Pummel

Fox pummeling Mario in Melee.

A pummel (referred to as CatchAttack in in-game Brawl files) is the attack usable while an opponent remains trapped in the player's grab. Any character can pummel by pressing the attack or grab buttons after a successful grab. Since that character will already be holding the other using their arms, most pummels are knee jabs or head butts, which tend to cause around 1-3% damage. Pummeling is primarily used to rack up extra damage before a throw, and from Brawl onward, to restore more critical moves from stale-move negation while chaingrabbing. The higher an opponent's damage, the longer one can pummel before they're able to break free from the grab. If not executed swiftly, an adept fighter may escape before even a single blow is landed, which is one of the decisions a player must make when they grab an opponent: a character with a fast pummel (such as Lucario) can spare a few milliseconds to get some extra damage on the opponent, while a slow-pummel character (such as Ganondorf) risks the opponent wriggling out of their grab if they pummel, making it more worthwhile just to throw the opponent. Pummeling was first introduced in Super Smash Bros. Melee. It can be performed much more quickly in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and even more quickly in Super Smash Bros. 4; most usually have a specific rhythm that affects its speed.

In the following tables, "Duration" means how many frames the attack lasts for until another pummel can be made.

List of pummels in Melee

Character	Description	Damage	Duration
Bowser	Headbutts opponent with horns	3%
Captain Falcon	Knees opponent	3%
Dr. Mario	Headbutts opponent	3%
Donkey Kong	Karate chops opponent on the head or shoulder	1%-2%
Falco	Knees opponent	2%
Fox	Knees opponent	2%-3%
Ganondorf	Knees opponent	3%
Ice Climbers	Headbutts opponent	1% (4%+partner damage)
Jigglypuff	Hits opponent with tuft of hair	2%-3%
Kirby	Punches opponent	3%
Link	Hits opponent with the hilt of his sword	3%
Luigi	Headbutts opponent	3%
Mario	Headbutts opponent	3%
Marth	Knees opponent	3%
Mewtwo	Shocks opponent	2%-3%
Mr. Game & Watch	Hits opponent with a bell	2%-3%
Ness	Headbutts opponent	2%
Pichu	Zaps opponent	2% (1% damage taken by user)
Pikachu	Zaps opponent	2%
Peach	Kicks opponent's shins	2%
Roy	Knees opponent	3%
Samus	Punches opponent	2%
Sheik	Punches opponent	2%
Young Link	Hits opponent with the hilt of his sword	2%-3%
Yoshi	Bites down on opponent	3%
Zelda	Zaps opponent with magic	1%-2%

List of pummels in Brawl

This article or section is incomplete. You can help SmashWiki by expanding or finishing it. The editor who added this tag elaborates: Needs frame data

Peach performing a pummel attack on Ike in Brawl.

Character	Description	Damage	Duration
Bowser	Hits opponent with horns (Bites)	3%
Captain Falcon	Knees opponent	2%
Charizard	Bites opponent	2%
Diddy Kong	Headbutts opponent	2%
Donkey Kong	Chops opponent with hand	3%
Falco	Kicks opponent	2%
Fox	Knees opponent	1%
Ganondorf	Knees opponent	2%
Ice Climbers	Headbutts opponent	1% (+partner damage)
Ike	Headbutts opponent	3%
Ivysaur	Constricts opponent with vines	3%
Jigglypuff	Hits opponent with tuft of hair	3%
King Dedede	Headbutts opponent	3%
Kirby	Punches opponent	1%
Link	Hits opponent with the hilt of his sword	2%
Lucario	Hits opponent with blast of aura	0% - 3%
Lucas	Headbutts opponent	3%
Luigi	Headbutts opponent	3%
Mario	Headbutts opponent	3%
Marth	Knees opponent	2%
Meta Knight	Hits opponent with the claws on his wings	3%
Mr. Game & Watch	Hits opponent with a bell	3%
Ness	Headbutts opponent	1%
Olimar	Pikmin headbutts opponent	2% (Other colors), 4% (White)
Pikachu	Zaps opponent	1%
Pit	Knees opponent	2%
Peach	Kicks opponent's shins	2%
R.O.B.	Squeezes opponent	2%
Samus	Punches opponent	1%*
Sheik	Punches opponent	3%
Snake	Chokes opponent	2%
Sonic	Knees opponent	3%
Squirtle	Headbutts opponent	2%
Toon Link	Hits opponent with the hilt of his sword	2%
Wario	Pokes opponent in the gut with his finger	2%
Wolf	Kicks opponent	1%
Yoshi	Bites down on opponent	2%
Zelda	Zaps opponent with magic	3%
Zero Suit Samus	Knees opponent	2%

List of pummels in Super Smash Bros. 4

Character	Description	Damage	Duration
Bowser	Hits opponent with horns (Bites)	3%
Bowser Jr.	Hits opponent with toy hammer	2%
Captain Falcon	Knees opponent	2%
Charizard	Bites opponent	2%
Dark Pit	Knees opponent	2%
Diddy Kong	Headbutts opponent	2%
Donkey Kong	Chops opponent with hand	3%
Dr. Mario	Headbutts opponent. When rounded to 4% it is the strongest pummel in the game	3.64%
Duck Hunt	Duck headbutts opponent	3%
Falco	Kicks opponent	2%
Fox	Knees opponent	1%
Ganondorf	Knees opponent	2%
Greninja	Hits opponent with water	2%
Ike	Headbutts opponent	3%
Jigglypuff	Punches opponent	3%
King Dedede	Headbutts opponent	3%
Kirby	Punches opponent. Can be used in rapid succession.	1.55%
Link	Hits opponent with the hilt of his sword	2%
Little Mac	Gives opponent a body shot	2%
Lucario	Hits opponent with blast of aura	0% - 3%
Lucas	?	?
Lucina	Knees opponent	2%
Luigi	Headbutts opponent	3%
Mario	Headbutts opponent	3%
Marth	Knees opponent	2%
Mega Man	Squeezes opponent	3%
Meta Knight	Hits opponent with the claws on his wings	3%
Mewtwo	Hits the foe with a small psychic pulse.	2%
Mii Brawler	Headbutts opponent	3.25%*
Mii Swordfighter	Hits opponent with the hilt of their sword	3.25%*
Mii Gunner	Punches opponent with their arm cannon	2%*
Mr. Game & Watch	Hits opponent with a bell	3%
Ness	Headbutts opponent	1%
Olimar	Pikmin headbutts opponent	2% (Other colors), 4% (White)
PAC-MAN	Headbutts opponent	3%
Palutena	Hits opponent with magic through her staff	3%
Pikachu	Zaps opponent	1%
Pit	Knees opponent	2%
Peach	Kicks opponent's shins	2%
R.O.B.	Squeezes opponent	2%
Robin	Zaps opponent with magic	3%
Rosalina & Luma	Hits opponent with her wand	2%
Samus	Punches opponent	1%**
Sheik	Punches opponent	3%
Shulk	Hits opponent with the hilt of his sword	3%
Sonic	Knees opponent	2%
Toon Link	Hits opponent with the hilt of his sword	2%
Villager	Yanks net backwards	3%
Wario	Pokes opponent in the gut with his finger	2%
Wii Fit Trainer	Squeezes opponent	3%
Yoshi	Bites down on opponent	2%
Zelda	Zaps opponent with magic	3%
Zero Suit Samus	Knees opponent	2%

* This assumes the Mii is of perfectly normal height and weight.

** Can miss during certain frames of Bowser's struggling animation.