Sonic performing aneutral air,footstool into a jab lock combo onR.O.B.; then allowing a reset while simultaneously finishing with aforward smash.

Mewtwo performing adown throw into jab reset thendown smash onFox.

"Lock" redirects here. For the Italian smasher, seeSmasher:Lock.

Alock is atechnique inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl,Super Smash Bros. 4, andSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate where a character can use lowknockback attacks tocombo an opponent on thefloor that is "prone"; aka "lying down". An animation of the victim briefly bouncing off the ground signifies a lock. Some moves that lock are fast enough to be repeated, while others cannot be repeated fast enough to keep the opponent in the locked position, or have knockback scaling that causes the opponent to be launched at higher percents. Some moves will move a character across the stage farther than others, causing less damage buildup overall.

Thereset was first introduced inSuper Smash Bros. Melee, and was then incorporated into the locking mechanic as the onlywake-up option that can be used afterwards, allowing for apunish as the opponent stands up. The character will stand up in an identical animation of a standard neutral get-up, withintangibility frames at the beginning.

Trying to perform a lock inMelee merely results in a reset, which the opponent can avoid altogether withASDI. InBrawl, a reset can occur only after locking has ceased, which can result inzero-to-death combos. InSmash 4, it functions in the same way, but locking can now only be performed a maximum of three times before an automatic reset occurs^[1] (except in rare circumstances, see below). InUltimate, this has been reduced to two times before an automatic reset; additionally, the reset no longer forces the opponent to use a neutral get-up (effectively resulting in atech-chase). This can be considered a blend of the former locking and reset mechanics, respectively.

InMelee, resets can only occur if the move does 7 damage or less and has low enough knockback to where the defender lands back on the ground after 13 frames (This is why SDI and ASDI aides in preventing resets). If the defender is hit with a move that does ≤7 damage with sufficient vertical knockback, they will become completely actionable after 13 frames while still suffering from knockback, thereby seemingly floating in the air, the state of which is referred to asspooky stun. If the defender lands on the ground before the end of those 13 frames but is still in hitstun they will enter theDownWait state before being forced intoDownStand. This can be called a half reset. DuringDownWait the defender is able to input a roll in either direction or a get-up attack for a short amount of time; however, it's worth noting that these options can be buffered with thecontrol stick during the landing animation,^[2] allowing the defender to skipDownWait and making performing them trivial. If the defender's hitstun wears off before the end of the 13 frames then they will be forced directly intoDownStand without any oppertunity to roll or get-up attack, guaranteeing a punish from the attacker. This can be called a full reset.^[3] It should be noted that the weight and percent of the defender can all affect whether a move will half reset or full reset and when. Most notablyFox's jab will only full reset at lower percents otherwise it will deal too much knockback and, thus, too much hitstun, resulting in a half reset. On the other hand moves likeFalco's laser andPeach's jab will always full reset on most characters and Fox's drill and shine will always half reset due to their fixed knockback always forcing the same amount of hitstun frames.

Percentages,weight, andangles are the most noteworthy properties in determining if a move will successfully lock or reset. Some moves only do so in very specific circumstances, while others almost always do. The listings below do not take any of these parameters into account, and only extremely character-specific or unwieldy locks are not to be listed. In everySmash game, includingSmash 64, an instant getup with a groundedflinch will occur in any low-knockback situation a lock or reset cannot.

How to perform[edit]

Lucas performing a lock combo onLucario withdown air after an untechablefootstool.

Starting a lock or reset is often the most difficult part, as many skilled players willtech orDI away before hitting the ground, and will also get up as soon as possible to avoid it. Surprise or fast attacks causing a character to fall quickly on the ground can work, as well as taking advantage of various situations in which a tech cannot be performed. For example, inBrawl andSSB4,footstooling an airborne opponent will prevent them from being able to tech in any way while intumble, though the upward momentum can cause the footstooler to be unable to follow up with a lock depending on their character. Learning to perform ashorthop footstool aides in this. For some characters, it is possible to fast fall an aerial with lock properties to cause a single bounce, then follow up with a jab lock or reset.

Types of locks[edit]

This article or section may require acleanup. You can discuss this issue on thetalk page oredit this page to improve it.

