Stuck in a rut

[TiZ]

Trying to understand this game, I've managed to twist my mind into a pretzel, which is completely and utterly infuriating. Any time I try to break this loop, it usually results in me either choking, or losing in some other way, which just makes me angrier.

I have issues with pressuring because I feel like it works for everyone but me. People tend to be able to just hit buttons all day while I'm blocking. I've Hilde do it to me with kicks, even though her frames aren't particularly great, and I've had Siegfried do it to me. I undesrtand the theory of frame advantage and disadvantage, which makes this all the more frustrating. They're - when I block them. So I should be able to hit them out of pressure if they're just going to keep attacking me. But it usually doesn't work that way. Let's say, for example... we've got some noob who's just attacking attacking attacking over and over. So I'm going to block them and use BB... but half of the time, they manage to hit me for trying it, and I don't know why! It's not like they have low - on block, or are +... they're just attacking! And they're hitting me! I don't get it! In the other case, against good players, it always seems like they have magically decided that they need to block at every precise moment that I decide to hit them out of it. And I can't start my own pressure up, because they always have the exact counter to either what I have done, or what I am going to do next, and then they get to start their stuff up again.

That's how I feel. I'm sure it's not the reality, but it is what my feeble mind is perceiving, and I don't know how to make it stop. I tried to simplify the problem a bit...

People can continue to attack me while I'm blocking because I'm not pressing buttons to stop them. But I'm not pressing buttons because if I try to press buttons, they hit me for it. They hit me for it because... I don't know, my rhythm is transparent to *everyone* or something. So maybe I can try to adjust my rhythm... but then that leaves them free to pressure me! So what if I just slow it down completely... just stop, hold G, wait. Be patient. Unfortunately, that just means I lock up, and am afraid to do anything at all; I don't even sidestep verts because I feel like they'll hit me by either me reacting too late or them tracking. And the other thing is, they're eventually going to hit me somehow. They're going to get me with a throw, or hit me with a low, and they're just gonna start running train on me. So I have to hit buttons to stop them! But every time I do... UGH!!!!

I have been told that "I press buttons too much", or "I always press buttons at the wrong time." But it seems like many people are able to press buttons all the time, with no risk at all! And I have NO IDEA when the right time to press buttons is. I don't feel like I even have any way of knowing!

I feel like my mind has been permanently raped on this game. Whenever I get into this state, I *have* to stop playing because I'm not enjoying it anymore, and if I continue, I'll just get angrier and angrier until I get physically ill.

How do I get out of this rut?

 

[HolyCarp]

I'm not sure if I know enough about this game to give a decent answer, but I'm incredibly bored and no one else has given you an answer, so I may as well get the ball rolling...

Do you have any replays, that'd make it easier for people to give you advice. Also, watching the replays might help you to work out why you feel unable to press buttons.

Maybe you just aren't reacting quick enough to the openings your opponent gives you or you're not selecting the appropriate moves to punish unsafe attacks. Even if your opponent does something that's AA punishable, hitting that small move on them will completely flip the momentum and put you in a position to threaten them with your own pressure.

There's nothing wrong with occasionally being patient and sitting on G rather than throwing out something that could result in you eating a CH - guarding weak pokes or incomplete strings probably won't make a huge difference to your guard meter. If your opponent recognises you "locking up", that's when you could start to surprise them with simple pokes when they get into close range and try to create a mix up situation. Sometimes you'll require these fast pokes, not to deal massive damage, but to give you a bit of room to breathe and the ability to start controlling the match. And if their rhythm becomes predictable, why not GI when you're expecting the next attack?

So, what if it's not a case of losing at poke-wars? Maybe your opponent seems to somehow evade all the attacks you throw out, then take a big chunk of your health. Chances are, they just guessed right. A lot of the time, SC can become a game of rock, paper, scissors. You threw out a high or a throw and they used a TC? Well you take the damage, because rock beats scissors. They stepped your vertical and used an 8WR attack? Scissors cut paper. This will keep happening if paper is your answer to every situation they put you in, so ensure there's some variation in your gameplay. Obviously, there is more to it than just randomly guessing - you have to watch your opponent's habits and counter them appropriately, ie make "good reads". Though this thing that people call yomi will probably develop more with experience as you learn how to exploit the properties of whatever tools your character possesses. If you do have a main, maybe this question would be best answered in their SA, idk.

It's not for everyone, but whenever I can't quite work out why I lost a match, I'll go watch the reply and try to work out exactly what weaknesses of mine they were exploiting, and how I could counter them. It's sometimes worth dissecting literally everything that happened - you might come to realise a lot of the reasons for which you kept taking damage. The next step is working out how you can turn those weaknesses into strengths. A crippling loss is by no means validation of your incompetence, it's more just a reminder of how much you can improve, so be sure to use the losses as opportunities to step up your gameplay before you flip the metaphorical monopoly board and call bullshit. Just take it one step at a time - I know it's a lot of work, but this game is far more rewarding than rock, paper, scissors.

