The goal of your mix-up game is to condition your opponent to expect a certain attack and then counter their counter. Using the cr. LK, cr. LP blockstring is a good way to gather data on their tendencies.
If they try to tech often, you can switch gears and use cr. MP xx Fireball.
If they are good at blocking, you can go for a throw or overhead. If they mash
Uppercut, you can block immediately after your cr. LK, cr. LP and then punish them when they land.
Either way, Ryu’s mix-up game is an important part of his game that you must become proficient at in order to improve.
Because throws are easy to execute, used very frequently on offense and defense, and do a significant amount of damage, the threat of the throw should always be in the mind of both players which is part of what makes the mix-up game strong. However, just because it’s a strong option and looming threat, doesn’t mean that always going for a throw will be a longterm recipe for success.
Long term success requires a strong understanding of each option in your mix-up game and not relying too much on any one option. This means knowing what option(s) your opponent has to counter your mix-up and then adjusting your mix-up option based on what you predict your opponent’s next move will be.
Ryu’s mixup game usually begins after a hard knockdown is scored such as from a sweep or a soft knockdown such as an anti-air Uppercut. After successfully scoring either type of knockdown, Ryu usually has enough time to dash forward, then time a meaty cr.
LK to hit as the opponent stands up, followed quickly by cr. LP.
This is the foundation of his mix-up because we have several options we can follow this with, depending on what the opponent does. Also, cr. LK must be blocked low which means that the opponent must either get hit or do a wakeup Uppercut or other Reversal move in order to escape, which is very risky.
If the opponent blocks this blockstring, Ryu can follow it quickly with a throw, referred to in this instance as a tick throw. The tick throw technique usually uses a light attack or two to put the opponent in blockstun, then is immediately followed by a throw, giving the opponent the illusion of being thrown while in blockstun.
A blockstring is a sequence of attacks that flow together, forcing the opponent to continue to block or get hit by one of the attacks. Most commonly they begin with light attacks, though mediums and special moves can be included as well.
If the opponent does not block the meaty cr. LK, cr. LP blockstring due to either hitting a button or inputting a throw on wakeup, Ryu can hit confirm into cr. HP xx MK Tatsu.
A hit confirm is a technique where the player has enough time to see whether or not an opponent got hit by an attack
and then decide whether to continue the attack sequence or stop. Usually hit confirming requires a lot of practice because you only have a moment to determine whether or not the hits were successful and there is typically substantial risk in continuing an attack sequence if the hits were blocked.
If the opponent does a wakeup Uppercut, the cr. LK, cr. LP sequence will lose due to the startup invincibility of the uppercut.
Using this blockstring is a good
way to gather data on the opponent because usually beginner players will get hit by a tick throw if they are experienced enough to block on wakeup and don’t just mindlessly mash Uppercuts every time. However, slightly more experienced players will begin to tech the tick throw because they’ve seen it so many times. This is still useful information to have about your opponent.
Once players begin to tech throws and tick throws, you must adjust your mix-up game accordingly.
This is usually done by continuing the the cr. LK, cr. LP blockstring with a cr. MP xx Fireball or by trying to bait their throw tech.
Continuing the Block-String
Using Ryu’s cr. MP after the cr. LK, cr. LP block-string is effective because it has a fast startup and can be cancelable into Fireball. It’s very similar to cr. MK in this regard and also is aligned with our goal of pushing the opponent to the corner.
It allows us to continue pressuring the opponent, while building meter at the same time. Forcing the opponent to block a Fireball at this distance can put us in a good range to counter their next move.
An inexperienced player at this point might jump toward you, so be ready to anti-air with MP Uppercut or cr.
HP.
They might also try to throw their own Fireball afterwards in fear, hoping that will get you off of them. This is easily punished by jumping forward over the Fireball and comboing into MK Tatsu.
Or they might also stick out cr. MK or cr. HK, but you’ll be at a range where you can whiff punish relatively easily (after some practice and experience) with your sweep.