Jab lock[edit]

The most common type of lock is thejab lock, which can be performed by multiple characters. As the name states, it is done by hitting a fallen character with ajab, stepping forward, and hitting them again. The locked player can be moved to the end of the stage inBrawl, where the active player generally hits them with a charged smash attack as they stand up. Generally, it is done with only the first hit of the jab, but some characters can do it with the second hit as well. If one attacks too soon after each bounce, or use a move without lock properties, the character will snap to a standing position. Some jabs will only lock with certain hitboxes. An example of this is withMario, where he cannot jab lock with the first hit of his jab if he hits them with the front of his fist, so he must be close to his opponent when he jab locks them. InSSB4, the jab lock only works up to three times. InUltimate, a jab lock only works up to two times, although a change from previous games is that almost every character in the game is capable of jab locking except for characters with unique jabs such asGanondorf andRoy.

Aerial move locks[edit]

Another common move that can lock are aerials, especially the weak hits ofsex kicks. Because of the minimal endlag of the type of kick, these are easily followed up with strong moves.

Projectile lock[edit]

Falco performing a laser lock onSnake.

A commonly used lock is Falco's laser lock, which, unlike other locks, has enough range to hit and lock characters on level ground with Falco regardless of distance (assuming tournament legal maps). Larger stages likeBridge of Eldin can cause a character to move far enough away that Falco's lasers cannot reach them. There are many follow up options that Falco can use, such as hisBDACUS. The easiest and most effective way to set up a Laser Lock is to land a down throw or grounded down aerial and immediatelybuffer the first hit of Falco's jab. Falco cannot always follow up with a KO move because of distance, reducing the effectiveness of the laser lock to damage building only. It should also be noted that the laser lock only works at percentages equal to or exceeding 80% as Falco's moves will not cause a tumbling animation until said percentage.

Not all characters can be laser locked, due to the height of their character model while lying down. For other characters, it is dependent on which way they fall, since the height of the hitbox can change if they fall on their face or on their back.

Kirby using Falco's lasers will shoot them lower, allowing him to lock more characters than Falco can.

InUltimate, Falco's lasers do not travel as far as they do inBrawl, and he can only lock opponents twice with them before they reset due to the altered locking mechanics.

Burial lock[edit]

TwoDonkey Kongs performing an infinite lock onPac-Man

Most moves with a burialeffect are able to lock an opponent indefinitely past the three hit limit inSmash 4 (one notable example beingVillager's down smash), giving the possibility of 0-death combos in team battles. It is important to note, however, that a lock cannot be started using a burying move, as the opponent will reset before the lock is able to be continued. Burial moves cannot lock opponents inBrawl.

Throw lock[edit]

Many throws have a hitbox that collaterally damages nearby opponents. With proper positioning and timing, some of these throws are able to lock other opponents.

Othergrounded move locks[edit]

Variousspecial moves,tilts, and even weak parts ofsmash attacks can lock or reset opponents.

List of locking attacks[edit]

This article or section is incomplete. You can help SmashWiki byexpanding or finishing it. The editor who added this tag elaborates:lacks Melee moves and Ultimate that can reset and many moves that can lock in rare situations. Also looks bad and needs re-formatted.

InBrawl[edit]

InSSB4[edit]

Jab Locks are still possible inSSB4. However, in most cases, the opponent can only be hit three times before being freed. Moves that bury opponents are exceptions to this rule as most of them can lock infinitely. Moves that "lock" must hit the opponent within 25 frames of hitting the ground.

Videos[edit]

• Jab Lock Tutorial SSB4 (My Smash Corner)
• Every Character's Jablock Showcase
• The jab lock
• Falco's laser lock
• Demonstration of several characters performing locks
• Peach's floating aerial locks
• Jiggylpuff's double jab lock, with footstool setup
• Marth's jab lock
• Lucas's down tilt lock
• Pikachu's QAC lock followed with a jab lock
• Pikachu Jab Lock set-ups in Smash 4, courtesy of ESAM
• Falcon punch lock in Smash 4 on Bowser

Gallery[edit]

• 

  Falco's first animation during which he can be jab reset. Known internally as DownBound.

• 

  Falco's second animation during which he can be jab reset. Known internally as DownWait.

• 

  Falco's neutral get-up animation that is forced in a jab reset. Known internally as Downstand.

• 

  Using SDI and ASDI upwards to escape a jab reset. This looks notably similar to locking.

References[edit]

• Unofficial lingo
• Techniques (SSBM)
• Techniques (SSBB)
• Techniques (SSB4)
• Techniques (SSBU)
• Advanced techniques

• Articles in need of cleanup
• Articles with incomplete sections