Woah, that was a lot of typing. But broad question = broad response.

 

[Wandrian]

Play Mitsurugi for awhile. Really. His simplicity and relatively even risk/reward for most of his tools will make your mistakes very clear, reward you for good reads well, and allow you to keep your mind focused more on patterns of both yourself and your foe. If you still think he's overpowered, playing him for awhile should help change that as well---assuming you don't just try to whore out win streaks in ultra-scrubby creation lobbies or something like that.

Oh, and besides that just chill out. Having a clear head makes everything easier and more fun.

 

[Slade]

Check out my post in the Leixia Videos thread.

 

[TiZ]

Do you have any replays, that'd make it easier for people to give you advice. Also, watching the replays might help you to work out why you feel unable to press buttons.

I've got six for you.

It's not for everyone, but whenever I can't quite work out why I lost a match, I'll go watch the reply and try to work out exactly what weaknesses of mine they were exploiting, and how I could counter them.

This is a particular difficulty of mine. Usually, whenever I watch a replay, I find myself saying one of two things:
"How the f%@$ are they doing that? I have no idea what I'm doing wrong here."
"They're taking advantage of this (usually pressure related), but I have no idea how to stop them."

Play Mitsurugi for awhile. Really. His simplicity and relatively even risk/reward for most of his tools will make your mistakes very clear, reward you for good reads well, and allow you to keep your mind focused more on patterns of both yourself and your foe.

I really don't want to do that... there's a whole 'nother can of psychological worms to open up if I consider using him.

Oh, and besides that just chill out. Having a clear head makes everything easier and more fun.

You know that's easier said than done for me, yet you always say it, as if you think that emotions are a simple thing to control for everyone. They may be for you, but they're not for me. I am here to find a way to chill out, because I do not have a simple chill out switch that I can flip.

[...]All of these are minor in comparison to the main problem you seem to be having though, which is that you just aren't playing responsively. Playing off the most common responses people make in certain situations is a solid foundation to work from, but there's more to it than that. You have a tendency to always attack on approach, even at ranges where the opponent's movement makes running up and blocking the most safe and reliable tactic. This is the main reason you tend to struggle against characters with good zoning tools (Xiba's everything, Siegfried's everything, Cervantes aB and backdash, Mitsurugi 4B and 663K, Hilde 22B and 66K).

This is the kind of insight I've been looking for for a long time. My lack of yomi and my predictability is something I've been aware of for a while, though the ways I personally manifest that, and the consequences of such, hadn't yet been pointed out to me. I know that the reason Fenris is able to beat me for free in any match no matter what character he picks is that he knows how I am going to act in every single situation, which translates to free, unstoppable pressure. But I have no idea what I'm doing most of the time that's so predictable. Could I even begin to make reads even half as well as him? The very concept of yomi is intimidating to me, especially in a game like this. Like... the concept of knowing what is going on in someone else's head feels very alien to me, and I'm almost scared to try. How do I know when I've identified a pattern, or am simply grasping at straws? Is this something I should be processing at the front of my mind, or should I let my subconscious do it? Similarly, how do I keep from falling into patterns myself? I like to think I'm not particularly predictable once I'm inside, though the way Fenris bodies me for free in every game we play says otherwise. So I have no idea how I'm being predictable... how do I stop it?

 

[Wandrian]

PRESSURE! Use more horizontals and throws to make your foe stop stepping and begin to crouch, then start throwing out those powerful vertical mids to deal damage(or whatever Leixia gets the most damage from: I really don't know her). Once you're in their face, harass the shit out of them with pokes. 6B, 2K 3AA...Mix up your timing to keep them guessing when you're going to attack and where, then they'll be more likely to make mistakes that open them up to better damage like Leixias wallcombos.

Keep in mind though, with Leixias damage output and range any mistake you make is more difficult to compensate for and getting in is very difficult against spacing characters played decently.

On the predictability angle? Try actually spamming. It's incredibly easy and natural to do a couple of 2Ks in a row before doing a rising attack, no one expects five or six 2Ks all at once unless you make a habit out of it. Identify the habits you've made in the match and break them: whether it's ideal to break them sooner or later is largely dependent on your foe.


Oh, and pride severely holds you back. Accept responsibility for every loss you gainand stop holding yourself back from doing better due to pride. Play Mitsurugi. With his flaws you'll have an easier time identifying what mistakes you're making and it'll be much easier to improve: and the character alone won't cause your win percentage to go up at all. Take it from me: I switched over from Tira main/Dampierre sub to Nightmare main/Tira sub and the only real differences are that I'm more vulnerable to JG(lolNightmare frames) and have better range. I have pretty much the same win percentage on a new save but I'm also fighting stronger foes more often and doing better even with Tira than I did before. Mitsurugi will greatly aid you in hammering the fundamdentals into your head. After that, you just need to lose the pride and stop crying out for attention like this and you'll do fine.

 

[DrakeAldan]

Play Mitsurugi.

I dunno, actually. I don't think this would help here.

