Gief's Gym - The Basic Option Select - An easy and useful introduction to Option Selects for beginners!

Welcome back friends! I hope you all arrived ready to improve. Today’s workout will cover a basic and useful Option Select. Get ready to build that muscle memory!

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The Basic Option Select - Beginners

The Workout – In training mode pick Ryu vs Ryu. Turn off stun and quick rise to not waste time. Turn on Input Display so you can see exactly how your inputs are being read by the game. For the purpose of this workout we will focus on a crouching medium kick Hadoken Option Select (cr.mk fireball OS, low forward fireball OS). The inputs are simple and will look very familiar:

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The trick to this workout is the timing of the button presses and whether or not the cr.mk connects with the Dummy. When you perform this OS far away from the Dummy you should only see the cr.mk and Ryu should not throw a fireball. If the fireball comes out you have either input the fireball too slow or timed the release of the punch button too late and activated the fireball with Negative Edge. First perform this OS so that it does not connect with the Dummy, followed by performing the OS where it will connect with the Dummy. Now perform this process 10 times in a row. If you throw a fireball when the cr.mk does not connect or fail to throw a fireball when the cr.mk does connect, start back at zero. Switch sides and perform another set of 10. Video Here

The Purpose – An Option Select is a technique where one input is performed that has more than one possible outcome based on the limitations or mechanics of the game engine. Option selects can be used to bypass needing to make a decision where one input can cover multiple options. In the example given in the workout the fireball either does or does not come out depending on whether or not the cr.mk connects with your opponent. This can be useful in the neutral game when you are looking to whiff punish your opponents outstretched limbs. If for instance you throw out this Option Select outside of your opponents poke range you will only have whiffed a normal. If the cr.mk connects then you will gain more damage. This is the simplest form of an Option Select and can become more complex in both execution and timing. Variations Include:

V-Trigger Option Select - These Option Selects can really start a party. Most character have the ability to cancel far reaching normals into V-Trigger which they would get no further damage from otherwise. For example, Ryu can cancel his st.mk into V-Trigger and continue the combo from a very far range. The best part is that Ryu can throw out his st.mk from beyond his opponents farthest poke range, follow up with a V-Trigger OS, and only stands to gain if he makes a connection. To practice, simply perform a st.mk far from the Dummy and immediately press + (hp+hk). Ryu will only cancel his st.mk into V-Trigger if the st.hp connects. Video Here

If you have any questions or need a spotter for this particular workout, leave a message in the comments.