1 History and Discovery
1.1 Early observations by players
Shortly after the release of Super Mario 64 in 1996, players noticed that pressing the jump button while moving backward caused Mario to slide further than a normal jump. Forum posts and fan guides from the late 1990s described the trick as a “backwards slide” or “reverse long jump,” but its full potential was not yet understood. Casual players used it mainly for small skips or to reach slightly out‑of‑the‑way coins.
1.2 First documented speedruns
The first speedruns of Super Mario 64, recorded on VHS and later shared online, occasionally included isolated uses of the backwards long jump to save a few seconds. In 2004, runner “Soulz” posted a 16‑minute “any%” run that employed the technique in several stages. The decisive moment came in 2007 when runner “Mitch” combined the BLJ with precise stair‑climbing to bypass the first Bowser door, cutting the run to under 10 minutes. This video circulated on early speedrunning forums and sparked widespread experimentation.
1.3 Formalization by the Tool-Assisted Speedrun (TAS) community
Tool‑assisted speedrun creators, using emulators with frame‑advance features, analyzed the game’s physics engine in detail around 2008–2010. TAS runs demonstrated that by pressing the jump button on every frame while moving backward, Mario could accumulate horizontal speed with no upper limit. These TAS outputs, along with memory‑editing tools, allowed the community to document the exact frame‑perfect input sequence required for the bug. The term “Backwards Long Jump” (BLJ) was coined during this period to distinguish it from the normal long jump.
2 Mechanics
2.1 Technical details
2.1.1 Velocity accumulation via frame-perfect inputs
Super Mario 64 calculates Mario’s horizontal velocity on each frame. When the player holds the analog stick backward and presses the jump button at the correct timing, the game adds a small increment to Mario’s current velocity rather than resetting it. Repeating this input every frame causes the velocity to increase exponentially. In TAS runs, velocities of over 10,000 units per frame have been recorded, compared to normal walking speeds of about 16 units per frame.
2.1.2 The role of the "backward" direction and long jump timing
The BLJ relies on the game’s long‑jump code: pressing the jump button while holding a direction and having pressed the attack button (B) earlier on the same jump. When the direction is backward, the velocity addition formula does not cap the increment. The specific window for the frame‑perfect input is exactly one frame (1/30 of a second in the NTSC version) after the previous long‑jump landing.
2.2 Input requirements
2.2.1 Controller button mapping (A and B)
On the standard Nintendo 64 controller, the A button performs a jump, and the B button is used for punching or kicking. To execute the BLJ, the player must press B (the “action” button) once before the first jump, then hold backward on the analog stick and repeatedly press A on every subsequent frame. Some runners remap buttons to allow thumb‑only execution, but the original configuration requires rapid alternating between the two buttons.
2.2.2 Analog stick orientation
The analog stick must be held firmly in the backward direction (approximately 180 degrees from Mario’s facing direction). Even a slight deviation of a few degrees breaks the velocity accumulation and causes Mario to turn or lose momentum. Runners often use notches or physical markers on their controller to maintain the precise angle.
2.3 Limitations and risks
2.3.1 Overacceleration and out-of-bounds clipping
Because velocity can increase without limit, a poorly controlled BLJ can send Mario through walls, floors, or ceilings. Once out of bounds, the character may fall into a void, clip into a black area, or become stuck. Speedrunners must carefully count the number of BLJ presses to avoid overshooting the intended exit. Overacceleration can also cause the game’s collision detection to fail, resulting in softlocks.
2.3.2 Prevention in the Shindō (Japan-only) version
Nintendo’s 1997 updated release *Super Mario 64: Shindō Edition* (Japan only) patched several glitches, including the BLJ. In this version, backwards long jumps reset Mario’s velocity to zero after each jump, making the exploit impossible. Consequently, all major speedrun categories for the Shindō edition have separate rules that forbid the use of BLJ cheats or emulation workarounds.
3 Applications in Speedrunning
3.1 Any% category usage
3.1.1 Skipping the first Bowser door
In the standard any% run, the BLJ is first used in the castle’s main hall. By performing a BLJ on the stairs leading to the second floor, Mario’s high speed carries him directly through the door that normally requires a key from “Bowser in the Dark World.” This saves the player from having to collect the key and complete the early Bowser stage.
