Button Mashing is the name for randomly pushing buttons in the hope that one's character will do something good. It is a tactic often used by new players who do not know how to play the game. The Super Smash Bros. series is not very conducive to button mashing. It sports much more simplistic controls compared to traditional fighting games, which often require many buttons to be pressed in a certain order to execute special moves. A player who knows what he or she is doing will almost certainly win against a button masher.
Button Mashing can also refer to quickly pushing L or R multiple times to attempt to perform an L-cancel or a Tech. Advanced players will not do this because it is likely that they will miss the crucial timing. It is recommended to learn the timing instead of mashing the buttons.
The only time that Button Mashing can come in handy is when trying to perform Samus's Bomb Recovery. Even some of the advanced players mash Down B to get back to the stage, although it is possible to learn the timing. Also, if the B button is mashed during Mario, Luigi, or Dr. Mario's Down B or the Ice Climber's Forward B, they will gain some vertical distance. Mashing Buttons will also aid one in escaping grapples, waking up when asleep, recovering from shield smash fatigue, and escaping Yoshi's Egg Lay.