I've got six for you.

You don't seem as bad as you make yourself sound.

---

Can you give me a few specific times where you feel as if "the rules" of advantage and disadvantage didn't apply? (i.e. you tried to interrupt but got hit out of it?)

There could be a number of factors at work... You play on a HDTV, who knows how much lag is on the machine. Add that to the latency over XBL, add that to the short blockstun which has - frames "go by faster", add that to how fast your reactions are on that particular day.

Short blockstun + lag + slow reactions = interrupted. Attacks that "frame trap" offline are even worse online (and Hilde's 66K is one of these attacks, I should know. hello Hawkeye.)

---

Pressure, in a nutshell, is attacking through your opponent's guard (continually). A number of times, I saw you use BB, 2B, 2A, etc. when you should have just thrown. When you were throwing it seemed like you did good. You should do it more often, instead of the chip lows.

Speaking of which, when you chip low, you're trying to bait a whiff. You 2K or something, then backstep or sidestep. If the person doesn't attack, you annoy them with repeated run-up 2Ks until they respond.

That is, you knowingly put yourself at disadvantage, and when the other person attacks, you know they're going to because you're the one that put out the bait. You already know you're at disadvantage, so you can step, or aGI, or whatever, since you've made it so tempting to attack.

---

It seemed that you don't know your range. You should make a list of the longest range moves you have, and identify what your whiff punishers are. A couple of times your opponent whiffed and you didn't do anything.

One of the easiest "whiff punishes" to do is run in and throw (mixup with BB).

Knowing your range is also crucial when playing the spacing game. Seemed like Hilde was backdash canceling, you could have nailed him with 66BB or something, but you didn't recognize it.

---

When you run in, you put yourself at disadvantage. as I said about you not knowing your range, for some reason you kept trying to go in when you didn't need to, and got counterhit for it. If you want to move forward, run up and guard. Otherwise you have to wait for a whiff (or bait one).

If you can attack from tip range, you'll "save frames", so you don't have to move in closer to attack (and risk getting counterhit).

---

Fenris probably isn't reading your mind.

Like... the concept of knowing what is going on in someone else's head feels very alien to me, and I'm almost scared to try.

Just do it.

You are thinking too much. You develop your skills by trying and failing. You have to keep trying in different ways until you find what works for you, but if you don't try at all you won't improve at all.

(Pattern recognition is somewhat of a subconscious thing.)

If you get hit, it's direct feedback from the game. You have to find out why, or identify the sequence of actions that lead up to you being hit.

Using replays for this is easier as there's nobody trying to kill you, but,

This is a particular difficulty of mine. Usually, whenever I watch a replay, I find myself saying one of two things:
"How the f%@$ are they doing that? I have no idea what I'm doing wrong here."
"They're taking advantage of this (usually pressure related), but I have no idea how to stop them."

How often do you simulate situations in Practice mode using the replay function? Do you look at the frames in the immediate situation?

Copying your opponent's actions, and then replaying them back through the practice dummy, you can try different approaches, to see what your options are. You have to fix the "I have no idea" problem by doing this research in Practice. Enough research done, and the game should start to open up for you.

 

[Heaton]

Can you give me a few specific times where you feel as if "the rules" of advantage and disadvantage didn't apply? (i.e. you tried to interrupt but got hit out of it?)

Any time Siegfried does WR (B). The laws of time and space bend to allow you to be hit by that move.

If you really feel like you're stuck in a rut, take some time off from the game. A week or so should be enough. Just don't think about it at all for that entire week. When you come back, you should have a fresh outlook on the game and how you should be playing. Sometimes you just need to chill.

 

[Mr.MeatHook]

Try some different elements of the game out. For example, you could....

PLAY AEON

And practice spacing/evasion and whiff punishing instead of going in close and trying to play a pressure/close up game. See how that works out for you.

 

[TiZ]

I dunno, actually. I don't think this would help here.

The idea of switching it up doesn't actually hurt. Especially since I'm not expecting to win anyways. I just don't like Mitsurugi. I've been using Pyrrha for the last few days, and I like her quite a bit.

You don't seem as bad as you make yourself sound.

Everything is relative. Honestly, I wish I had people to play online with that aren't the 24/7 stream guys. They're good people, but they make me feel like I'm ass at this game. That's not counting Fenris, who does that very much on purpose; there's just a big gap in skill, and I don't have the attitude that LuciusEbonhart does where he can take 40 losses in a row in stride. (Though I really wish I did.)

Can you give me a few specific times where you feel as if "the rules" of advantage and disadvantage didn't apply? (i.e. you tried to interrupt but got hit out of it?)

It's hard to think of specific instances, to be honest... though in reply to Heaton, Siegfried's everything is a good start.

There could be a number of factors at work... You play on a HDTV, who knows how much lag is on the machine. Add that to the latency over XBL, add that to the short blockstun which has - frames "go by faster", add that to how fast your reactions are on that particular day.