Whatever the opponent chooses to do afterwards, the cr. MP xx Fireball block-string is a strong option in most situations due to it’s low risk.
It can also be useful to do this
block-string even if the opponent tries to stand or crouch tech.
Baiting Stand Techs and Crouch Techs By now, far into the game’s life cycle, most players have at least heard of crouch tech, one of the simplest option selects in the game.
Crouch tech is a technique where a throw is inputted while crouching. If the opponent attempts a throw, the throw is teched even though you are crouching, assuming you teched within the allotted window. If the
opponent does not attempt a throw, crouching Light Kick will come out.
Crouch techs are usually considered relatively safe options on wakeup and other pressure situations where you suspect the opponent will attempt a throw. This is because sticking out a cr. LK is usually far less dangerous than whiffing a throw.
Attempting to tech a throw while standing, or stand teching, is extremely dangerous against strong players because if you get baited and the throw whiffs, you are likely to eat a combo, get knocked down, and likely face another mix-up situation on your wakeup.
However, crouch techs can still be dangerous against more experienced players, due to the potential for Counterhit combos.
Counterhits are scored when a move’s startup frames are interrupted by another move’s active frames. Generally any move if timed properly can score a Counterhit if the opponent hits a button at the wrong time. Counterhits do 25% more damage and stun than their non-Counterhit counterparts (that’s a mouthful, ha). Additionally, Counterhits provide extra
frame advantage to the attacker, allowing some combos to be possible when starting from a Counterhit that wouldn’t otherwise work.
Once the opponent knows that you are likely going to attempt a throw after the meaty cr. LK, cr. LP sequence, they will probably crouch tech or stand tech.
If you think they will stand tech, you can make their throw whiff by taking a small step backwards immediately after cr. LP instead of taking a small step forwards to attempt the throw. Executed properly, you’ll be out of their throw range and in perfect position to punish with a basic combo like cr. MK xx MK
Tatsu or a throw of your own.
If you think they will crouch tech, you can time an attack with fast startup such as cr. MP to hit their cr. LK and score a Counterhit, then hit confirm into a combo such as cr. MK xx EX Fireball or a simple sweep.
In either case, the opponent is likely to be knocked down again and you can continue to apply pressure.
It’s worth noting that Counterhits can be extremely difficult to time properly in your mix-up game because of the strict timing required. This is not something that you as a beginner need to spend much time practicing because there are more important elements to
work on first.
Instead, think of Counterhits as a possible bonus for executing your blockstring correctly.
Counterhits are a very advanced topic that take a lot of time to master, however, it is important to understand how they work so that you can have a better understanding of the risks of crouch teching when you’re on defense and the risk the opponent incurs while you’re on offense.
Also, you should be aware that a Counterhit cannot be scored when punishing a whiffed throw. This means that stand teching is in fact safer than crouch teching in the sense that you are
never in any risk of being hit with a Counterhit only combo.
Speaking of crouch teching and stand teching, there are differences in the tech window as well. Stand teching gives you a ten-frame window to input the throw command after the throw starts, while crouch teching only gives you a seven-frame window.
Three frames or 1/20th of a second may not seem like a big difference, but when you’re a new player dealing with online lag and other hardware factors, it is.
For now, I recommend that you only stand tech on defense instead of crouch tech because of the longer tech window
and because mashing crouch tech is a bad habit that will be useless in SF5.
In SF5, crouch tech has been removed in favor of a throw being executed regardless of the direction the stick is pointing when the throw is inputted. That means that it doesn’t matter whether you’re holding down, down-back, down-forward, back, or forward: if you input a throw, that’s what will come out.
So you might as well get used to not crouch teching in this game since you won’t be able to soon.
In my opinion, crouch teching has allowed lots of SF4 players to get away with sub-par defense because most
players are not able to consistently punish crouch teching effectively due to the tight timing windows of trying to Counterhit a light attack.
JUMPING AND ANTI-AIR