"Duck" redirects here. For the duck from the NES gameDuck Hunt that appears alongside the dog as fighters inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS /Wii U andSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, seeDuck Hunt (character).

Crouch
Artwork ofMario crouching fromNew Super Mario Bros. 2
First appearance	Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Latest appearance	Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2025)
Effect	Reduces the user's height
Performed before	Crouching High Jump Hand Slap Backward Somersault Long Jump Super jump Blow
Variants Small Crawl

Crouching orducking is a move that has been used in almost everySuper Mario game. To do so, the player must simply press in 2D games or a shoulder button (,,,, or depending on the system) in 3D games. If the player releases the button, characters return to their standing position. It is used to duck under projectiles andslide under walls while moving. Crouching in midair has the player perform aGround Pound instead (except while ridingYoshi inSuper Mario Galaxy 2 and itsNintendo Switchport orcapturing an object/enemy inSuper Mario Odyssey).

Jumping while crouching in 3D games lets the player do aBackward Somersault in place orLong Jump whiledashing;Super Mario Sunshine is an exception, asMario can perform a Backward Somersault, but he cannot crouch or long-jump.

If characters jump while crouching in 2D games,Super Mario 3D Land,Super Mario 3D World, andSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, they can jump while still crouching. This can be utilized to get into one-block-tall holes. It can also be used within these tunnels to move slightly with each jump, but if the player releases the crouch button, the character performing it automatically goes towards the opposite direction they are facing.Small characters can crouch only inSuper Mario Bros. 2,Super Mario World,Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, theNew Super Mario Bros. games,Super Mario 3D Land,Super Mario 3D World,Super Mario Maker (in theSuper Mario World andNew Super Mario Bros. U styles only),Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS,Super Mario Maker 2, andSuper Mario Bros. Wonder.

InSuper Mario Bros. 2, crouching for a small period of time charges up characters so they can jump higher (once per charge). This ability is called thePower Squat Jump. The Backward Somersault inSuper Mario 3D Land,Super Mario 3D World, theSuper Mario 3D World style inSuper Mario Maker 2, andSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury operates similarly to this. This jump itself can be used inSMB2 form in theSuper Mario Bros. style inSuper Mario Maker 2.

Outside theSuper Mario platform games, Mario is able to crouch in theSuper Smash Bros. series, as well as inSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars andits Nintendo Switch remake through a small gap in a secret area in thePipe Vault to collect aFrog Coin when/ is pressed while he runs towards the gap. InMario & Luigi: Dream Team,Giant Luigi is able to crouch to dodge one of theZeekeeper's attacks.

In most 3D games (such asSuper Mario 64 andSuper Mario 64 DS),Super Mario Bros. Wonder,^[1] and theSuper Smash Bros. games sinceSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, attempting to move while in a crouch allows the character tocrawl, which allows Mario to scale steep slopes and walk carefully on sloped surfaces. Only a number of characters in theSuper Smash Bros. series can do this. InSuper Mario 3D Land,Super Mario 3D World, andSuper Mario Odyssey, the characters can alsoroll while crouching (by attacking while crouching), while inSuper Mario 64 andSuper Mario 64 DS, Mario (andLuigi, Yoshi, andWario in the DS version) usesSweep Kicks andSlide Kicks instead.

InDonkey Kong Country Returns (as well asits Nintendo 3DS port andits Nintendo Switch port),Donkey Kong andDiddy Kong can crouch for the same reasons Mario can, though they do not cover as much distance when sliding. When crouching, the characters canblow. The player can crouch but not blow while standing on aMine Cart. The player can also crouch but not blow while riding inside a Mine Cart, tucking themselves into the cart to avoid hitting obstacles above. Crouching appears again inDonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, though blowing is not a move in the game. Players can slide onice, which means crouching can be done on ice for aSuper Mario-esque slide beneath obstacles.

InYoshi's Woolly World and its Nintendo 3DS portPoochy & Yoshi's Woolly World, aYoshi can crouch for the same reasons Mario can, though they do not cover as much distance when sliding unless they are sliding onice. Crouching has the additional effect of having all items or characters following a Yoshi stack up behind them, which is occasionally useful becauseLittle Mousers can stealyarn balls but cannot move into the Yoshi.

InPoochy Dash, a mode exclusive toPoochy & Yoshi's Woolly World.Poochy can crouch by splaying out his legs. Poochy slides much farther than a Yoshi can, and the move's purpose is to fit through tunnels that Poochy would otherwise collide with. Poochy gradually slows down while crouching, though he is unable to stop in this way. In areas too tight to stand in, Poochy simply does not stop moving. Since Poochy Dash is an auto-runner, Poochy automatically gets up if he would come to a complete stop. If Poochy crouches on the ice inBobsledding Peaks, includingIce Blocks, he instead flips onto his back and slides. This state allows Poochy to go faster but impairs his jump height unless he jumps off a ramp. The only way to exit this state is to collide with a wall. Bobsledding Peaks starts with a low ceiling that has to be slid under and has very few walls, making using the sliding state for most of the course almost mandatory.

The manual forPoochy & Yoshi's Woolly World calls Poochy's move in Poochy Dash a "crouch," thoughPoochy & Yoshi's Woolly World instead calls the move "slide."

Profiles[edit]

Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]

• Wii Virtual Console manual description:"Press down on to crouch. You can also press down on to slide down slopes (except whenwearing theFrog Suit)."

Super Mario Land[edit]

• 3DS Virtual Console manual description:"Press when you areSuper Mario orSuperball Mario to crouch down."

Super Mario 3D Land[edit]

• North American website bio:"This lets Mario stay low and fit into tight spaces. He can move while crouching too."
• European website bio:"Hold down the L Button (or the R Button) to crouch. You can move around while crouching - great for when you need to squeeze through a tight space."

Gallery[edit]

For this subject's image gallery, seeGallery:Crouch.

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  Donkey Kong (Game Boy)

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  Super Mario 64

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  Super Mario 3D Land

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  Official 2D artwork

Names in other languages[edit]

Crouch[edit]

Crawl[edit]

References[edit]

Crouch coverage on otherNIWA wikis:

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SmashWiki

Crawl coverage on otherNIWA wikis:

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SmashWiki