Additional Topic: Underexplored Properties of Dee Jay’s Jump Short (AKA How To Be King of the Ass-Owning Jumping Light Kick)
Anyone who has ever played as or against Dee Jay is familiar with versions of his Jump Short Kick; in particular, the command normal version which is his jump Knee Shot. While having been viewed as an obnoxious move from Day 1 (especially online where lag makes it more difficult to react to), the up close Knee Shot is not nearly as powerful as many people think. For one, it will often miss against crouching opponents if done too early (or if the opponent does a low profile attack to avoid it). Secondly, the move has poor block stun, so it is very easy to interrupt Dee Jay with a reversal following a blocked Knee and before his follow-up attack (as anyone playing against online spammers can attest). Lastly, the move is not nearly as difficult to counter as players initially thought, especially against those Dee Jays who try it over and over again in close quarters.
Nevertheless, I would argue that the Light Knee (as well as most of Dee Jay’s jumping Light Kick attacks) is actually ridiculously good . . . but NOT at the range that people have regularly used it. On that note, here are some useful properties to keep in mind when using Dee Jay’s jumping Light Kicks . . .
Jumping Short (Light)
Knee
The most effective area of this attack is actually the very small region
right on the front tip of Dee Jay’s knee. Not only does this area have a good hitbox,
it also has next to no hurtbox at that point, making it a damn near invincible
move at certain ranges (or the next best thing to it). This area of the move’s
attack will even take out many specials, supers and Ultras cleanly. Note that this hidden strength doesn’t work when going for repeated Knees in close quarters because Dee Jay ends up striking with the under portion of the Knee rather than immediately in the front. The underpart of the knee is (justifiably so) more vulnerable to counterattack than the front area. For this reason, the best applications of the Short Knee are as follows:
- to advance over projectiles from farther out safely (i.e., for movement only, not for attack).
- from farther distances than most Dee Jay players use, where you can either land safely into a good range for Dee Jay (just within sweep range) or possibly either counter their anti-air or land before their anti-air connects, giving you potential combo opportunities. This requires a very precise jump timing and range, mind you . . . but if you can learn it unconsciously, you will rapidly increase the number of chances you get to inflict heavy damage on your opponent. More info on this attack strategy can be found here.
- as a retreating jump attack. Seriously. Try this a few times and then marvel at your opponent’s frustration when they get hit cleanly during their own jump attack. While use of the Knee here will infuriate opponents to no end, the fact that it takes them out cleanly makes perfect sense once you understand that the most effective hitting portion of this attack is right on the tip of the knee . . . which just happens to be the area the opponent is most likely to collide with during their attempt to counterattack your retreating knee with their own jump attack.
In contrast, using the Short Knee from up close is one of the worst ways of employing it, particularly when done over and over in
the hopes of getting a hit. It also places Dee Jay in that not so great range
where he is easily mauled once the attack is either reversed or blocked.
The overabundant use of the Knee Shot in close quarters is IMO a carryover effect from the early days of the game when inexperienced players had trouble countering it effectively. Once an opponent has this figured out, though, its value at this range becomes greatly diminished. Despite this, it hasn’t deterred Dee Jay players from using it in repeated, predictable manner (which is why I highlighted it earlier as an example of one of the sins Dee Jays commit that gets them killed).
The overabundant use of the Knee Shot in close quarters is IMO a carryover effect from the early days of the game when inexperienced players had trouble countering it effectively. Once an opponent has this figured out, though, its value at this range becomes greatly diminished. Despite this, it hasn’t deterred Dee Jay players from using it in repeated, predictable manner (which is why I highlighted it earlier as an example of one of the sins Dee Jays commit that gets them killed).
TLDR: Use Knee Shot up close LESS. Use Knee Shot farther out
MORE.
Regular Jumping Toward/Back
Light Kick
In many ways, Dee Jay’s regular jumping Light Kick is even
better than the command normal Knee itself. Its main drawback is that its
jumping arc and hit box make it very difficult to jump in with and get a combo
on the opponent. That said, this version of the Short has some hidden traits
that make it incredibly useful as part of your movement game:
- The hit box on the upper foot portion of the kick is mad good, usually beating out opponent’s air-to-air attacks provided you get the attack out in time.
- This version of the Light Kick, when done as you are ascending, appears to have less jumping recovery than the Knee version, meaning you can start attacking much sooner once you land.
- This version of the Light Kick does a good job of hitting opponents in the air at most points in your jump, more so than the command Knee version. It is very consistent and frustrating for opponents in this respect.
Keeping in mind these properties, some useful applications
of the regular jumping Light Kick are:
- to jump projectiles and cover greater ground safely than the knee version allows.
- to beat out anticipated jump ins (both by jumping forward or backwards).
- to jump over opponents in close quarters as they stand, as a way of baiting a reversal or counter poke and potentially punishing them on the other side. (Note: this may even be a better strategy than going for a predictable cross up attack, since it is harder for an opponent to see coming and to counterattack safely.)
FINAL NOTE
The above thoughts on Dee Jay’s Light Kick properties
aren't meant to suggest that these moves are ultra-powerful or will win you matches
on their own . . . only to point out that they have many hidden features which most players
have never bothered to explore or incorporate into their game. Which is a tragedy, really, considering the game has now been out for over a decade. Remember:
sometimes the simplest and weakest movies are the most useful from a strategic
perspective . . . simply because many opponents are unaware of (and therefore
underestimate) them. If you remain unconvinced, check out the video below which provides useful support for the notion that Dee Jay's light kicks have (at times) almost god-like status.