The Importance of Blocking (And Getting Over Standing Still)

Blocking is like the life insurance of fighting games - you don’t want it, but you know you need it. It’s important, but you’d rather put your energy and resources to other, more fun things (like fancy combos or jet skis.)

All jokes aside, proper blocking is one of the most important aspects of fighting games to master. If you don’t take as much damage as your opponent, you’ll win. It won’t be sexy, but a win's a win, regardless of how you got it. Some games use buttons to block, like Mortal Kombat and Soul Calibur. Some, like Marvel vs. Capcom and Dragon Ball FighterZ, could probably use a block button, due to their crazy and over-the-top action. But most fighting games simply require players to hold back to block, a tried and true fighting game mechanic around since the dawn of the genre. As games have gotten faster and characters have been given more options than in years past, blocking has become more important than ever. One missed block can be the difference between life and death, even if you’re at full health! Just ask poor Sean Schemmel.

Sean was too busy hitting buttons, he never blocked anything Christopher Sabat was throwing at him! For those unaware, this was a “grudge match” of sorts, pitting the English voice of Goku in the Dragon Ball series, Sean Schemmel, against the voice of Goku’s main co-star and rival, Vegeta, Christopher Sabat. Sabat also voices Piccolo and Yamcha in the series.

If watching Schemmel get destroyed by simple ki blasts wasn’t enough to make you want to learn more about blocking, then you’re in deep trouble. For those of you who wish to learn a bit more, here’s some blocking-related lingo and how they’ll all fit into your defensive skill-set.

→ 50/50s

A 50/50 is a situation where your opponent has the ability to hit you high, in which case you’ll have to block high, or low, in which case you’ll have to block low, meaning you have a 50/50 chance of blocking correctly. 50/50s are found in all fighting games but are mostly found in games like Mortal Kombat or Injustice, due to their “strings,” or timed button presses that result in moves coming out that are otherwise impossible. Here’s an example of a 50/50 as it pertains to Mortal Kombat X, as voiced by YouTuber Super:

→ Crossups

A staple in fighting games is the almighty crossup. Millions of salty XBox Live and PSN messages have been sent by players who can’t seem to block crossups, when they’re among the easiest things to block if you see them coming. Simply switch the direction you’re holding to block when you see the cross-up coming (from back to forward) and voila! You’ve blocked the crossup. Now, if it were that easy, no one at high levels would go for cross-ups ever, since they would all be blocked. The secret is knowing when a move is going to cross you up and when it’s going to land in front of you. Here’s a quick cross-up tutorial from YouTuber JMCrofts to help you visualize what I’m talking about.

The trick is, like everything else in fighting games is staying calm, maintaining your composure, and using your knowledge of the matchup and the game you’re playing to make the right decision.

If you still need more help, another awesome guide lives here, courtesy of In Third Person. This super in-depth guide discusses a multitude of different types of cross-ups and how to block, escape, and attack them.

“The cross-up is, as a tactic, a sure-fire way to slaughter a newbie fighting game player,” the guide says.  “Because knowing how to stop a cross-up is not something you would stumble upon naturally. The way you stop it on the surface appears to be counter-intuitive to the logic that fighting games teach you, but it makes sense once you grasp the concept.”

→ Beam Mixups

A little crazier than your average cross-up or mix-up, beam mixups have been a staple of the Vs. series games, but Marvel vs. Capcom 3 utilized them the best:

Looks scary, right? How the heck are you ever going to learn how to block that? Well, fear not. You blocked the cross-up, and beam mix-ups work the same exact way. When the point character teleports, simply hold your directional input away from them, and you’ll block the beam successfully. Again, stay patient, stay solid, and know your plan of attack and you’ll be successful.

If you still need to build up your fighting game knowledge, we’ve got just the resources for you! You can check out some tips to get started as it pertains to Dragon Ball FighterZ, and some more general fighting game knowledge with the Low Tier Hero series!