For a beginner, the best starting point is usually the default controls: learn movement, attacks, special moves, shielding and recovery before changing anything. If you repeatedly jump by accident while pressing up, try turning off stick-up jump (tap jump) and assigning jump to an easy-to-reach button. That is an experiment, not a universal rule; the right layout depends on your hands, controller and habits.
Start with a simple layout
Keep the familiar controls until you can identify a recurring input problem. Nintendo’s beginner guide explains the core attack inputs: A performs standard attacks, and pressing A while quickly flicking the control stick in a direction performs a Smash Attack. B performs a fighter-specific special move, with the direction affecting which move you use.
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- Attack: Keep A for standard attacks while learning.
- Special: Keep B for special moves so the basic control remains familiar across fighters.
- Jump: Choose a face button or another easy-to-reach button if that feels more deliberate than pressing up on the stick.
- Other buttons: Leave them at their defaults until you can name a repeated problem that a remap would fix.
Nintendo’s techniques page notes that pressing A and jump together performs a short-hop aerial. Keep those inputs comfortable to press together if you want to practice that technique.
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Try turning it off if moving the stick up often makes you jump when you meant to use an up attack or another upward action. With tap jump enabled, an upward stick input can trigger a jump; turning it off makes the dedicated jump button the more deliberate way to jump. Some players prefer stick-up jump, so there is no need to change it if it is working for you.
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Compare the two options by noticing whether you jump accidentally, how comfortably you can press jump and attack together, and whether the layout feels natural on your controller. Change one setting at a time and play long enough to tell whether it helped before changing another.
What should you assign to the right stick?
The right stick, sometimes called the C-stick, can be assigned for directional attacks through the game’s control customization. If you find it difficult to make a quick directional flick while pressing A, try an available stick assignment and see whether it feels more reliable. The cited sources do not establish one assignment as best for beginners; treat it as a personal preference, not a required setup.
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How to find and change controls
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
A Tom’s Guide walkthrough published January 21, 2019 describes opening the game’s Options menu, choosing Controls, and selecting a player tag or controller layout. The walkthrough is older, so check the labels shown in your current game version. Use the game’s control profile when you want to customize your Smash controls.
In Nintendo Switch system settings
Nintendo’s separate button-mapping instructions apply at the Switch system level, not just inside Smash:
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- From the HOME Menu, choose System Settings.
- Choose Controllers and Sensors, then Change Button Mapping.
- Choose a controller and select a new function for a button.
Nintendo documents this feature for Joy-Con (L), Joy-Con (R) and Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, with a note about Switch Lite buttons. Mappings are saved on the Switch system, not on the controller, so they do not travel with the controller to another Switch. If you play on a different system, check its mapping before expecting the same inputs.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which beginner fighter should you try?
Controller comfort is easier to judge when you are not also learning an unusually complicated character. Nintendo’s beginner guide suggests Mario or Kirby as reasonable starting fighters for brand-new players. Pick one, practice the basic inputs, and change controls only when a specific input keeps causing trouble.
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