Couch-teching is an advanced tactic that utilizes late-teching and option-selects at the same time in games that utilize two-button throws like SF3:3S and SF4 series. You are NOT allowed to throw while crouching, but you are allowed to tech while crouching. When you are in a defensive position such as down-back and press jab+short, you will get a c.jab (in 3S) or a c.short (in SF4). However, if the opponent has tried to throw you, you will get a tech instead. Thus if the opponent tried to throw you, you get a tech, or if the opponent tried to mix it up, you beat it with a fast normal of your own.

You will have to understand is that crouch-tech utitlizes LATE-tech. You cannot do this at the same time as a normal-tech timing, or your normal will come out and get thrown.

The opponent also can walk back further than your c.normal range, and CH you as a bait. This can be a good tool to gauge the tendancies of your opponents, but this is not to be used as an answer to all close-ranged mixup defense.

A followup advance tactic is to always assume the c.normal comes out, and buffer a combo afterwards. If you get a tech, there is tech-animation that doesn't allow any other normals to come out and enough time to catch yourself to not do anything stupid.

If the c.normal hit, you should have already been doing a combo that fully utilizes the successful crouch-tech option select. Failure to do so will simply hit an opponent with minimal damage move and at best have gotten out of a primitive mixup but leaving you with no real advantages and the opponent no reason to continue to mix you up.  

Last updated on February 8, 2010 by haunts