Those are all good points to consider... and about that bolded one. I'd always wondered, but now's a good time to ask: why aren't hitstun, blockstun, and recovery speed documented? If these are all factors that contribute to how punishable or safe an attack is, then why is it that only the static diffs are documented?

Pressure, in a nutshell, is attacking through your opponent's guard (continually). A number of times, I saw you use BB, 2B, 2A, etc. when you should have just thrown. When you were throwing it seemed like you did good. You should do it more often, instead of the chip lows.

I can reach with BB more often than with a throw, and I am very uncomfortable with the thought of my opponent being able to act freely, so I'd rather put them in blockstun than risk botching a grab. If I'm gonna grab, I have to make opportunities for it. I usually can't just step in and grab, because I'll either get hit out of it on reaction, or get backstepped in reaction to me simply moving forward.

By the way, those 2Bs... weren't supposed to be 2Bs. I hardly ever use that move (though I probably should); what was happening was me trying to do "Perfect 88B," or in other words, 889632B. Why? Because 88B goes in the opposite direction she's currently stepping in (88B has her go 22, and 22B has her go 88), and far too often have I walked back into attacks with it. Perfect 88B makes it go in the same direction she's currently going. I clearly don't have it on tap, so I'm probably better off just doing 88 3B.

Speaking of which, when you chip low, you're trying to bait a whiff. You 2K or something, then backstep or sidestep. If the person doesn't attack, you annoy them with repeated run-up 2Ks until they respond.

That is, you knowingly put yourself at disadvantage, and when the other person attacks, you know they're going to because you're the one that put out the bait. You already know you're at disadvantage, so you can step, or aGI, or whatever, since you've made it so tempting to attack.

That's not something I've considered. I've occasionally sat there and done 2K 2K 2K, but not continuously running up and doing it. I'm usually afraid to get hit out of it, since 2K whiff bait only works for rather short range attacks.

It seemed that you don't know your range. You should make a list of the longest range moves you have, and identify what your whiff punishers are. A couple of times your opponent whiffed and you didn't do anything.

I have horrible reaction time. Usually, when I'm stepping or moving about normally, I don't recognize that an opponent has whiffed until the attack is already done. I have to look for it, and even then, I often can't react in time. I'm free to lows because of this reaction time too, and I'm not sure what to do to improve it.

Knowing your range is also crucial when playing the spacing game. Seemed like Hilde was backdash canceling, you could have nailed him with 66BB or something, but you didn't recognize it.

The better move for that is 3B+K; the 66 takes too much time. There was one match where I punished backstep with 3B+K over and over, but it didn't get recorded.

When you run in, you put yourself at disadvantage. as I said about you not knowing your range, for some reason you kept trying to go in when you didn't need to, and got counterhit for it. If you want to move forward, run up and guard. Otherwise you have to wait for a whiff (or bait one).

Neutral is very frightening to me, especially because of my bad reaction time, and especially against characters who are just as devastating going mid as they are going low. I don't like being in a permanent mixup state. So in a panic, I run up and do *something*, even though I know in the back of my mind it's worse than doing nothing.

Fenris probably isn't reading your mind.

Well, no, obviously not. But his mindgames wreck me pretty easy.

(Pattern recognition is somewhat of a subconscious thing.)

Okay, good to know. :)

How often do you simulate situations in Practice mode using the replay function? Do you look at the frames in the immediate situation? Copying your opponent's actions, and then replaying them back through the practice dummy, you can try different approaches, to see what your options are. You have to fix the "I have no idea" problem by doing this research in Practice. Enough research done, and the game should start to open up for you.

When it comes to a situation of "This move is really giving me issues", then yeah, that's something I either go into practice mode for, or I just ask someone what to do about it. The good thing about hanging out in the stream lobby is that answers to questions like that are abundant. When it comes to a problem like "they are acting in this general manner and it is really screwing me up", that's something I have no idea how to simulate in practice mode. I also tend not to use training mode for stuff like "they are using this move in very specific situations and it is boning me" (coughmitsu4bwhenhe'sunderpressurecough) because I don't know how to use training mode for those very specific situations.

Whew! As usual, you give me lots of food for thought.

Try some different elements of the game out. For example, you could....

PLAY AEON

And practice spacing/evasion and whiff punishing instead of going in close and trying to play a pressure/close up game. See how that works out for you.

You know, that's a really good idea. When I come back to the game, I might do that.

If you really feel like you're stuck in a rut, take some time off from the game. A week or so should be enough. Just don't think about it at all for that entire week. When you come back, you should have a fresh outlook on the game and how you should be playing. Sometimes you just need to chill.

Yeah, I actually took a few months off from the game, and then when I came back, I found myself suddenly better at certain things. Like, for example, my spacing had improved even though I hadn't been practicing at all. My poking was a little better. It happened to me often in BlazBlue too. It's just... it's a bummer, you know? To get so frustrated with a game that you're supposed to enjoy, that you have to drop it for a bit. I'd like to fix my issues, not simply give into the notion that I'm just going to have to walk away every once in a while.

