How to use special moves in Street Fighter V

Street Fighter V ends up being the first-ever fighting game that many people play and an introduction to motion inputs in video games. Many newcomers consider motion inputs to be the biggest barrier to learning fighting games.

However, motion inputs are an integral part to Street Fighter V's depth and become extremely simple with a decent amount of practice. They are not outdated mechanics and are going to inevitably be the standard for fighting game specials.

This guide will explore how to do specials with motion inputs consistently in Street Fighter V and explain their significance to fighting game mechanics.

---

Street Fighter V: How to use special moves

Why are specials associated with motion inputs?

Some people, most notably from the smash community, believe that special moves can be done using directional button presses rather than motion inputs. There's a pretty bad misconception that motion inputs are relics of hardware limitations arcade cabinets had.

But the truth is that motion inputs exist to prevent players in Street Fighter V from performing specials as they please and are an important execution barrier to using a character's best moves.

The act of performing a quarter-circle forward motion or a half-circle back motion comes with limitations to a character's movement in Street Fighter V.

To be more specific, with examples:

• It is impossible to perform a quarter circle forward motion while moving forward as they will register a Z-input instead.
• Similarly it is impossible to perform a quarter-circle back motion while moving back
• Charge motions can only be performed by crouching or moving back.

These limitations exist simply due to the nature of the input and aren't simply there to add a skill barrier. It is therefore imperative to pick up motion inputs and be able to do them consistently in Street Fighter V.

How to perform special moves?

There are several tips for execution that will be explored point by point in this guide.

Pick up a controller that is easy to use

There is no hard and fast rule that arcade sticks are the only way to experience Street Fighter V. Players can do motion inputs with any controller, whether it's a gamepad, keyboard or stick.

However there is no doubt that players will have a greater affinity towards certain controllers and the controller should be picked carefully.

Make sure to try motion inputs on every controller and find one that is most suitable. In general, as far as muscle memory goes:

• There is an emphasis on how the player controls his/her thumb when using a gamepad
• Piano movements must be mastered for button-only controllers like the hitbox and keyboard.
• Wrist movement must be mastered for the arcade stick.

Develop muscle memory

While it's important to match a character's actions with a player's moves, specials cannot be performed consistently if the player tries to do them in a constant state of awareness.

These movements have to come out automatically by being programmed into the players' hands.

To achieve this, players have to practice the movement in training mode until they develop the muscle memory to pull it off automatically.

It's the same principle as typing on a keyboard. One must learn to type without looking at the keys to be able to type fast.

Be aware of the characters movement while performing specials

As already mentioned above, motion inputs come with the property of limiting player movement just by their very nature in Street Fighter V. It is important for players to be aware of the character's movement before doing a motion input.

Do not expect to pull off a quarter-circle forward while moving forward or half-circle back while moving back. Being aware of what is feasible is key.

Try to confirm specials that are hard to connect

This won't apply to every special as some specials are simply impossible to cancel into, but as much as possible make doing the motion input worth it by doing it at times when the associated special will definitely come out.

This can be achieved by canceling into specials from certain normal moves. While it's true that a character's best moves come in the form of specials, do not downplay the importance of their normal moves in Street Fighter V.