In Madden 22, every yard matters. Having the skill to get those extra yards here and there can make the difference between winning a new set of downs or settling for a punt and thinking about defense.
Diving at the end of a run is usually reserved for those game-changing plays like touchdowns and late-game 3rd down conversions. Knowing how to dive can help you convert in these moments and avoid getting tackled before you reach the end zone.
In this article, we will be going over how to dive in Madden 22 and what are the perfect situations to do it.
How to Dive Like a Pro
Diving in Madden is simple – you just hold R2/RT (Right-click or L-Shift on PC) to sprint and when you want to dive, hit Square/X (Q on PC).
Now, here’s the important part: a lot of players will simply tap Square/X and expect the player to dive. But that’s how to slide on Madden 22, not dive.
To do a dive, you need to hold the button for around two seconds and your player will start diving forward, pushing the ball as far ahead as possible. Here is how a well-executed dive should look:
Notice that the player is pushing the ball forward. If we were sliding, the player’s feet would be forward and the ball would be back, safely clutched in his hands.
The difference between a slide and a dive is pretty dramatic. One is risky and wins yards, the other one is safe and guards the ball. You don’t want to mix these up so remember to hold the Dive button if that’s what you want to do!
When to Dive in Madden 22
You might be tempted to dive in nearly any running play but it’s not always such a beneficial move. A lot can go wrong, so you need to pick your moments carefully.
The first thing you need to do is make sure there are no defenders in your way. Dive into an empty space on the field and avoid defenders as much as you can, looking for those extra yards.
In the example below, you’ll see a good setting to execute a dive. There is enough distance between our player and the defenders so you can dive diagonally and avoid contact.
Granted, we don’t have too much to gain by diving here (we’re way past the 1st down line) so diving isn’t really needed. We can slide to avoid contact or run out of bounds.
This brings us to another point. Since diving is so risky (you can fumble even without a defender in your way), reserve it only for the really important plays. Touchdowns, 3rd down conversions, going out of bounds to save time – these are worth diving for.
In the example below, we dive to get into the end zone which would arguably be hard to do by just running. The defender is just about to tackle our running back so we need to leap forward to get the ball into the end zone.
When to Avoid Diving
We already mentioned that you shouldn’t dive with a defender in your way since a lot of strange things could happen.
Diving straight towards a defender can have several bad outcomes:
- The defender might stop you in your tracks, defeating the whole purpose of diving;
- You could fumble;
- Your player could get injured.
In the image below, you can see how diving into traffic leads to a weird acrobatic animation that could end up with an injury or a fumble. We didn’t even win any extra yards here so the injury would’ve been for nothing.
In Madden 21, these animations were a little more dramatic so this year you can actually pull off a dive in traffic more easily. Still, you shouldn’t spam the move, just to be safe.
You also shouldn’t try to dive with players who have a bad Carrying rating. Players with good Carrying are usually running backs (like in the pic above) so they’re your best options for diving. Quarterbacks, on the other hand, will be more prone to fumbles so you need to watch when and how you dive with them.
Diving in a crowded situation with a player with low Carrying is a very risky move and you could easily end up regretting being greedy!
To Conclude
Knowing how to dive can be a powerful tool in Madden 22 but use it carefully.
Reserve it only for those clutch moments and make sure that the player you’re diving with is capable of pulling off the move. Also, remember to stay out of traffic and hold the Dive button to avoid sliding!