Walking away has its risks... for example, my few months away had a gap in the middle where I shortly came back, but I managed to get pissed off again in a very short frame of time, and walked away for even longer, and even angrier. This is the kind of thing I don't want to happen. As much as I feel hopelessly lost when it comes to applying various concepts in this game, I do actually believe this is the fighting game I'm best at, the game I enjoy most at the end of the day. So I'd like to find some way to move forward instead of getting frustrated and walking away.

That said, though, I already resolved to walk away for the opportunity to try and clear my mind... I asked the stream guys to yell at me if they see me in the stream chat or playing SCV for the next seven days. And if the goal is "not think about the game at all", that also means staying off these forums. So I'll go ahead and take that week, but I'd prefer that not mean the death of this thread. I'd like to come back to some ideas.

Before I forget, thanks to everyone who's replied so far, and everyone who will reply. :)

Oh, and pride severely holds you back. Accept responsibility for every loss you gain and stop holding yourself back from doing better due to pride. [...] After that, you just need to lose the pride and stop crying out for attention like this and you'll do fine.

Except you. First of all, I have NO pride at all, and you'd know that if you actually knew anything about me. I simply don't like Mitsurugi. Yet somehow you distort that into somehow being "pride", demonstrating how much you don't understand me. And second of all, I had no idea asking people for help was a cry for attention, once again distorting my emotions and intentions. Every single time you try to "help" me, you distort everything I'm actually feeling and thinking, and at this point, I'm starting to think it's on purpose. You disparage me every time you talk to me, and I'm tired of it. Do me a favor and just leave me alone.

 

[DrakeAldan]

It's hard to think of specific instances, to be honest... though in reply to Heaton, Siegfried's everything is a good start.

Keep some paper and a pen or something near you next time you play.

You have to be specific as possible. Leaving questions unanswered is what stops the whole thing from progressing.

I noted this after being defeated at EVO:

The game is about taking two actions, Identify and Counter.

You must be able to Identify exactly what your opponent is doing. Following the rules of science and logic, if you can measure and quantify what your opponent is doing, you can study it in a controlled environment. This way, you can learn your options in this particular instance and be more prepared when the situation shows up again.

Studying your opponent's actions, along with some introspection, should lead you to decide on a Counter for that particular situation.

When you Identify that situation in the future, Counter it using the knowledge you've gained from study.


If you do not know what the opponent is doing, you lose.

If you know what the opponent is doing, but you can't do anything about it, you lose.


The more situations you study and apply counters for, the more you'll win. It's a long game of gaining experience, but it will produce consistent results.

Long-term investments... Tai Chi Chuan's "Invest in loss".

Lose, study, win.

Those are all good points to consider... and about that bolded one. I'd always wondered, but now's a good time to ask: why aren't hitstun, blockstun, and recovery speed documented? If these are all factors that contribute to how punishable or safe an attack is, then why is it that only the static diffs are documented?

Because Namco.

yyyyyyyep.

I can reach with BB more often than with a throw, and I am very uncomfortable with the thought of my opponent being able to act freely, so I'd rather put them in blockstun than risk botching a grab.

But the blockstun puts you at disadvantage. Meaning that they can still act freely.

If I'm gonna grab, I have to make opportunities for it. I usually can't just step in and grab, because I'll either get hit out of it on reaction, or get backstepped in reaction to me simply moving forward.

This doesn't happen. People's reactions are not that fast when they have been properly conditioned.

Your opportunity is when your opponent is blocking. You condition your opponent to block by attacking at disadvantage, or repelling them with spacing attacks. You have a good enough offense to do this, I've seen it.

When your opponent respects your offensive capability, he'll guard.

(The guard button I sometimes like to refer to as the "respect" button. Respect your opponent too much and you'll lose... but I'll talk about that some other time.)

When he's guarding, don't step forward; 6[6], run forward, and throw him. If you have conditioned your opponent to block by displaying your willingness to attack at advantage, you should land the throw.

If you get hit out of running forward, that means your opponent is not respecting you, so continue to attack at advantage instead of trying to penetrate their guard.

If you get backstepped- well, you are running forward. Just run forward a little longer before throwing.

Because 88B goes in the opposite direction she's currently stepping in (88B has her go 22, and 22B has her go 88), and far too often have I walked back into attacks with it.

You are trying to use this attack as a sidestep whiff punisher... when I played Mick back in May, he used this move to cover the space in front of him. The move has a lot of active frames and it's hard to whiff punish without having extremely tight spacing. Try using it for repelling enemies who are running in, instead of using it up close as a sidestep whiff punisher.

I clearly don't have it on tap, so I'm probably better off just doing 88 3B.

That would be a good idea.

That's not something I've considered. I've occasionally sat there and done 2K 2K 2K, but not continuously running up and doing it. I'm usually afraid to get hit out of it, since 2K whiff bait only works for rather short range attacks.

You usually pair 2K with 2A.

