A dash attack is performed by pushing the control stick to the side, waiting a short time for the character to begin dashing, and then pressing the A button. The range of a dash attack and its usefulness changes from character to character, but in general, dash attacks can be used for starting combos, hitting opponents who attempt to dodge or roll, and shooting through shields, assuming you space correctly and your character has a long dash. This last aspect, going through a person's shield, is usually to prevent rolling or dodging, or the result of an anticipated roll or dodge.

Dash attacks often knock the opponent slightly upward, and this actually creates openings for several things, including more dash attacks. While rare against an experienced player, it is possible to dash-attack-juggle opponents at low percentages. Dash attacks have almost no KO power, reinforcing the need to use the move as a combo starter. At higher percentages, the knock back from a dash attack is still very little and the move can be applied to quickly pop the opponent up and in position to be hit with an air attack.

The dash attack is also a strong deterrent against players who roll or dodge often because most dash attacks cover a lot of ground and last longer than the duration the roll or dodge.

Some characters can take advantage of a new, advanced technique in Brawl, known as boost Smashing, which couples the U-Smash and the dash attack. View the article on boost Smashing in the Advanced Play – Advanced Techniques section for more information on this technique.

Note #1: For more in-depth information on each character’s dash attacks view the character-specific guides.

Note #2: Default control scheme using the GCN controller is assumed.