Frame Perfect Movement
If you’re serious about movement in speedrunning, then understanding frame data isn’t optional it’s foundational. Every action in a game, from a jump to a menu input, runs on a frame tied clock. That means even one frame early or late can cost time, break momentum, or throw a route out the window entirely. The first step is knowing what a frame is in your chosen game then learning how it affects your inputs.
Speed doesn’t come first. Precision does. In most games, mashing gets you nowhere. It’s about input timing with muscle memory backed by knowledge. Nailing one frame windows or tight cancel sequences takes clarity, not chaos.
To sharpen that precision, start small. Use practice modes or emulators with frame advance to study movement frame by frame. Record controller inputs and compare them to what shows on screen. Set up drills: repeat a frame perfect jump 10 times in a row; practice dash resets until they’re boring. Build your sense of when not just what to press.
Speed will come, but only after you train your hands to hit the exact frame not the one after.
Momentum Tricks
Speed is king in any speedrun, but raw pace doesn’t mean much if you’re bleeding momentum every few seconds. The best runners know how to not just move fast but stay fast. That’s where movement stacking comes in.
Techniques like bunny hopping in Source games, wave dashing in Smash, or slope boosts in 3D platformers aren’t just flashy tricks. They’re practical tools for speed retention. These methods allow you to carry your velocity across terrain changes, attack animations, or awkward camera shifts. Once you’ve got speed, the goal is to stack on top of it not reset it with sloppy turns or unnecessary inputs.
Still, knowing when to hold momentum and when to cut it is a thinking game. A tight hallway might demand a slowdown to avoid a damage boost or death warp. Some jumps only work from a dead stop for pixel perfect lining up. The trick is to identify which moments in the run demand control over chaos.
Master this balance, and your runs won’t just be fast they’ll be smooth as glass.
Exploit Based Movement
Speedrunning has always been about bending the game without breaking it at least not too much. Clipping through walls, zipping across maps, and triggering out of bounds warps are some of the most dramatic movement tricks in the toolbox. They look wild. They save heaps of time. But they aren’t just showoff moves they’re calculated plays, honed through rehearsal and deep game knowledge.
Clips and zips usually hinge on frame perfect positioning or abusing how a game handles player collision. Some require tools or setups, others rely on raw execution. But make no mistake: chasing these tricks comes with risks. Miss the input and you can fall into voids, softlock the game, or even void a run outright. The payoff is big but so is the cost of failure.
Then comes the bigger question: should you use them at all? That depends on the category you’re running. Glitchless, Any%, Low%, No Major Glitches each has its own rules. Some communities embrace tech that flips the game inside out; others draw hard lines. Part of mastering exploit based movement means understanding not just how to do it, but when and whether it’s appropriate. Learn the rules. Respect the route.
Used wisely, these exploits aren’t just shortcuts they’re badges of skill. They show you’ve learned the insides of the game so well, you’re not playing it anymore. You’re driving it.
Sequence Breaking with Mobility Skills
Speedrunners have a simple mantra: if you can move in ways the game didn’t plan for, you can break it and that’s a good thing. Movement in speedrunning isn’t just about going fast in a straight line. It’s about seeing what others don’t: a sloped surface that lets you skip half a map, a mobility upgrade that lets you trigger an event early, or a way to cross a gap the devs assumed was unjumpable.
Physics quirks are your key to outsmarting game progression. Think about how wall jumping in Metroidvania titles lets players bypass locked doors, or how backwards long jumps in older 3D platformers shove the player through walls. It’s not a glitch if it works, and runners know how to weaponize these quirks with surgical precision.
Take Super Metroid as a classic case. Skilled players use wall jumps and precise bomb jumps to grab power ups early and cut hours off a run. Or look at Breath of the Wild, where shield surfing combined with bullet time launches can catapult Link miles across the map, past entire questlines.
Bottom line: the best movement isn’t just about speed it’s about positioning yourself ahead of the game. Literally.
Environment Reading
Speedruns aren’t just about quick fingers they’re about sharp eyes. Reading the environment is core to shaving time, especially in movement heavy categories. The basics? Surfaces matter. Some textures are frictionless, others grant boosts if you hit the angle right. Know your geometry: shallow slopes, ledges with weird collision, uneven terrain all of it can be exploited for speed gains if you’re paying attention.
Then there’s layout flow. High level runners don’t just memorize pathing; they anticipate it. Predict enemy spawns, understand camera triggers, and build a rhythm around typical level pacing. Learn how a hallway sets up the next room, or how skipping a cutscene might reposition enemies. Reading ahead is how you stay smooth.
To internalize all this fast, treat map learning like studying for a fight. Break zones into sections. Run segments backward and forward. Focus on visual anchors, not just routes things like specific rocks, lighting changes, or props that mark timing cues. You’re not just running the level you’re decoding it.
Practice Tools and Resources
Getting faster isn’t just about reactions it’s about repetition, analysis, and the right tools. Most serious runners lean on trainer modes that allow free camera movement, checkpoint reloads, and input log features. These modes strip away the fluff and let you drill movement sections until muscle memory takes over.
Frame advance is another must have. It slows gameplay down to individual frames so you can learn exact timing windows, especially useful for frame perfect jumps, glitches, or momentum tricks. Paired with input display software, you get clean feedback on where your timing is tight and where it falls apart.
If you’re just starting out or want to refine a new tech, don’t go it alone. Dive into curated tutorials, deep dive breakdowns, and pro analyses over at this game tutorial collection. The fastest runs always start in the lab.
Master Your Movement, Own Your PB
Speedruns are built on skill, but mastered through consistency. It’s not about pulling off the flashiest trick once it’s about executing solid movement in every segment, every time. The best runners aren’t always the fanciest; they’re the most reliable.
Clean Movement = Strong Runs
While risky tricks or flashy movement might wow a crowd, it’s clean and repeatable execution that lowers your personal best (PB).
Small flubs in movement add up fast over a run
Consistent execution leads to fewer resets and better averages
Stability in basic movement creates room for more advanced tech
Lab Time Matters
Improvement doesn’t just happen during full runs. Breaking down your game in a controlled setting helps develop deeper precision.
Use practice segments to isolate tricky movement
Drill frame tight sections until they become muscle memory
Alternate between full attempts and focused sessions to stay sharp
Keep Evolving With the Right Resources
Growth comes from staying connected and studying up. Whether you’re building routes, learning new mechanics, or tightening your current strats, the right information makes a difference.
Analyze top runners’ movement to learn patterns
Use tools like input displays to troubleshoot your consistency
Dive deeper with curated learning: game tutorial collection
Stay focused on improvement over perfection. With every split, your movement gets stronger and so does your PB.
Elyndra Durnhaven, editor and co-founder of TPort Game Tek, is a visionary gaming expert dedicated to delivering news, reviews, and insights that inspire players
