Sliding Attack (ヘッドスライディング Heddo Suraidingu?, "Head Sliding") is a long-range attack exclusive to the Jack series of androids, as well as Ganryu and Kuma I since the first Tekken game. Kuma II and Panda cannot perform this move.
In Tekken, the move always hits low and can only be performed while running, as an alternative to the Running Cross Arm or Tackle, as the Jack type characters did not have the standard Running Leg Slide. The running version can only be performed by Jack, Jack-2, Prototype Jack, Ganryu and Kuma I. The input is 3+4 or f+3+4 after running a minimum of three steps.
In Tekken 2, an alternate version of the move was exclusive to Prototype Jack, with the notation being f+3+4, becoming a standard move for every successive Jack model except Jack-2. This version hits mid when close, but low at the end of its range. The mid version causes a stagger when blocked, however the low versions do not cause a stagger, leaving the user open to almost every unblockable move in the entire series. From Tekken 3 onwards, Gun Jack and his successors could no longer perform the running version, however Ganryu retained the move. Prototype Jack is the only character able to perform both versions of the move, while the original Jack and Jack-2 were the only main Jack models to have the running version.
In Tekken Tag Tournament, if Forest Law connects a tag-buffered Poison Arrow as a counter hit, Gun Jack and Prototype Jack will automatically perform a Sliding Attack when tagging in. Unlike the regular Sliding Attack, this variation deals 21 damage.
Starting with Tekken 5, the notation changed to f,f+3+4 when Jack-5 received the move.
This move has an extremely long recovery time, thus it is only useful if it can defeat an opponent. It can also be a useful anti-tag move due to its range. However, if the opponent is up close on the ground the Sliding Attack may whiff, leaving the player back-turned when they begin to stand up, the latter of which is an automatic action which cannot be canceled, hence the aforementioned long recovery time.
Doctor Bosconovitch has a variation of this move called the Base Stealer, with the notation being f,f+1+2. Unlike the other versions of the move, Bosconovitch remains on the ground instead of getting up. This version only hits mid.
Trivia
- The reason why the move requires Jack to stand automatically was initially a technical one - the original Tekken did not have any provision for a character to land face down. Jack's Body Press also had to follow this rule in the first game. While the Body Press was updated in Tekken 2 to allow the user to remain on the ground if the move whiffed, the Sliding Attack was not, even after the move was modified in the following game as Doctor Bosconovitch's Base Stealer.