What a frame is
Most fighting games run at 60 frames per second, so one frame lasts about 1/60 of a second, or roughly 16.7 milliseconds. Everything the game does, from a jab leaving the character’s hand to a fireball disappearing off screen, is counted in these units. Frame data is simply a table that lists those counts for each move.
Counting in frames is useful because it removes guesswork. Two moves can both look “fast” on screen, but one may start on frame 4 and the other on frame 9. That five-frame difference is about 83 milliseconds, which is too small to see clearly yet large enough to decide who hits first.
The three phases of a move
Almost every attack passes through three phases, and most frame data tables give a number for each.
Startup is the time between pressing the button and the move first becoming able to hit. During startup the attack is harmless, and the character can usually be hit out of it. A lower number means the move comes out faster.
Active frames are the frames in which the attack can connect. A move with one active frame is a narrow window, while a move with many active frames stays dangerous for longer and is better at catching an opponent who steps into it.
Recovery is what remains after the active frames end, when the character cannot act. This is the cost of the move. A long recovery means that if the attack misses or is blocked, the character is exposed for a while.
Add the three together and you get the total duration of the move. Counting conventions differ between games, though. Some lists treat the first active frame as part of startup, and others list startup as the number of frames before the first active one. Check how a particular game’s community defines its numbers before comparing tables from different titles.
A worked comparison
The figures below are invented for illustration and do not come from any specific game.
| Move | Startup | Active | Recovery | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light jab | 5 | 3 | 8 | 16 frames |
| Heavy swing | 20 | 4 | 24 | 48 frames |
The jab lasts 16 frames, which is about 0.27 seconds. The heavy swing lasts 48 frames, which is exactly 0.8 seconds. The jab starts quickly and recovers quickly, so it is safe to throw often but usually does little damage and has short reach. The heavy swing takes four times as long to start, and an opponent who sees it coming has time to react. In exchange it normally deals more damage and may reach farther.
This is the basic trade-off that frame data exposes: speed, damage, range and safety are rarely all available in the same move. Designers tend to spread them across a character’s toolkit, which is part of why counterplay design matters when new characters are made.
On-block and on-hit numbers
Most tables also list a frame advantage figure for when the move hits and for when it is blocked. A plus number means the attacker recovers first and can act while the defender is still stuck. A minus number means the defender recovers first. These figures are what make a move “safe” or “punishable”, and the detail of how the gap decides who acts next is a subject in its own right, covered in the discussion of frame advantage. For now, the key point is that a move with a large negative number on block is a gamble: if it is blocked, the opponent may get a free attack.
What the numbers say about a move
Reading a row of frame data is mostly a matter of asking a few questions.
- How fast is it? Low startup suggests a move useful for interrupting an opponent or punishing a mistake. High startup suggests a move that has to be predicted or used when the opponent cannot respond.
- How long does it stay out? More active frames makes a move good at hitting an opponent who is jumping in or moving forward, and good at covering a delayed reaction.
- What does a miss cost? Long recovery means a whiffed move can be punished by an opponent with a fast, long-reaching attack. This is the foundation of whiff punishing in the neutral game.
- What happens on block? A strongly negative number marks a move that should usually be used with care.
- Does it have special properties? Many games list invincibility, armor or cancel options in extra columns. A move that is invincible on its first few frames can beat an attack that would otherwise win, so these columns can matter as much as the speed.
Why frame data is not the whole story
Numbers describe what is possible, not what is wise. A move with a long startup can still be excellent if the opponent is forced to guard against something else at the same moment. A fast move can be poor if its range is too short to reach anyone.
Human limits also matter. Typical visual reaction time is often quoted at around 200 milliseconds or more, which is roughly 12 frames. A move with 20 frames of startup can in principle be reacted to, while a 5-frame jab realistically cannot. In practice, reacting to a slow move means noticing the visual cue and choosing a response, so players frequently rely on anticipation and habits rather than pure reaction, a point that comes up again in the discussion of opponent habits.
Frame data also changes. Developers adjust startup, recovery and advantage values in balance patches, so a table from an earlier version may be misleading. Always confirm that a data source matches the current version of the game.
Using the data in practice
A sensible way to study is to pick a handful of moves you use constantly and write down their startup, recovery and on-block numbers. Then check which of the opponent’s moves are fast enough to beat them. Add observations from your own matches. A short practice routine built around one or two specific timing questions, such as “which of my moves is punishable on block?”, tends to teach more than trying to memorize an entire move list.
Frame data will not decide a match by itself, but it explains why certain exchanges keep repeating and gives you a vocabulary for discussing them precisely.