SF 3:Third Strike - Option Select Defense vs. Throws

By Choiboy and omni

March, 6 2000 | Street Fighter 3:3S implemented quite a few changes to the traditional throwing method from previous Street Fighters. It was the second game to use a two-button throw method, Street Fighter Alpha 3 being the first. Due to this newly implemented method of throwing, new techniques were discovered that enhance both the offensive and defensive capabilities of throws. This article will cover the "Option Select Defense."

The New Throw Method
The throws in SF3 involve pressing Jab+Short at the same time and optionally holding towards or back on the stick in order to get different throws. You will also get a missed animation if you are out of throw range. What this means is that if you try to throw someone and you are out of range for a normal throw, you will whiff, and must suffer through a brief moment of missed animation leaving yourself open. Because of this new missed animation, players now must carefully choose when to input a throw command so that they don’t leave themselves open to attacks. Since the traditional method of inputting a throw command to counter and tech a throw attempt has been left intact in this SF as well, you can easily get a missed animation on defense as well as offense.

Mind Games
A smart player can try to take advantage of this fact by faking a throw attempt against an opponent, waiting for the missed animation as the opponent misses the tech throw attempt, and countering accordingly. This leaves the person on defense in quite a dilemma as a simple tech throw attempt can result in leaving yourself open to a variety of combos.

The "Option Select Defense"
However, there is another way to tech a throw that will leave you in a much better stance in case you miss the throw. Most people think that a tech throw requires the exact same commands as a regular throw which is Jab+Short and towards, back, or neutral on the joystick. But to perform a throw tech, all you need to do is press Jab+Short.

What this means is that you can even press Jab+Short while crouching and you will still be able to tech throws. And since down on the joystick plus Jab+Short is not considered a throw command, you will not get a missed animation but rather a simple crouching jab. Using this new technique of countering throw attempts, you will never get a missed animation that leaves yourself open. You will either get a successful tech throw if your opponent went for a throw, or you will be on the offensive with a crouching jab if they did not throw you.

So in essence, you are selecting the best option of defense in both scenarios with one universal command. (Editor’s Note: Option Select is a term from the Virtua Fighter community that means you do one command that covers multiple options in a specific situation. I know the term sounds a bit awkward but it fits this particular technique perfectly so I’m applying it here as well in order to retain some sort of congruity of advanced game jargon.)

Option Select Madness
The reason why this technique is so powerful is because before, in order to tech a throw, you had to stand up which means you were susceptible to low attacks. Now you can sit in defensive crouch and avoid a lot of the mind games that come into play at a close proximity with your opponent. Since a low jab is a fast and high priority attack with most of the characters, it will usually beat out the attacks of your opponents, including Universal Overhead attacks. Not only that, certain characters receive even more benefits from this technique, especially the characters that can continue to combo off of a low jab.

For example, let’s say you are playing Shinkuu (super fireball) Ryu against Chun Li. You are sitting in defensive crouch when the Chun Li player walks up to you. You feel pressured so you hit Jab+Short a few times while remaining in crouch.

    Scenario 1: The Chun Li player went for a throw and you were able to get a successful tech throw.

    Scenario 2: The Chun Li player did not go for a throw and was hit by your crouching jab. In addition, since you pressed Jab+Short a few times while crouching, you were able to connect with several chained Jabs. Upon seeing the Jabs connect, you can super combo into a Shinkuu Hadouken resulting in lots of damage for poor Chun.

Contingencies
So if you are fighting against someone who knows this technique, is there nothing you can do up close? They will either tech your throw or attack you with a low Jab. Of course there is something you can do! Walk up like you are going to throw them, then tap down or towards to parry their low Jab, then do the biggest combo in your arsenal. Then you can turn to them and laugh in their face knowing that you’ve pulled off one of the most advanced techniques in SF3: 3S, and that you’ve got it all from reading www.Shoryuken.com. Have fun folks.