I’ve been implementing crouch teching into my play and I get thrown way less often than I did before. Unfortunately, I sometimes take counterhits when I’m spamming it. It’s usually unexpected on the part of my opponent, so they rarely continue into a combo.
Is this actually the proper way to crouch tech, or should I not be spamming it like I am? I keep running into conflicting advice on this.
I’d like to know this as well. Some players bait a crouch tech on purpose and characters like Yun, Rufus, Cammy and more are very good at blowing you up for using this defensive measure. I don’t “spam” crouch tech however unless my opponent shows that he is tick throw happy, and when I do use it I am hitting the buttons as a response to their tick punch or kick, not in anticipation of it. I try to match their rhythm.
If your opponent has been putting throws into his block strings then crouch tech. If he hasn’t or doesn’t throw often just keep blocking. Read your opponent to know when to crouch tech and when not to.
I tend to spam them when I play online specifically because they don’t seem to work otherwise. Countless times I have teched blatantly obvious and repetitive throws from Ken players for example, but nothing happens.
Offline, you should be crouch teching along to the rhythm that they are hitting you. The counter to crouch teching is frame traps.
Online, (and one of the reason online play kinda blows) is that sometimes normal timed crouch techs do not go through, so people begin mashing 'em. In which case you’ll get counter hit more often and open yourself up.
Basically there will never be perfect crouch teching online with any form of lag 
The first thing you should understand is that even when using the crouch tech option-select, there are mind games involved. At any point when one player is defending and expects a possible throw attempt from the attacker, the defender must make a decision on how to respond. Let’s suppose for a moment that the attacker decides to do a throw at the earliest possible opportunity. There is about a 10f window (I don’t remember exactly) after the throw comes out that the defender can tech it. The defender can either tech near the beginning of this window (Early tech) or near the end of it (Late tech), either of which result in the throw being successfully teched. The defender can also choose to simply continue blocking, which results in being thrown. Now let’s suppose that the attacker decided to attack instead of throw. If the defender used an Early tech, it comes out as a cr.LK, which is counterhit by the opposing attack. (This is what is happening to you.) If the defender used a Late tech, the opposing attack will simply be blocked. Because of this, it is usually preferable for the defender to tech as late as possible. However, if the attacker predicts the Late tech, he/she can use a Delayed attack to make the defender use a cr.LK and fish for a counterhit. If you ever hear the term “frame trap”, it refers to the attacker mixing up the timing of hits like this to fish for counterhits. Delaying an attack like this is necessary to beat the Late tech OS, but it carries a higher risk because the defending player can beat it with an Early tech, which comes out as a cr.LK and hits the attacker.
Defender’s options: Early tech (highest risk), Late tech, Block
Attacker’s options: Throw, Early hit, Delayed attack (highest risk)
Early tech neutralizes Throw
Late tech neutralizes Throw
Block loses to Throw
Early tech loses to Early hit
Late tech blocks Early hit
Block blocks Early hit
Early tech beats Delayed attack
Late tech loses to Delayed attack
Block blocks Delayed attack
Re frame trapping, a good way to make your opponent twitch and tech is standing up during your blockstring, maybe walking forward just a bit, then immediately attacking afterwards. It can be hard to pull off sometimes (I hate it when I try to do it with Ryu’s c.mp and get a hadouken instead. Damn input buffer lasts forever) but it can be very effective.
In general, you should not spam it but there is no “proper” way to crouch tech in terms of timing.
Consider the options:
Sometimes you just have to consider whether getting thrown is worse than getting comboed or swept. This may change depending on your position on screen, the character you are facing, and how much life/time/meter is available.
Also, sometimes it’s better just to avoid the choice and entirely and backdash (after blocking the first attack), focus/tech backdashing into (relative) safety, or do reversal FADC.
How to crouch tech w/o getting counter-hit? You can’t. Late techs are just as risky, your opponent just needs to delay his timing.
I would say avoid the crouch tech OS unless you know for a fact that there blockstring wont put you in a frame trap situation or the player wont do the frame trap. Best bet is get good at knowing when a player tries to throw you. Remember throws don’t hurt that bad bu t a counter hit bnb will.
I think a lot of players need to know crouch teching is not a cure all for the tick throw/attack situation.
I know this I play Rufus and I blow up people all the time for this.
Yep, this. Whatever you do, don’t mash it. Just do it veeery slightly later than you’d usually tech (stand tech). Accept the fact that you missed a tech if it happened, don’t go mad and start mashing it as it’s counter productive if your opponent knows their frame traps. Basically, what I’m trying to say is don’t crack under pressure if you miss a tech as you’d much rather get thrown than eat a CH combo.