3.1.2 Reaching the infinite stairs area directly
After collecting 70 stars, the player normally must climb the infinite staircase to reach the final Bowser fight. The BLJ allows Mario to ascend the stairs in a single burst of speed, bypassing the staircase’s infinite‑loop mechanic. This cuts several minutes from the run and is the most iconic use of the exploit.
3.2 Other categories
3.2.1 120 Star and "All Stars" runs
In 120‑star runs, the BLJ is rarely used because the player must visit every stage to collect all stars. However, it can still save time in transitions between stages or when clipping through doors in the castle hub. Some runners employ a “stair skip” BLJ to avoid climbing the infinite stairs even though they already have enough stars.
3.2.2 Backwards Long Jumping in the DS version
The 2004 Nintendo DS remake *Super Mario 64 DS* retains the BLJ glitch, though it is slightly harder to execute due to the DS’s digital pad and smaller buttons. The technique is legal in the “any%” category for the DS version, and runners use it to skip the first Bowser door and the infinite stairs, mirroring the original game’s route.
3.3 Notable records and runners
3.3.1 Sub-7 minute barriers
In 2013, runner “Puncayshun” achieved the first sub‑7 minute any% run (6:57) on the original Nintendo 64 console, relying heavily on BLJ skips. This record was gradually refined to below 6:30 by 2016. As of 2024, the world record stands at approximately 6 minutes and 10 seconds, with BLJ optimizations accounting for most of the time savings.
3.3.2 Competition between "BLJ" and "non-BLJ" routes
A small subset of runners refused to use the BLJ because they considered it a bug rather than an intended technique. For several years, separate “BLJ‑free” leaderboards existed. The debate faded by 2020, as the vast majority of any% runners adopted the BLJ, and the “no BLJ” category became a niche challenge run.
4 Cultural Impact and Legacy
4.1 Memes and internet humor
4.1.1 "So you’re probably wondering how I got here" meme
The image of Mario moving at impossible speed while facing backwards became a popular meme on platforms like YouTube and Reddit. The caption “So you’re probably wondering how I got here” (often paired with a freeze‑frame of Mario mid‑slide) is used to introduce an absurd backstory or explanation.
4.1.2 Relation to "Mario 64 but everything is backwards" videos
Fan‑made video series that replace all in‑game sounds and animations with reversed versions frequently feature BLJ segments as punchlines. The unnatural sliding motion and the joke that Mario is “always going backwards” solidified the BLJ as a symbol of glitch‑based humor in the *Mario 64* community.
4.2 Influence on glitch hunting in other games
4.2.1 Comparison to "Credits Warp" techniques
The BLJ is often cited alongside the “Credits Warp” in *The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time* as a classic example of a simple input sequence that breaks a game’s intended progression. Glitch hunters in later games (such as *Super Mario Odyssey* and *Breath of the Wild*) have drawn inspiration from the BLJ’s velocity‑accumulation mechanic when searching for similar exploits.
4.2.2 Impact on speedrunning philosophy (exploit versus intended play)
The widespread acceptance of the BLJ helped shift speedrunning culture toward a pragmatic view: any reproducible glitch that requires skill to execute is considered a valid technique. Before the BLJ, many runners hesitated to use obvious bugs; after its dominance in *Super Mario 64*, the community generally adopted the principle “if it saves time and is allowed by the rules, use it.”
4.3 Community tools and resources
4.3.1 Practice ROMs and save-state emulators
Dedicated practice ROMs (such as the “SM64 Practice ROM” by BSoD and others) include a “BLJ Trainer” mode that overlays frame counters and input indicators. Emulators with save‑state support allow runners to repeatedly practice the frame‑perfect input sequence without resetting the game.
4.3.2 Tutorials and frame-perfect input guides
Numerous video tutorials on YouTube break down the BLJ input into slow‑motion playback, showing exactly when to press A and B relative to Mario’s landing animation. Text guides on speedrunning forums list the precise timing in milliseconds and provide tips for holding the analog stick steady. These resources have enabled new runners to learn the BLJ in a matter of hours rather than weeks.