Options for footsies for non-footsie characters using focus attacks and focus attack dash cancels (FADC)
When playing against footsie-heavy characters these characters typically have moves with one or two shared characteristics:
Range and Speed
They have a move that gives them longer range than would be apparent for the move.
A good example of this is Ryu's cr.MK. While not exactly blazing fast, it has an extremely large hitbox extending forward (which equates to range) and when distanced properly it will give frame advantage to him when it is blocked by the opponent (because he has started blockstun on the opponent while in the middle of his active frames).
Position Change
The character will have a move that will actually alter the position of the character upon completion of the move. Of course, the movement has to be forward movement in order to be useful. Ken's F + MK is the perfect example of this type of move.
What to do when your character doesn't have a footsie game
There are a good many characters that don't have a footsie game in Street Fighter 4, there are two options to play footsies as well as defend against a footsies when presented with that. Both involve the use of the focus attack dash cancel (FADC).
When on the offensive, the FADC allows you to cancel the remaining active and recovery frames of your move (at the cost of two EX bars). This creates the frame advantage you need because your opponent has to pay the cost of the remaining blockstun while you have sacrificed two EX bars in order to compensate for the cost of your remaining active and recovery frames.
When defending, you can use the armor property of the focus attack to absorb the hit and then dash cancel in order to escape the blockstun that your opponent's attack has put you in. Because your opponent will still be in the active (and possibly recovery) frames of his own move, you have the opportunity to gain frame advantage. Like above, there is a sacrifice to be made for this option, in this case, the possibility of taking the damage you absorbed if you get hit relatively soon after absorbing the attack.
In both cases, the use of the dash cancel in breaking the focus attack places you in perfect range, and if done against the right moves (depending on which offensive move you cancelled, or the move of your opponent you absorbed) you will gain frame advantage.
While it's not an option that can be used excessively on offense (because of the cost of two EX bars), it can definitely be done on defense quite a bit (at the risk of losing more life the more you do it if you get hit before it recovers), and can give the element of surprize to opponents who don't expect footsies from a typical non-footsie character.
