Guard pose

What it is

The guard pose is the visible factor of a block (“guard”). When a character makes an attempt to block, they will usually do something like putting their dukes up; this is pretty apparent in games where you have to push a button to block, but many Street Fighter-type games will transfer the character to the guard pose whenever they input a proper defensive direction and the opponent attempts an attack (even if its on the other side of the screen where they won’t make contact).

 

Things that one cannot take a guard pose against, as well as things that will successfully score even though the target takes a guard pose against it are known to be “unblockable”.

Moreover, the guard pose is often defenseless against things with a throw hitbox, though this really depends on how the game handles the particular throw.

 

At least one tricky technique exists concerning the guard pose in some games in the King of Fighters series: projectiles can be made unblockable by performing a command throw just as an opponent is about to block the projectile, because this undoes the opponent’s guard pose. This is a well-known bug in older games, though it should be noted that players don’t abhor it in high-level play, and even the A.I. gets in on the act in ’98 UM.

Further reading

Original CSS design by
ぱふぅ,
Attributed (but not necessarily endorsed) under
Creative Commons 3.0.
Based off the article on the kakuge.com wiki, edited on or before 5 January 2009.
Unofficial translation published by BRPXQZME / Alfie Parthum 12 February 2009. No unauthorized redistribution permitted.