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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.

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