6 Things You Should NOT Do
The bad habits shared by players who can't win, and how to fix them.
In most cases, losing isn't because the opponent is strong — it's because your own actions have patterns. Check if any of these apply to you.
Mashing at frame disadvantage
Reflexively striking back immediately after having a move blocked or during recovery. In DOA6, the striking side wins even before the hitbox disappears, so mashing at disadvantage gets Counter Hit by the opponent's strike easily.
When you feel a move got blocked, stop first. If the opponent does nothing, throw. If they strike, guard and punish. Suppressing the "got hit → immediately counter" reflex is the first step.
Over-using Holds without reading
Reflexively holding the moment you get hit into Critical Stun. Holds are a 4-way guess (High, Mid P, Mid K, Low) — guess wrong and you get thrown at Hi-Counter (1.6× damage). Random holds actually give the opponent a big damage opportunity.
Use Holds once you can read the opponent's patterns. Until then, use Break Hold (4S) as an emergency option that covers all attributes. Be aware that "please Hold" (random holds) is high-risk, low-reward.
Getting KO'd with full Break Gauge
Hoarding the gauge "for a better moment" until you get KO'd at low health. Losing with 100% gauge is the same as throwing away a usable resource.
Break Blow (6S) leaves you at advantage even on guard. There's no need to wait for a perfect moment — build the habit of using it early once gauge hits 100%. Keeping 50% in reserve for Break Hold creates a good balance.
Over-relying on Side Attack
Side Attack is powerful for evading linear strikes, but results in -15F or worse on guard — a guaranteed throw punish. Experienced opponents just guard and wait, making SA spam easy to counter.
SA consumes gauge, so over-using it prevents Break Blow and Break Hold. Limit it to a "reversal when in trouble" frequency and mix it with strikes and throws. When it gets guarded, be extremely careful about your next action.
Always finishing full strings
Repeatedly finishing the same string lets experienced opponents memorize the Hold timing and start countering the final hit. Many strings also result in guaranteed throw punishes if the final hit is guarded.
Simply having the option to stop the string midway and throw makes you harder to read. Mixing "mid-string stop → throw" with "finish the string" keeps the opponent guessing whether to Hold or prepare for a throw.
Always taking ukemi
Reflexively taking ukemi every knockdown makes it easy for the opponent to meaty you every time. Ukemi also removes the wake-up kick option, and taking ukemi when the opponent is close can actually put you at a disadvantage.
Check your distance from the opponent before deciding to take ukemi. If they're far, quick rise is fine. When they're close, not taking ukemi and reacting to their action is often safer. Mixing ukemi with wake-up kicks makes you harder to read.