Fox (SSBM)/Neutral attack/Hit 1

Overview

Hitboxes of Fox's jab.

Fox does a quick punch. This is most commonly referred to as Fox's jab. It is his second quickest attack next to shine, as the hitbox activates on the second frame. It is useful for it's quick start-up, low lag, decent range, and combo potential. It can, however, be susceptible to out of shield punishes and crouch cancel counters as well as strong ground attacks and disjointed attacks which out-prioritize it.

Neutral

In neutral, jab is useful for it's quick start-up, low lag, decent range, and combo potential. The start-up is too quick to react to the hit with the correct defensive option or DI. Low lag means that it cannot be easily punished if whiffed.

The issues with jab is that the hitbox is not active long, and the threat of crouch canceling or ASDI down limits it's use, and shine fulfills many of it's potential purposes. The only advantages it has over shine in neutral is range in front and better follow-ups against some characters (Jigglypuff, for example).

It is most safe to use against an airborne opponent because the inability for the opponent to crouch cancel eliminates a key weakness.

Shielded

Jab (unstaled) has a frame disadvantage of 9 to 10 on connecting with full shield according to the following calculation:

Shieldstun (7) - Hitlag (4) - Total Duration (15) + Hitbox (2 to 3) = -9 to -10

From a mathematical standpoint, jab can be punished out of shield by the average grab which is effective on frame 7. However, this dependent on the reaction time, timing, and out of shield options of the shielder as well as the spacing and use of jab 2 of the attacker. The window for a shield grab is only a few frames, and in some cases it is possible for the attacker to space the jab out of range of the shielder's out of shield options. Immediate use of jab 2 also leaves the shielder with only as few as 3 frames, which if disregarded may catch the shielder's counter option. However, jab 2 is more easily punished than jab 1 if shield is held and use of auto-smash DI down can render even a connected hit as punishable.

Overall, jab is generally safe from shield punishes when performed from it's maximum range, but it is a a risky choice within shield grab range.

Crouch Canceled

Jab is very susceptible to crouch canceling at even high percents, and even ASDI (auto-smash direction influence) down is dangerous. Depending on the situation, the defender will have about a 10 to 15 frame advantage, with access to their full moveset (in contrast to the limited options in shield). This means more characters will have faster attacks with more range to counter than from in shield. A poorly spaced jab can be crouch cancel countered easily by the full cast, and even a well-spaced jab may not be safe against most characters. It is recommended to use jab sparingly against grounded opponents for this reason. One must consider the risk-reward for connecting the jab as well as if it will be anticipated. Jab is too quick to crouch cancel on reaction, so if the opponent is not prepared to crouch cancel, the jab will hit safely. Consider using moves that cannot be crouch canceled (shine, grab, dair) frequently to condition the opponent to not try crouch canceling.