Tech Chasing
I've been playing melee competitively for years. Captain Falcon happened to be one of my main characters, so tech chasing was something I did quite a bit when I played spacies. This is something I'm sure we all did, not only with Falcon, but with pretty much every other character. But did you know that we've all been referring to it by the wrong name? That's right. For years, we've just been calling it "techchasing" or "reading your opponent" or even as "mindgames". Little do we know, the correct term is actually Chainchoking.
Let me post this as well so no one gets confused.
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Tech chasing = predicting
Chainchoking = reacting.
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Now, let's get down to it.
Recently, Renth, Cash Mooney and I were enlightened by the teachings of the Ganondorf Brawl forums. When one reacts to a tech in order to follow up with a move, such as another grab or an aerial for example, we refer to this as chainchoking. The discrepancy between reading a tech and predicting a tech is seen above and will be explained in further detail below.
What is it?
This idea came to me when I gerudoupthrew a fox. I noticed that when I did, and the fox didn't tech, they were restricted to only a few options. The basic idea is to wait for them to get up, and you react to what they do. For example, if they gerudoroll, you can run up and gerudoJC a gerudograb or gerudoSHFFL an gerudoaerial. If they attack to get up, gerudoshield and follow up with a gerudoshield grab or an gerudoSHFFLed gerudoaerial. If they normal stand up, you can do the same thing but with out the need to gerudoshield. Sometimes you can follow up with a strong gerudosmash attack or a strong gerudoaerial attack (like the knee) after you chainchoke them to high enough percents, which will sent them off the stage, thus killing them. Be careful though, because they may tech your throw, and then you have to react even faster with more gerudoing. This makes this technique extremely difficult, so I suggest that only the pros should attempt this. This is different from the tech chasing we know and love. We used to predict what they would do and catch them if we were successful. This removes guessing from the equation by reacting after they have initiated their response.Chainchoking- Not for Everyone
Chainchoking is hard. Very hard. You must know every animation of the character if you want a chance to succeed, and even then you need great reflexes. You also have to SHFFL aerials if you plan on using them, and JC grabs if you plan on following up with grabs. Don't even think about trying it online. I expect that we will all get better at this with practice, to the point where it can give us the advantageous matchups we have been longing for. However, this will still only apply for the few Ganons who are capable of doing this.
To make everything easier, let's have some abbreviations and standards:
GUA- getup attack
Out- roll away
In- roll toward
Up- standing up without a GUA
When and Why?
This tech has more benefits than you would think. Despite the difficulty, this is worth learning for many reasons. First and foremost, damage. Chokes add up quickly, and since the chainchoke ends near the ledge, they are put in a very bad situation from it. Another benefit is that the chokes refresh all your other moves. As you should know, the game keeps track of the last nine moves you have hit with. We don't care if the choke gets stale, so this is restoring the other moves for basically nothing. Another benefit that should not be overlooked is the affect this has on your opponent. He will get demoralized if he gets choked time and time again with no escape. You are crushing his spirit with this move, and that is an advantage that can't be measured. A frustrated opponent is far more likely to make mistakes than a calm one.
Video
Chainchoking - A Proof of Concept and Introductory VideoDO NOT say you can chainchoke until you have WATCHED THIS VIDEO!
edit: I actually watched the original video and it's funnier in itself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMTL74uIXlw
