Pivot

A pivot is a type of movement in which Mario turns in place before beginning to walk.

If Mario is standing still and the player holds the joystick at least 95 degrees from the direction Mario is facing, instead of beginning to walk immediately, Mario will wait two frames before rotating toward the direction the player is holding until he reaches it, then begin to walk. If the player changes the direction they are holding, Mario will rotate toward that direction instead, and if they let go of the joystick, Mario will rotate toward the most recently held joystick direction.

Mario’s angular velocity while pivoting is given by the following equation:

angular velocity $=$ .1 $\times$ frame of pivot $\times$ (joystick direction $-$ Mario’s rotation)

This means that on the first frame of the pivot, Mario will rotate 1/10th of the way toward the direction the player is holding on the joystick, rotating counterclockwise or clockwise depending on which way requires less rotation. Pivots cannot last for more than 10 frames because on the tenth frame, Mario rotates all the way to the joystick direction. If, at any point, Mario’s direction after the angular velocity is applied is within 5 degrees of the joystick direction, Mario’s rotation will snap to this direction and he will begin walking the next frame.

Pivots can be interrupted by a crouch, jump, cap throw, or spin.

Moving pivot

It is possible to perform a pivot after Mario lands from a jump, fall, or roll cancel vector, in which case he continues to move during the pivot.

On the frame of landing particles, if Mario faces at least 95 degrees away from the direction he is moving in and also at least 95 degrees away from the direction the player is holding on the joystick, he can enter a moving pivot. The first frame after landing particles, Mario’s velocity remains in the same direction as before but is decreased by 1.4 u/fr, his braking deceleration when walking. The next frame, Mario enters a pivot, and continues to move in the same direction with the same speed during the entirety of the pivot. Once Mario’s rotation reaches the direction held on the joystick, Mario’s velocity direction immediately shifts to that direction and he begins running.

Interrupting a moving pivot with a crouch is useful for performing sideways crouch rolls. Moving pivots are also a means of running backwards after landing while avoiding the 14 u/fr decrease in speed doing so typically incurs.