I was reading the definition for “Tech” in the SF glossary, and it says, “Tech means to perform an action that modifies something”
What does that even mean? Like, I know in-game, a tech can occur if two players try to grab each other, but the way that definition was explained really makes me confused. What is being modified? What does modify even really mean… Lol. I am so lost… Can someone provide an easier explanation? Thank you.
From a USF4 point you can tech in 3 different ways. You can tech a throw which would modify your opponents throw to not throw you.
The other two are wake-up times. If you tech a hard knockdown (ex. Throws, and Sweeps are a moves that have a hard knockdown) you will delay your wake-up for a few frames. I’m not sure how many though.
If you tech a soft knockdown your character will get up a lot faster.
If you do any of this stuff the word Technical pops up on the screen. That can be really useful for certain characters delayed wakeup set-ups.
So to simply put it, it just changes the way a certain mechanic works.
I think thats the only things the “Technical” thing does in USF4.
Oh yea you’re right. Some of that stuff I have encountered, but my question is more or less… Why is it called a tech?
I wouldn’t have a clue why its actually called that. I’ve never really questioned it until now.
Haha, yeah. That’s why I’m confused by the definition in the glossary that says “Tech means to perform an action that modifies something”
Where did that person come up with that? I mean is that even an accurate definition? I don’t really understand what he means by modifying “something”. 
bump? 
Hahaha. People have rightfully been asking this same question for years.
The best rationalization I can give it is that when you see the word “technical” appear, the game is letting you know that you’ve done something “technical.” If you’re looking for a better reason as to why Capcom fighting games using that term in particular, there isn’t one. This was Japanese developers picking an English word that they felt made their games’ basic mechanics sound intriguing/complex.
As for that definition you found, that thing is hilarious and absolutely nonsense. That was the author desperately doing the best he could to come up with a comprehensive definition that manages to (at least in some small way) cover all of the diverse and unrelated mechanics across an assortment of Capcom fighting games over the years that have confusingly chosen to employ the exact same word.
Just trust me when I say you have been needlessly caught up in a truly meaningless term. I swear to you that there is no deeper significance to the word “technical” that will reveal to you a deeper understanding of fighting game systems or strategy.
The game might as well just say “SOMETHING HAPPENED” instead, and it would be every bit as informative.
tech roll dat shyt nigga
heh, more or less this.
while game designers can use it a generic term to assign to anything they want, players usually think of a defensive mechanic, like escaping a throw or recovering in the air or while on the ground. in tekken, you can also have “tech traps” where you do a move to catch an opponent rolling on the ground, but tekken players dont use the term tech to refer to escaping throws. it depends on the game.
hell, iron galaxy thought the term was so stupid that they replaced the “tech bonus” message when you parry in 3rd strike to “parry” in early builds, but eventually changed it back. maintaining the original was the right thing to do, but it goes to show that the term doesnt make sense to anyone.
Neat discussion. Here’s my 2 cents:
This also gets more confusing when people talk about discovering new “technology” for a character. It’s really a total misnomer that (to me at least) just sounds incredibly ignorant. Even moreso because the intent behind using the wording is quite clearly, and ironically, meant to convey the idea of something that required lots of thought and research. Well this FGC technology is not a “thing,” but rather a little trick or quirk in the system you can use to your advantage. But people tend to make it sound like they just invented a means to surpass the speed of light.
If I had to guess on the origins, I’d say “Tech” was originally short for technique, as in “Secret Gamepro Techniques” or “STSFN” techniques. People then went back and de-truncated the word into TECHNOLOGY (which it never really was).
Anyway, old man talking here, so take my abrasive sounding posts with a grain of salt. It all sounds quite ridiculous and stupid to me.
tech hit is common in vampire savior too
In older games, when you would break a throw or perform a quick stand etc, it would say technical on the side of the screen. Games like streetfighter alpha, mvc, vampire savior. I believe that is where it came from.
In games like mvc, and vampire savior the announcer would actually say, “tech hit”.