The Skills of Sonic

Sonic Quick Navigation Links:
Character Breakdown: Sonic the Hedgehog
The Sonic Workout
The Skills of Sonic
The Optimism of Sonic

Dude, look at that guy, he’s on a freeaking hoverboard.  Mad skillz.

Seriously though, wish hoverboards were a thing.

Anyway, onto today’s subject, Sonic’s skills!  We’re going to look at sprinting technique, improving reaction time, grinding shoes, and wall kicks/jumps/runs!

Sprinting Technique

So yes, there is actually good and bad technique for sprinting.  It’s not just running as hard as you can.  Read on!

Light and Loose
It’s very important to keep your body loose and relaxed while sprinting.  You want to maintain good posture, but try not to clench your muscles if possible.

Elbows and Knees
Running isn’t just about your legs!  Why do you think we had some upper body work in the Sonic Workout?  You should keep your arms relaxed, but held at a 90 degree angle, and you should be driving your elbows back as far as you can each time they swing backwards.  Your hands should be open, and relaxed, coming up as high as your shoulders when your arms swing forward again.

Your knees should drive upwards and forwards as hard as you can on the upstroke, and then driven hard into the ground.  Don’t think about driving your feet down, think about driving your knees down, and the feet will follow(Hint: They’re attached.)

Onward and Upward
Your upper body needs to stay upright and loose, with good posture.  This means you need to have a natural curve in your back, your shoulders should be up, and, perhaps most importantly, your head should be up, with your eyes focused on your destination.  This helps maintain posture, conserve energy, and intake oxygen.

Reaction Time

Reaction Ball
You can pick up a reaction ball at any sporting goods store.  They’re about the size of a baseball, and look like they have a bunch of smaller super balls glued to them.  They bounce in random directions when they hit something.  You can start by throwing your reaction ball at the ground, and trying to grab it withing a certain number of bounces.  Then you can upgrade to throwing it at a wall, and trying to catch it before it hits the ground.

DODGE!
For this one, you’re going to need a partner or two(friends, preferably.  Though an enemy might make this more interesting), several cans of tennis balls(they don’t have to be high quality, check your local dollar store), and a decent sized, enclosed space where you can throw the balls without damaging anything.

You probably already know where this is going.

One person stands near a wall or some kind of backstop.  The partners stand back at a predetermined distance, and begin chucking tennis balls at him/her.  Not hard enough to cause damage, but fast enough to require some reaction time.  If you have enough balls and people, the stream of projectiles can be endless, allowing you to go for certain time limits before switching.  The goal of the person in the middle is simply to dodge the balls as best they can.  Stay light on your toes, and keep moving!

Grinding Shoes

(oh god sonic and the black knight X__X)

Soooo grinding shoes are a thing.  You may or may not know this(though if you’re a big Sonic fan, you probably do).  They were a passing fad in the late 90s and early 2000s, released under the brand “Soap Shoes.”  These were basically sneakers with plastic plates on the bottom that allowed people to “grind” on rails and such like Sonic.  The company was bought out by Heeling Sports Limited, the same company that makes Heelys.  They released several models, including some with the wheel option from their “Heelys” shoes, but the product never gained the popularity they hoped for.

Nowadays it’s incredibly difficult to locate Soap Shoes for sale anywhere.  The only place I’ve found online is here.  Be warned, I haven’t actually tested out an order from them, so order at your own risk.  I’m actually contemplating trying to make some Soap style grinding shoes myself sometime.  If there’s enough demand, I’ll do it, and post a build-along on the Youtube channel when it goes live.

If you are lucky and manage to get your hands on a pair, then have fun!  You can still find some trick tutorials on Youtube, and on SolidGrind.com.  Remember to give them the same respect as you would roller blading or skateboard, which means wear pads and a helmet.

Wall Runs(/wall kicks/wall ups/wall jumps)

So Sonic can do cool stuff like double jump in midair, or do a homing jump attack at his enemies.  Unfortunately, we cannot jump on thin air, as we are mere mortals, governed by the laws of physics.  However, we can come close, with parkour!  As always, I defer to the more experienced people on the interwebs in this department.  I am merely an amateur traceur, and would not deign to attempt to teach such a thing through text alone anyway.  So, here’s a video from Urban Current!

So that’s it for the skills of Sonic!  Tune in tomorrow to peel back the layers of a cocky hedgehog’s mind, with The Optimism of Sonic. Until then, make sure to like the Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, and go follow the Tumblr as well.  As always, keep being awesome!

Dan “DaRatmastah” Wallace