Glide

The Glide, also known as the Power Glide, Mid-Air Glide or Gliding Jump, is one of the signature moves of Knuckles the Echidna. It first appeared in Sonic and Knuckles where it was first used by Knuckles, but has since then been used by others such as Tikal, Chaos, Emerl and most noticeably Rouge the Bat. It is a technique where the user glides gently through the air in semi-flight.

Usage
In contrast to popular belief, Glide is not a technique that grants the user unbound flight through the air, but rather manipulates a person’s fall through midair.

To perform Glide, the user must be positioned in midair, either from a jump or a fall over an edge. The user then manipulates the air currents around him/her which makes it possible for the user to both slow down the rate of the descent from the fall and to move significant horizontal distances while descending, much farther than what they could reach with a normal jump or fall. This is usually done by the player by pressing the jump or Action button while in midair and using the direction controls to move. The user will then continue to glide until he/she latches onto a wall, lands safely on solid ground or stops on purpose. If the user should stop gliding while in the air (by releasing the button that caused the Glide), he/she will begin to drop normally through the air. The Glide can be resumed however, by pressing the button that caused the Glide again.

The ways to manipulate the air currents varies from user to user; Knuckles uses his dreadlocks to trap air under them, and Rouge does it by using her wings to move through the air. Since most users of the Glide can also climb on walls, this move is perfect suited for explore the surroundings.

For users such as Knuckles, the Glide can also be used offensively. By extending his spiked fists in front of him while gliding, Knuckles can damage any unprotected enemy his fists come in contact with (This is named the Grinder Attack in Sonic Battle). If any other of his body parts comes in contact with the enemy however, he will take damage.

Trivia

 *  Apparently, the Glide appears to be a personal invention in Knuckles’ case rather than a ability shared by all echidnas from Sonic’s world (with the exception of Tikal); during ‘’((Sonic Chronicle: The Dark Brotherhood]]’’ echidnas such as Shade and the rest of the Nocturnus Clan seemingly lacks the ability to glide, while they are shown being able to scale walls.