2K 2K 2K, if your opponent likes to use longer range attacks to catch you moving, use 2A. Those longer range attacks are slower so you'll win.

When they use faster attacks to beat your 2A, those faster attacks are short range. Dodge and punish.

I have horrible reaction time. Usually, when I'm stepping or moving about normally, I don't recognize that an opponent has whiffed until the attack is already done. I have to look for it, and even then, I often can't react in time. I'm free to lows because of this reaction time too, and I'm not sure what to do to improve it.

Where are your eyes focused on the screen?

My eyes are usually on my opponent, or the general area surrounding him. I keep my character in my peripheral vision; judging the spacing comes with experience.

Watching the opponent constantly makes it easy to recognize whiffs, lows, etc.

The better move for that is 3B+K; the 66 takes too much time.

When punishing backstep, you punish on prediction, not reaction. Hence, you fit the input time for 66BB into your buffer (you landing an attack, or your opponent having theirs blocked).

66BB has some of the longest range I've seen, it can catch Nightmare's backstep where Patroklos' 66B can't. It's a very strong tool, you should use it.

Neutral is very frightening to me, especially because of my bad reaction time, and especially against characters who are just as devastating going mid as they are going low. I don't like being in a permanent mixup state. So in a panic, I run up and do *something*, even though I know in the back of my mind it's worse than doing nothing.

You need to ask yourself why you're scared, why you panic or get anxious.

Are you afraid to lose? Everyone loses... Everyone must lose.

Are you afraid of the uncertainty? This is just a fact of life, nothing's guaranteed... except for losing, that you must lose.

If you lose, what does that mean to you? (That's not a hypothetical, I'd like to know your answer.)



Accept the jeopardy you're in, and relax. Focus on playing, not on the prospect of you losing.

When it comes to a problem like "they are acting in this general manner and it is really screwing me up", that's something I have no idea how to simulate in practice mode. I also tend not to use training mode for stuff like "they are using this move in very specific situations and it is boning me" (coughmitsu4bwhenhe'sunderpressurecough) because I don't know how to use training mode for those very specific situations.

In Practice (Mode: Free), tap left on the right analog stick twice. If you don't have an analog stick, hit back+Y until you get to the record function.

If you'd like to record a "response", note the record number you're on (1, 2, or 3), then record the move (back+start, input the move, hit back. When you press back+start the recording doesn't begin until you press a button, so there's no rush.)

Go into the menu, navigate to state No. 1 under Mode: Free, and set Movement 1 to Stand Normal to simulate the opponent being hit, or Stand All Guard to simulate the opponent guarding.
Set Movement 2 to the number you recorded on.

for example, dummy Mitsu, 4B is recorded on Record 1. Movement 1 is set to Stand Normal, Movement 2 is set to Replay Record 1.

If you hit Mitsu, he'll retaliate with 4B. You can see what your options are after hitting Mitsu, if you can keep hitting, if you have to switch to defense, etc., etc.



If you'd like to record a "sequence", say, Hilde doing 66Kx3, note the record number you're on then record the sequence. You can tap G to begin recording, wait a second, and then do the moves, to make it seem like the moves come from neutral, instead of as a "response".

You can pad out the time with anything, I use a taunt here.

You can choose to either manually replay the sequence with back+A, or you can set it as above, with Movement 1 Stand Guard and Movement 2 set to Replay Record (number), and then tap the opponent with K or something to start the recording.

Watch this, maybe it will help.

Using the record function lets you gauge situations like, if I get hit with this, what can I do? If I block this, and the opponent commonly responds with this, how can I get around it? If I get caught in this trap over and over again, how do I escape it? You can use it for JG practice, punishing practice, whatever.



Remember, Identify and Counter. Running simulations like this in training mode allows you to work on both parts, which allows you to get good fast. The more work you put in the more returns you'll see.

These simulations combined with experience and observing elite players is how I was able to write the articles. You've gotta learn how to do this, as soon as you can.

 

[TiZ]

I want to play, but I'm forcing myself not to because of this break I'm supposed to be taking. I don't know if it's worth it. I'm not even mad at the game, and not really mad at myself. I'm not really even mad. I'm just... frustrated and confused. Don't know where to go next.

Keep some paper and a pen or something near you next time you play.

You have to be specific as possible. Leaving questions unanswered is what stops the whole thing from progressing.

That makes sense. I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of things that are kicking my ass, so I just don't feel like writing down any of it. I know that's not an excuse not to write it down, but that is how I often feel.

But the blockstun puts you at disadvantage. Meaning that they can still act freely.

Right, of course... something I know, but don't ever think about in the heat of the battle. I should try to keep that in mind.

You are trying to use this attack as a sidestep whiff punisher... when I played Mick back in May, he used this move to cover the space in front of him. The move has a lot of active frames and it's hard to whiff punish without having extremely tight spacing. Try using it for repelling enemies who are running in, instead of using it up close as a sidestep whiff punisher.

