Pt. 1&2 Comprehensive Taekkyon tutorial
Hello!
So you want to play the greatest mod in the game? Want to shit on your friends and get some awesome replays? Well, learn to play Taekkyon, I'm here to help.
This tutorial is directed towards semi-advanced players who already understand body movement and momentum mechanics etc.etc... So if you are familiar with your Tori but cant quite get streaks in public TK rooms this guide is for you. Even if you are a veteran TB player there's still something you might learn here! (this guide applies somewhat to kickboxing as well)
I will focus on openers and the basics of control in this 1st part.
UPDATE: part 2 is here, focusing more on the distance and aim in this part. (control section)
(Open all the spoilers, Important!)
In Taekkyon there are few basics you should grasp:
1. Matches are very short so first major dm usually wins
2. Preventing Dms is almost as important as getting them
3. Control is everything, if you lose control of yourself or your opponent = you lose the match.
4. Brute force isn't usually the way to go
Snapkick/Rush - 2 turn kick, extremely aggressive "all-in" opener.
Control - Being able to move your tori in as many possible ways as possible / being able to react to your opponents moves.
Grace - To play very defensive and try to get few points then run.
Fuckyou.tbm - When Gods of TK decide to shit on your face. A.K.A random dismemberment.
So let us begin!
Openers dictate the game, which is why I'm focusing on them in part 1.
That does not mean that one opener automatically defeats another one, but that the flow of the match is very dependent on the approach each player chooses.
First I'm going to examine the basic openers.
There are 3 groups of openers. There are MANY different variations of each. But I'm going to split them into 3 groups for clarity's sake.
1. Rushes
2. Control
3. Defensive
Im going to go through each opener and explain their strengths and weaknesses.
The "shovel of TK", fast 2 turn kick, extremely aggressive "all-in" opener. Either you dm your opponent or leave yourself in a bad position. Viable against any opener but good players will usually defend snaps succesfully. Risky since if blocked correctly you will lose your knee. Generally frowned upon.
The most common opener. There are as many variations of this opener as there are players. Generally it is just an extend of the hand or a clap. This style of opener gives you the opportunity to go for a block and an attack. Most viable in a competitive setting since it is relatively safe. Good control opener gives you the tools to go for a front/back-leg kick or a snap-defence.
A rarer opener which is only focused on blocking and thus giving you the edge. Gracing is usually what you do with this opener. Not the strongest opener and difficult to pull off. But with practice this opener is extremely infuriating to your opponent. Weak against control openers. Strong against snaps.
In this section I'm going to focus on control.
THINK BEFORE
MOVING
^ In a mod as volatile is TK, having a game plan is essential. When you move a joint, know why!
Control also means being able to react
You might be surprised how easily new players end up in retarded positions not being able to react. Plan your moves so, that you are always ready to block or attack. "Don't outplay yourself!"
Wrists break VERY easily. So grab like this
Also a good thing to keep in mind is that relaxed joins don't break as easily. NEVER EVER block with a joint! Always with a shin, foot or a fist. If you block with your wrist, it will break! Learning to block correctly will win you many games!
Having a proper grab will make your games safer and also give you more opportunities to go for since you don't have to be as afraid of your wrists breaking.
Learn your reach, and learn how to abuse it. you can control reach with grabs/pulling. Here is an example of a 3-turn/3-step kick:
Notice how I pull my opponent to a range where my kick can land. Executing this technique takes some skill but with practice it becomes more fluent.
Without distance control this will happen:
Moop's Tk tutorial has great advice regarding this.
Your priority is to get the first large DM so don't go for a decap before immobilizing your opponent. Even a knee Dm will give your opponent one less opening to attack from.
What to aim for is always situational. Focus on hitting large joins (butt, shoulders etc.) and avoid going for hands and shins.
The first example shows where in this hypothetical pose I would go for, not the hands or legs since the front leg is covering the butt/body. I would go for the open arm or try to get past the leg to hit the glutes.
The second example highlights the importance and correlation between aiming and distance = your aiming is determined by your distance. Here i cannot reach anything else than the hand with my kick. Thus I have 2 options:
1. Aim for the arm
2. Wait a turn and close the distance
Going for the first one paid off this time but remember: Smaller the target, easier it is to miss!
The only true way of preventing wrist DMs is to pray to the gods of Taekkyon, repeating the mantra "I am not worthy of a wrist dm" as many times as you feel like is proper. Do this before every play session.
You wont get good in a day or two. It will take hundreds of games to really get familiar with this mod, but once you do, you will fall in love.
And remember fun>winning
sometimes ;)
Ps If you want coaching in-game, feel free to comment on the thread or PM me, I'll be glad to help
Last edited by WorldEater; Oct 28, 2017 at 03:44 PM.
