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 plays a few key roles.

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.