I... ...what? Is that why it goes back on itself? I have literally never thought of it that way. I've always thought of it as, like... "It's an 88 move, so you use it when you sidestep and dodge something." The fact that it goes back on itself actually makes complete sense when you put it that way. You've literally just blown my mind.

Where are your eyes focused on the screen?

My eyes are usually on my opponent, or the general area surrounding him. I keep my character in my peripheral vision; judging the spacing comes with experience.

Watching the opponent constantly makes it easy to recognize whiffs, lows, etc.

That's a good question, actually. I've never really paid attention to my own habits so deeply as "where on the screen am I looking?" I'll try to concentrate on looking at my opponent.

This doesn't happen. People's reactions are not that fast when they have been properly conditioned.

It's always felt like the opposite. I think I've noticed something during our back and forth here... I think I've somehow been conditioned to think that good players are capable of certain impossible feats.

I went to PowerUp back in March, didn't get very far, but played a lot of good players, one among them a Hilde player named Valei. At this point, I didn't have a lot of experience against Hilde, and was not yet aware that her CE was actually a horizontal attack. At a certain point, he was nabbing me with CE in response to anything I did. I couldn't fathom how it was possible. Out of frustration, I asked, "Are you doing that in reaction to me doing anything at all?"

And his response was, "Yes, I am." At that point, I knew I was done. If he had one bar and I did anything at neutral, I was going to eat CE. I couldn't compete with that. I left those games behind feeling dejected and utterly defeated. Like there was no way I could possibly compare. And I just hated being so completely dominated. It doesn't feel good.

As long as I can remember, I've kind of taken it for granted that top players are capable of things like this. They can block the unseeable lows, they can react to the smallest tells instantaneously, and other feats that I find impossible, unfathomable. I've never considered the possibility until just now, that Valei might have lied to me that day, just to get into my head. Just to mindfuck me. After all, if I knew he could react to anything I do, then I can't do anything! Once he made that move, his victory over me was complete and absolute. And it wasn't even a tournament match! It was just casuals, the night before the actual tourney matches.

I don't mean to segue into the topic of mindgames; the point I'm actually trying to get to is that are good players really capable of ANY of these seemingly impossible feats?

Your opportunity is when your opponent is blocking. You condition your opponent to block by attacking at disadvantage, or repelling them with spacing attacks. You have a good enough offense to do this, I've seen it.

When your opponent respects your offensive capability, he'll guard.

When he's guarding, don't step forward; 6[6], run forward, and throw him. If you have conditioned your opponent to block by displaying your willingness to attack at advantage, you should land the throw.

If you get hit out of running forward, that means your opponent is not respecting you, so continue to attack at advantage instead of trying to penetrate their guard.

If you get backstepped- well, you are running forward. Just run forward a little longer before throwing.

Fighting to condition... something that I've never considered seroiusly, even though I know everyone else does it. "It's beyond my feeble capability", I usually tell myself. I usually tell myself that I don't understand things well enough to try and condition anyone to do anything, or that even if I did the best job I could possibly do to condition them, they'd still do their own thing regardless.

Conditioning feels like something that's just barely beyond my understanding. Like... I'm not sure how to explain it, it kind of hurts my head just to think about how to explain it. I'm not sure how I can condition a consistent response from my opponent consdering the very dynamic nature of this game, and the very dynamic nature of human thought.

You usually pair 2K with 2A.

2K 2K 2K, if your opponent likes to use longer range attacks to catch you moving, use 2A. Those longer range attacks are slower so you'll win.

When they use faster attacks to beat your 2A, those faster attacks are short range. Dodge and punish.

More of that conditioning... When it comes to stuff like this, I often think of the whole "I think they're gonna do this because they think that I think they think that I think they'll..." infinite loop. And to be honest, it hurts my head. I don't want to think at such a deep level. But playing that game at the most basic level is probably better than not playing it at all.

You need to ask yourself why you're scared, why you panic or get anxious.

Are you afraid to lose? Everyone loses... Everyone must lose.

Are you afraid of the uncertainty? This is just a fact of life, nothing's guaranteed... except for losing, that you must lose.

If you lose, what does that mean to you? (That's not a hypothetical, I'd like to know your answer.)

There are a variety of answers to this question due to losing in various ways and situations, but when it comes down to it, losing means I wasn't good enough. And the more I lose, the worse I am. When I'm sitting in the lobby with 0 wins and 10 losses, or have spent the day getting bodied by randoms in ranked and global, I think to myself, "Damn, I suck." And it's worse if I've done both in one play session! I'm obviously a bad player because of how much I lose.

