What I mean by that is, you can’t just spam it right? That’ll just get you hit. But when do I use it to tech throws?
By the LK-LP option select do you mean crouch tech, to beat a throw or to throw out a light kick?
If that’s not the case then I’ll just answer the second part. If you’re trying to break a throw and you’re mashing throw before it even happens - you will get thrown, there is a little “delay” in when you push throw to when the game will recognize another throw from you. This means you have to stay vigilant and learn where throws normally come - and when they are in throw distance, commit to the tech.
It’s to stop people from just hammering away at throw and never being able to be thrown - it’s hard to react to most throws, you have to do some level of prediction. (Gouken’s back through might be the exception, you have a long time to tech that one).
Well the LK-LP option select is to see if a combo is open or to tech a throw when he does so, or am I missing something? I mean, I guess I do mean crouch tech, yes.
So in the end, just gotta play and get used to reading when throws come right? See if they’re in the right range, if they are, try to tech it.
Well a crouch tech is a bit of “technology”:
When you press :d::lp::lk: when the opponent is close you will give them a cr.:lk: for their troubles, but by adding in the :lp: button if they try to throw you before your foot sticks out - then you will break that throw because you probably pressed the crouch-tech at the same time. This is why it’s important to learn what combos you can get off a little cr.:lk:. It’s a little easier to time this tech if you push the throw on every hit they do, keep pace with their combos and links so when it feels out of place you are right there with a perfectly time tech the moment the drop the combo to walk up and throw.
At one time crouch-teching was seen as “just what you do” on every mixup because it’s pretty darn safe. Now that the game has been out for a few years however you see people who will create situations JUST FOR messing with people who crouch tech too often. Cammy’s EX divekick can come out instantly off the ground and so they aren’t throwing, and aren’t going to get hit by your cr.:lk: and you end up taking a big counter-hit instead.
So yeah you just have to be -ready- to tech whenever you feel they are getting too close, and until your opponent puts you on notice for crouch teching it’s generally a safe practice to follow.
Alright, so just go with the flow of their attacks, right?
Oh yeah, and I saw something else too, and that was using this same option select, but with a different attack. For example : LP-LK-MP
Is a useful technique, or is it only good when the target attack (MP in this case) has a quick startup?
Exactly, you can really OS with any button that is stronger than :lk:, so if you know you’ve got a fast starting mp, or even a move that gets you off the ground fast enough (or a slide that just removes you from throw ranges) then you can use that one instead.
It is useful in two main situations:
[LIST=1]
[]The other move you’re OSing with might be superior to your cr.:lk: in one of several ways - by being safe on block where your cr.:lk: is not, by being faster than your cr.:lk:, etc.
[]You’re playing at a level where people know how to recognize and punish crouch-techs at a basic level. OSing crouch tech with a stronger normal may throw people off if they’re looking for random whiffed cr.:lk:s as signs that they should go for a setup to blow up your crouch techs.
[/LIST]
Assuming you’re talking about SSFIV:
The way to use it is the “delayed crouch tech” method. Note that this stage of the game’s life people have found ways around this, but it’s still an essential tool. In fact, there are entire websites dedicated to this topic:
(In Japanese)
The idea is that you have to press cr.lk + cr.lp as late as possible. After throw starts up, you get about 7f to tech it. If you tech it late and watch the replay in slowmo, you’ll actually see yourself get grabbed, and then the tech throw happens. This style of teching is preferred because if the opponent goes for something other than a throw, you’ll still be able to block. Whereas if you’re mashing cr.lk + cr.lp, there is a good chance that you will get counter-hit by another move.
Like I said though good players know how to beat this, so it’s not something you can abuse against certain characters. In some cases it’s just better to risk getting thrown than eating a counter-hit combo into Ultra (I’m looking at you, Cammy).
UGH.
Just ran a set with a Cammy player last night. I can’t tell you how many times I watched my throw whiff as she blew me up with ex divekick D: