Unlocking the Art of Diving in FIFA 23
As a passionate FIFA gamer and content creator, I live for mastering the latest controls and gameplay innovations with each new release. And in FIFA 23, the ability to manually trigger dives using the right stick provides a whole new dimension of attacking and defending strategy. Trust me, learning how and when to dive can transform your game.
So for my fellow competitive FIFA players, this guide will dive deep on everything you need to know about the new diving mechanics. Time to unlock the true art of drawing fouls and conning referees with Oscar-worthy theatrics. Let‘s go!
Mastering the New Diving Controls
In past FIFA titles, executing a dive required simply pressing a dedicated button. But FIFA 23 replaces that with a manual right stick control scheme that gives you greater timing and directional precision.
To dive, you need to hold L2/LT to take control of your player, then flick the right stick left, right, or diagonally depending on which way you want to launch yourself.
When first trying out these updated controls, I‘ll admit to face-planting awkwardly quite a few times before pulling off any convincing dives. The keys are nailing the quick flick motion to dive instantly, while aiming your stick flick accurately to fling your player left, right or diagonally based on situation.
Practice makes perfect here. After drilling diving technique in skill games for a couple hours, it started to feel natural. I became Neymar, seamlessly incorporating fakes and flicks and dives into my runs at defender.
The dedicated button to dive feels so archaic now! The sense of control with right stick gives you so many more options.
Top Players With the Best Diving Attributes
Not all players have the speed, balance, and sheer audacity to hit the pitch convincingly. When selecting your team, make sure to check individual ratings for traits like diving, balance, and agility. Or take a risk plugging in that mercurial midfielder with 90+ratings for pace and dribbling but dismal 45 discipline.
Based on key attributes, here are the early standouts I‘ve identified for chaotic good diving ability:
Top GKs
| Name | Diving | Handling | Reflexes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donnarumma | 93 | 92 | 94 |
| Ederson | 90 | 87 | 90 |
| Neuer | 90 | 85 | 93 |
Donnarumma‘s world-class shot stopping for PSG translates to prima donna diving tendency. While Ederson lacks top end diving, his ideal kick rating means he can launch goal kicks to attackers with perfect accuracy.
Top Outfield Players
| Name | Pace | Agility | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neymar Jr | 92 | 94 | 95 |
| Vini Jr | 96 | 93 | 93 |
| Mbappe | 97 | 93 | 90 |
Pace and balance are crucial for convincing dives. If you get grazed at top speed, it really sends you flying (just ask speedster Daniel James). No surprise to see Neymar top this list; he turns diving into a true art form. Vini Jr is almost as slippery, while Mbappe has world class pace but poorer balance.
To demonstrate the diving gulf between players, compare Neymar‘s flawless technique to Gareth Bale – an explosive athletic specimen prone to awkwardly klutzing out of bounds at the slightest nudge.
Study film on elite divers like Neymar to learn their methods! More to come in my Deep Dive on Drawing Fouls…
When and How to Strategically Dive
Simply launching into random dives will earn you nothing but yellow cards. To effectively integrate diving into your play, you need to understand situational contexts where hitting the pitch can provide an advantage:
Draw PKs in the Box
If a defender mistimes a tackle in the box, initiate contact then flick the stick to go down hard. The refs steadfastly ignore shirt tugging; it‘s the exaggerated falls that earn the calls. This is by far the highest leverage diving situation to master, gifting goal scoring PK opportunities.
Embellish Contact on Breakaways
When racing towards goal about to strike, a properly timed dive can turn a weak tackle into a red card + probable PK. Squeeze every ounce of advantage from cynical defending with soap opera level theatrics! Just ensure you time the dive pre-shot; once you trigger a shot, fouls often go uncalled.
There‘s certainly a gaming ethics debate around exploiting diving. Some players strive to score within the laws of the game. Personally, I have no moral qualms with twisting tired AI defending inside out to gain any advantage possible. Hey, blame the incompetent refereeing!
Final Tips for Diving Mastery
Hopefully the above gives you strong foundations around the why and when for incorporating dives. Here are a few final best practices:
- Drill dive technique relentlessly in practice arena. Nail the right stick flick motion until it‘s instinctive
- Create chaos with fast attackers, then exploit space to dive. I use Sterling and David to terrorize with pace
- Sell the call by immediately slamming circle to passionately appeal decisions
- Limit excess diving. More than 2-3 crazy dives a game, you risk yellow cards
Practice makes perfect here. Study and learn from the embellishment masters like Neymar, then replicate their dark arts to elevate your FIFA game! Feel free to reach out with any questions. And stay tuned for deep dive articles on crafting set piece goals, unlocking speed boosts, and more. Always hustling to provide that cutting edge FIFA 23 content!
Let me know which players over-dive most ridiculously in the comments below. And if this guide helps you successfully con more referees, give me a shout!
