Crouch Dash (Dash out of Crouch) is a rather difficult technique for something that sounds so simple. In Melee once you begin standing up, your character must finish standing up before they can Dash, which can be really frustrating and bog up your inputs.
We are going to bypass this standing animation: A Crouch Dash is when you do not stand up at all... you just skip that animation altogether and instantly Dash out of your Crouch! This is very useful for endless Tech Chase situations and lots of situations where you are threatening to Crouch Cancel your opponent's attacks. Ready? Go!
Crouch Dash (SOCD Neutral Method)
Left + Right = Neutral
An SOCD is any time you are pressing L + R or Down + Up - this situation requires your controller to resolve this confusion. Our default resolution is Neutral, and we can use this to our advantage.
So... if Left + Right = Neutral, then what happens if I go Left + Right + Down???
Left + Down + Right = Down
L +R are cancelled out, so only the Down remains! That means we can Crouch Dash by doing the following:
SOCD Crouch Dash:
Crouch (hold L + D + R)
Dash (release L + D or D + R)
I think of it as 'letting go of a diagonal,' which naturally leaves me holding a Dash with the remaining input. By releasing L + D (or D + R) it is immediately switching from SOCD Down to a Dash!
Think of Left + Down + Right as a 'ready' position that has you poised to strike. It takes a little bit of habit to get into, but once you are in it you are primed to MOVE! (It actually feels really cool.)
For more on SOCD Neutral, check out: SOCD Neutral in Melee.
Crouch Dash (Tilt Method)
This alternate method uses Tilt Modifiers rather than SOCDs.
Crouch (hold Down)
Dash (Y1 + Down + Forward)
TIP: Make sure that you are not in D-pad mode! (Enable Tilt Mode by flicking the side switch on the top left from Line "|" to Circle "O" position.
The Y-Axis Modifiers are on your Left Thumb buttons. What is going on is that you are hitting an angle that is Down + Forward, but the Y Tilt makes the angle sooo shallow, that the game reads it as a Dash.
The Tilt method for Crouch Dash works with both Y1 and Y2 Tilt Modifiers. It is a very consistent method; however, it requires you to press the Forward or Back direction on the exact same time that you press the Y Tilt Modifier. Luckily both buttons are on your left hand, so the coordination is easy.
And that is it! Quick and painless for you; devastating for your opponent. Which method do you prefer?
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