The wavedash is not a glitch.

In response to the overwhelming number of smashers who believe that wavedashing is glitch, I have taken it upon myself to clarify this otherwise touchy subject. Whether glitches/exploits should be allowed in competitive smash is another discussion for another day. For now, I will explain the wavedash.

If any character air dodges into the ground, he or she will slide along the ground a set distance based on both the angle of contact (steeper angles lead to shorter slides) and individual character friction (Luigi has virtually no friction [more distance] while Zelda has extremely high friction [less distance]). Players take advantage of this part of the physics in order to better maneuver their characters. It can be used to better space attacks, launch a moving smash attack, or quickly slide off the stage into an edge-hog.

The wavedash is a particular variation of this slide. It is used from a standing position (as opposed to wavelanding where a character air dodges into the ground after having fallen from the air). It consists of three parts: jumping, air dodging, and sliding. If you examine each component individually, it should be quite apparent that all three were clearly intended physics of the game. Using all three in quick succession results in a seemingly unique move since the jump animations are completely invisible. However, no part of the wavedash pushes the game outside of its normal boundaries. Everything happens exactly as it should. So, if jumping, air dodging, and sliding are not glitches, how is the resulting maneuver a glitch as so many people believe?

For the sake of argument, let us examine a blatant game glitch: the Ice Climbers freeze glitch ("glitch" is even in the title). This trick also consists of non-glitch components. The simplest way to trigger this glitch is to have one Ice Climber grab while the other breaks the target loose with the hammer spin (forward-B). The target, for whatever reason, suddenly freezes in time and space. The target cannot move (but still can take damage) until grabbed and thrown. This result is clearly a glitch (or the game creators had a twisted sense of humor) as it essentially grants the Ice Climbers a free kill. According to the physics engine, the victim should either take the beatings or be broken loose. The result is clearly a system accident.

The wavedash grants no such advantage. It is not a glitch that guarantees victory; it is one of many tools available to skilled players to enhance their game. To ban wavedashing is to ban forms of creativity in the game. Under such circumstances, it would be only a matter of time before the most basic of combos are deemed dishonorable. At worst, the wavedash is considered an exploit.