Fighting Game Terminology - A Beginner's Guide

I love fighting games.

I think I've said this so much you automatically puke whenever I bring it up, but I love them so much. The intense mindgames with an opponent, the rush of adrenaline while pulling off a tricky combo, and the sense of achievement that comes from securing victory with a well-placed super move - these are things that few games, for me, so readily provide. They might not be everyone's cup of tea, I'll admit that, but for those willing to devote the time and effort to mastering them, there's a world of rewards to be had, including the smug superiority of knowing you're better at them than the friends you invite over for parties.

But like a lot of things in this world, including science and the Geneva Convention, the competetive fighting game scenario is one that is littered with lots of strange lingo that confuses and baffles those people who are new to the whole thing. What do feet have to do with fighting games, apart from kicking people? What is a combo, and can I get one at McDonalds? For those not in the know about the many perks and nuances of the genre, or about the competetive scene full stop, it can be like trying to learn French with nothing more than a dictionary and Google Translate (trust me, I know what it's like).

But hope is not lost, my friends! With the European release of Street Fighter X Tekken less than a month away, I'd like to take the opportunity to complie a small list of fighting game terminology, along with their defenitions, in order to help those budding World Warriors or Kings of Iron Fist out there get to grips with the confusing world in front of them, and perhaps improve their own playstyle by keeping these important terms in mind. Who knows - maybe this post will inspire someone out there to become the next Justin Wong or Daigo Umehara!

...Then maybe I will grow electric wings and fly up to the Moon Kingdom.

Baiting
Baiting is a practive used by players to try and lure an opponent into making a mistake, leaving them open to attack. Baiting often consists of deliberately whiffing moves to lull the opponent into a false sense of security.

Example: "Good Baiting from Daigo!"

BnB
BnB is an abbreviation of Bread-and-Butter. This refers to a combo or technique for a character that is widely used because it is highly effective and easy to pull off. Some characters can have multiple BnB combos.

Example: "That's a decent Kazuya BnB you have there."

Cancel
In some fighting games, Cancels involve suddenly breaking off the current attack animation by inputting a command that "cancels" the previous one. This is usually inputting the command for a special move whilst the character is still performing a normal attack.

Example: "Hey, did you know you can cancel Deadpool's Happy-Happy Trigger from his taunt?"

Combo
Combos are the basic elements of almost all fighting games. A combo involves performing attacks in rapid succession, giving the opponent little-to-no chance of retalliation before the sequence is over. How combos are performed differs from game to game.

Example: "Spencer has some decent combos, but they take some effort to pull off."

Counter
Counters are successful attacks that are landed when the opponent is attacking as well. In some games, performing a counter carries bonuses, such as extra damage. The Dead Or Alive series revolves around counters, granting massive damage if excecuted properly.

Example: "Ooh, nice Counter there!"

Cross-Up
Cross-Ups are techniques that make it diffuclt for the opponent to tell which direction they should block. A standard Cross-Up woukd involved performing a jumping attack whilst jumping over an opponent, although certain characters may have special techniques that can create Cross-Ups without the need for jumping.

Example: "Oni has a good Cross-Up game with his Demon Slash."

Footsies
Footsies refers to a situation where the players are out of combo range, and are trying to either land a hit to start a combo or bait the opponent into range.

Example: "This is an intense footsies game!"

Juggles
Juggles refers to a kind of combo that involves knocking an opponent into the air, and then keeping them airborne with a combo. Juggles mean that a player can build up damage rapidly without fear of retalliation, although, as with many combos, timing is nesseccary. Tekken is built primarily around juggles, and this carries over into Street Fighter X Tekken.

Example: "Steve Fox is just built around juggles, it's crazy, man."

Mix-Up
A Mix-Up is a technique that involves making attacks difficult to predict. This usually involves a mix of standing and crouching attacks in random order, as these attacks require different actions from the opponent to be blocked. A good Mix-Up game would be one that requires split-second timing to block.

Example: "Lei Wulong has so many Mix-Ups! Argh, how do I block them all?!"

OTG
OTG is an abbreviation of Off-The-Ground. In Marvel vs. Capcom, the term refers to attacks that can hit an opponent lying on the ground, bouncing them up and leaving them vulnerable for another attack. These are useful for extending combos.

Example: "OTG! BIONIC! AAAAAAAARM!"

Overhead
An Overhead is in an attack that can only be blocked standing, and not while crouching. Overheads are a good countermeasure against players who are playing defensively. As many jumping attacks count as Overheads, this term usually refers to ground attacks in this vein.

Example: "Ryu's Collarbone Breaker is a good Overhead."

Poke
Pokes are quick attacks performed at the maximum range the attack will allow. This is often used to create distance between the players, or to get some damage in from a safe distance.

Example: "Nice use of pokes by Justin there."

Punish
Punishing involves immediately attacking an opponent after blocking their attack, often when the opponent has whiffed an attack or is recovering from an attack. This strategy is quite viable after blocking a move that is not considered safe.

Example: "King's Reverse Arm Slam is useful for punishing."

Recovery
Recovery is a term that refers to the time taken for a character to return to a standing state from performing an action, usually after blocking an attack, being hit or while getting up from the ground. The shorter the recovery time, the better.

Example: "Paul's Megaton Knuckle has terrible recovery."

Reversal
Reversals are special moves performed during a recovery state. In some games, Reversals grant a small window of invincibility, making them ideal for turning the tide if a player was knocked down and an opponent is attemtping to attack.

Example: "Ken's Dragon Punch makes for a vicious reversal."

Safe
An attack that is "safe" is one that does not leave the player open if it is blocked, giving the player time to recover and block any incoming attacks. Attacks that are "not safe" are those that carry the risk of putting the player in a situation where they can be punished if the attack is blocked.

Example: "Iron Man's Level 3 Hyper is not safe, as it puts him too close to the opponent."

Sweep
Sweeps are attacks that trip the opponent up. Sweeps are often a quick, easy way of knocking an opponent over, although they may not have much use on their own.

Example: "Every character in Mortal Kombat has a sweep. It's like a law or something."

Rushdown and Zoning
Rushdown is a strategy that involves being extremely agressive, getting as close to the opponent as possible and using a variety of mix-ups and other techniques to pressurise an opponent. Characters have have lots of fast moves are good for rushdown. On the opposite end is Zoning, which involves keeping a certain distancer away from the opponent and punishing their attempts to come close. Characters that use projectiles are ideal for Zoning.

Example: "Deadpool is good for Rushdown, but he also has options for Zoning as well."

Whiff
Whiffing describes instances when an attack completely misses the opponent. In most cases, whiffing is undesirable, as it spoils combo opportunities and leaves the player open, giving time for the opponent to recover. However, whiffing does have a use in some instances - it can be used to bait an opponent into leaving themselves open.

Example: "Damn it, Tom, Stop whiffing that Light Punch!"

Keep in mind that not all fighting games are the same - while the basic terminology here may still apply, each game has it's own little book of terms that might not apply to other games.

I may update this list with more terms as time goes on, and perhaps throw in some exclusive to Street Fighter X Tekken for the lolz. Until then, enjoy!