas; sideturned offense and sideturned defense.

Sideturned: Offense
When the opponent is sideturned:

1. if you think they'll abare with attacks, use .
2. if you think they'll guard, use : or a throw.
3. if you think they'll evade, use or .
4. punish when you have the chance.
​

1. If you think they'll abare with attacks, use .
When the opponent is sideturned, your attack/throw nitaku game is still fearsome. Throws have a small drawback though, more on that later. If the opponent abares and counter hits them (side CH gives a blue flash effect) you'll get a crumple, allowing you to combo them.

Combos:
(side CH), , ,
(side CH), , - against Taka​

Even if guarded the frame diasadvantage youe left with is small. has it's uses against sideturned opponents but for speed and relative safety when guarded/evaded, should be your main move.

2. If you think they'll guard use or a throw.
Attacks become more dangerous against a sideturned opponent, so they'll most probably guard. Throw them! (Throws won't work so well against experienced players who know how to deal with them.)

When facing foward the opponent has 3 choices for escaping throws (, and ) whereas sideturned they only have 2 ( and ). If they escape your side throw you'll be at +2f advantage, if they can see how they are standing in relation to you they'll escape your throws almost 100% of the time. So although they'll be at disadvantage they're actually in a relatively safer situation. If they employ a side LTE (side lazy throw escape, otherwise known as yutori defence) technique they'll be safe from attacks and throws, so go for a hit throw. Of course you can use this when fighting other beginners.

3. If you think they'll evade, use or .
This is for sideturned opponents who evade to avoid being tagged by an attack. You could try a regular throw here, but as mentioned before experienced players will most likely escape it; side LTE will defeat your throw attempts and . Here's where full-circular attacks come in handy.

If side counter-hits it'll turn the opponent, and a front throw or back throw attempt will become guaranteed (the direction they turn depends on the situation). Back throws are inescapable so you can expect decent damage from them. If you hit check the counter hit and you're quick enough, you can hit Goh's strongest front throw or back throw.

If you catch them with , combo them.

Combos:
, ,
, - for Taka
​

4. Punish when you have the chance.
Punishing is vital to stepping up your game, and becomes more important as you (and your opponents) get better. If the opponent is standing I recommend and , for crouchers .

- Against a sideturned opponent this will give you more frame advantage compared to hitting it head-on.

(,) BT- Opponents can abare to defeat this, or crouch under it. Can be followed up for extra damage.

Combo:
BT, dash,
​

BT- Gives large advantage on hit, allowing you to keep the pressure on. On side counter hit a front or back throw is guaranteed.

BT- On counter hit crouch throws, , , become guaranteed.
If you hit against a sideturned opponent combo as usual.

Combo:
, , - for all characters
, - for Taka
​

As for sideturned offense, you should do well doing what I've written above. Just remember that sideturned , and also practice hit checking in sideturned situations. Try to see patterns in how your opponents react when defending and then throw, use the hit-throw or full-circular attacks as the need arises.

Sideturned Defense:
Some aspects are very different compared to defending facing forward.

・Side kicks become very dangerous.
・Strings can give you real headaches.
・When you guard an attack the advantage you gain is smaller.
・Throw escapes are either or .

1. Side kicks become very dangerous.
If you're sideturned and get hit by a side kick or move with similar properties you'll crumple, and the opponent will be able to combo you. Defending is your safest bet, though you can also evade.

If you think the opponent will use a middle kick, use . This will sabaki the side kick and also defeat a throw attempt. When opponents escape your throws you'll be sideturned, and many players habitually use a side kick so use this move against them.

2. Strings can give you real headaches.
Some strings become guaranteed when sideturned, and there's nothing you can do about it. Whenever your is evaded, expect to take damage. Some strings can't be blocked, Jacky's and Kage's , even if you guard the first attack, the second one will hit you.

They may not be very damaging but they give the opponent a chance to continue the pressure on you so don't start throwing out moves recklessly here or you'll get counter hit.

3. When you guard an attack the advantage you gain is smaller.
This is very important. Using Goh's attacks as an example:
- forward-facing is -6f, sideturned guard is -3f.
or - forward-facing guard is -10f, sideturned guard is -7f; you'll no longer be able to throw-punish.
- forward-facing is -15f, sideturned guard is -9f; you'll no longer be able to punish with an elbow.

If you try to apply nitaku after guarding from sideturned the opponent can just fuzzy guard, and if you try to throw punish after guarding from sideturned you'll get beaten by an attack. If you try to punish a guarded with the opponent can just guard against it.

Let's go a little further (for those of you who don't know the frames side of the game, just skip ahead!). from a head-on position, you can guard the opponent's and counter hit any abare attempts with but if you try this when sideturned you'll get beaten by their or (guarding when sideturned is +3f, from forward-facing it's +5f. and are 12f attacks, and Goh's knee is 17f).

If you don't adjust how you play when sideturned you can get hurt very badly. The opponent has the upper hand when they're attacking you while you're sideturned, a very difficult position to be in. It helps knowing the character you're facing, but basically there are far fewer opportunities for you compared to forward-facing engagements.

Throw escapes are either or .
There are no neutral throw input () to worry about when sideturned so make sure you always enter or when attempting to escape throws. Do that alone and at least you'll have a 50/50 chance of escaping a side throw. When you get used to it you'll be able to escape them most of the time, but for now, as a beginner I think it's better to concentrate on other areas of the game.

In summary
Defend. Don't Abare. There are side kicks and nasty strings waiting for you. It's best to weather the storm and wait for this phase of the game to pass.

After defending interrupt the next phase of the opponent's offense with fast moves only. Beginners should use and . Look for a chance to counter hit and put your opponent in nitaku.

Use your sabaki moves. for punches, for kicks. Using them both is a good option.

And that's that for Goh's sideturned post. There's a lot to remember about sideturned situations but knowing what to do (and what not to) can be the difference between life and death.

Goh's sideturned video! (Japanese)


Sideturned Q and A with Midi
Q. I can't put sideturn pressure on my opponents by evading, or by attacking after an Offensive Move.
A. You're executing your attacks too slowly. You have to attack immediately after you evade.

Q. Even though I evade and hit as soon as possible I get hit by .
A. You probably evaded or other fast move, and your opponent still has frame advantage.

Q. I attack after evading my opponent's move but their follow-up string attacks hit me. What should I do?
A.　Some characters have strings that will track you. Defending against the string and retaliate.

Q.　When sideturned the opponent always crouches so when I try to use it only registers as a normal hit. What should I do?
A.　Try a hit throw or .

Q. If I'm sideturned and think the opponent will try a throw, shouldn't I abare against them?　
A. Yes, that's fine. Just understand that the risks are higher if you get hit than when facing forward.　

Q. How much frame advantage do get for sideturned attacks?
A. If the damage value of the attack is less than 15 it's 2f, between 15 and 24 it's 3f, and over 24 it's 6f. This means that if your attacks are guarded your recovery time will be less.

Q. Which characters are the best and worst at attacking in sideturned situations?
A.　Everyone is potentially good, including Goh. Characters with a particularly strong sideturned offense are Akira, Lion, Brad and Jacky.

Q. You wrote that you should punish whenever you have the chance, but I've seen you evade a knee launcher only to hit . What's up with that?
A. Uh... yeah. Do as I say, not as I do, as the saying goes!

Midi

 

just wanted to say thanks for all of the excellent translations for these guides. they are some of my favorite reads on the site and will be the first place i turn when i decide to get off my ass and try some different characters.