Fighting Game Guide

Whiff punishing is hitting your opponent after their attack whiffs. Try to figure out what your opponent's favorite pokes are and the ranges of them. Whiff punishes are part prediction and part reaction. It's impossible for a human being to whiff punish most attacks on reaction.

The most basic whiff punish technique is the 'bob and weave' technique like in boxing. Simply walk into range of the attack then walk out of range.

Okay I am ready to whiff punish. Here I go. Wait why can't I move?! How did that hit he wasn't in range?!

Okay I forgot to explain a couple things. In games where you hold the back direction to block there is a state called proximity guard. When an attack is in proximit, the character stops and starts blocking even before the attack connects. This is to prevent the character from being able to walk away from everything. Don't hold back when you want to whiff punish. This also means you have to start walking backwards sooner.

Here's a question for you.
When you crouch in video games are you easier to hit or harder to hit?

The answer is both. You are harder to hit vertically because you become shorter but easier to hit horizontally because when you crouch you become wider. An attack that whiffs when you're standing may hit you when you're crouching.

If your opponent whiffs an attack but you don't have an attack with the range or speed to whiff punish it, you can still take advantage of the situation. You can walk forward, dash in, or jump in while they're recovering. You're not guaranteed a punish but you may be able to start a mixup from here.

You can also use the time your opponent is recovering from the attack to start your own attack. Gambit's attack is powerful but very slow and easily interrupted. He can start his attack as Charlie is still recovering to guarantee his attack isn't interrupted.

In 3D games you can sidestep to make attacks whiff. Be careful as sidestepping loses to homing and tracking attacks.

Weapons can sometimes be whiff punished but it depends on the game. Sometimes weapons have hurtboxes and can get hit. Sometimes weapons don't have hurtboxs and are essentially invincible. Sometimes weapons clash and collide when they hit each other but don't hurt the character.

Weapon attacks typically have a lot of recovery. If you can avoid the weapon without moving backwards you should have plenty of time to whiff punish to the body.

Here's a technique that high level players use called a whiff trap. Position yourself so that after your attack is blocked your opponent's counterattack barely whiffs. They expect it to connect, it whiffs, and you can whiff punish.

This technique doesn't have an official name. It's been called space trap or whiff trap. I call it whiff trap because if you look up space trap on Youtube you get space themed hip hop music.