I occasionally get heckled by people in the lobby that aren't in the chat. I've heard stuff like "91% weak leixia... LOL!!" after losing for the umpteenth time, or "TiZ you have 334 hours at least win one lol". There was this one kid who was talking shit over and over to Slade, but refused to actually play against him, skipping his turn every time it came. In fact, he was sitting in the lobby refusing to play at all because "I'm just here for the entertainment," even though I repeatedly told him about the stream he could go to. He sat on the spot because he knew he could. It pissed me off, so I was talking shit to him (something I'm not particularly good at), and he continously challenged me to a 1vs1, Leixia vs. Leixia. I turned him down, telling him it was because he kept dodging Slade, but that wasn't the real reason. The real reason was because I knew I wasn't very good, and I stood a very real chance of losing to him. And once I lost, I'd feel like even more shit than I usually do. Some stupid inconsiderate kid who didn't have the balls to fight Slade was able to call ME out and beat me down with the character that I've spent at least 300 hours with. I am worse than THAT kid. And he would rub it in my face at least as much as I rub it in my own face.

I hate being a bad player. I hate putting forth all this time, effort, emotion, and thought just to be the guy that nobody takes seriously, the guy that nobody respects, the guy who's always going to be bottom of the heap. I fight and fight because I don't want to be that guy anymore, but I lose and lose, and I remain that guy. I can try to tell myself stuff like "losing is a learning experience", but that feels like the most fake, superficial thing I could possibly tell myself, even if it's true. It feels like trying to deny the fact that I am bad at this game.

tl;dr: Losing means I'm a shitty player.

 

[DrakeAldan]

That makes sense. I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of things that are kicking my ass, so I just don't feel like writing down any of it. I know that's not an excuse not to write it down, but that is how I often feel.

It takes time. It's progression, moving a little bit at a time.

Better to move forward, than to stop.

I don't mean to segue into the topic of mindgames; the point I'm actually trying to get to is that are good players really capable of ANY of these seemingly impossible feats?

You give people too much credit.

If your opponent has a skill, sit down and analyze it. How does it work? In what specific instances is it used?

The fastest input for CE is 2-3-2-3A+B+K. That's a 4-frame speed, perfect input.

Hilde's CE itself is 16 frames. If you add the input time to it (since we're talking about CE coming from neutral), that's 20 frames (minimum, it could be even slower).

So, Valei is catching you from neutral with the equivalent of a 20 frame move.

(That's pretty slow.)


Now, if he is catching you by visually reacting to your whiffs, and your whiffs have a large enough recovery time, that's legitimate. You have to identify what moves you're whiffing and stop using those in the open.

Normally, a person who is whiff punish happy is "twitchy". If he's visually reacting, you fake him out by doing a G-cancel, or whiffing a move that has short recovery. If you bait the CE out and you block it, you can punish.


If he is hitting you despite your efforts to cover your whiffs, it means he's not whiff punishing, but rather reading your rhythm (or guessing). So, he's got a bar, he likes to use CE, you move around in 8-way-run (since you can cancel immediately into guard) and then... wait.

He sparks up CE expecting you to do something, you block, you punish. Done deal.


Analyze, analyze, analyze. Identify and counter. And if it's particularly strong, take it and start using it for yourself.


In any case:

War is deception.

It is not about strength, it's about cunning. Instead of focusing on your opponent's raw skill, exploit his humanity, the thing he cannot escape from.

Conditioning feels like something that's just barely beyond my understanding. Like... I'm not sure how to explain it, it kind of hurts my head just to think about how to explain it. I'm not sure how I can condition a consistent response from my opponent consdering the very dynamic nature of this game, and the very dynamic nature of human thought.

In the example I gave you (attacking at advantage), it's a simple on/off switch. If you hit them, or if you block an attack, or if they whiff, you attack.

If they:

block
step
backstep
JG
GI

then that means they're starting to respect your advantage, so next time around switch it up.

If they "do their own thing" that means they're not doing any of the above five actions which means they're vulnerable to attacking at advantage. So, just hit them.

Humans aren't that dynamic. They get stuck in patterns. This is scientifically proven, guaranteed, it's near impossible (if not completely) for someone to act randomly. Besides- the choice set isn't that large. It's offense, or defense, and if you're focused on defense, I have all this extra time to choose my next action (since I won't get hit because you're not focused on offense).

More of that conditioning... When it comes to stuff like this, I often think of the whole "I think they're gonna do this because they think that I think they think that I think they'll..." infinite loop. And to be honest, it hurts my head. I don't want to think at such a deep level. But playing that game at the most basic level is probably better than not playing it at all.

It only goes three levels deep.

1) X beats Y.
2) Z beats X.
3) Y beats Z.
4) X beats Y.

Number 4 is the same as number 1. "Playing stupid" works because in some cases it's also the smart thing to do.

There are only so many moves you can make in the game, the number is finite. Focus on your basics, and change when the obvious gameplan isn't working anymore.

It feels like trying to cover up the fact that I am bad at this game.

Nobody starts out great. The outliers that do, if they don't find out why their stuff works, they'll just get beaten when it inevitably doesn't work.

You say you fight not to be "a loser". But, how are you doing this? What methods are you using to change your situation?


If you are bad, what are you bad at? Specifically, what is it? Do you have problems following the rules? Do you have poor reactions? Do you have problems recognizing your opponent's movements?

Look inward, and completely identify your own weakness. If you have to change it or just live with it, you at least need to know.

 

[Countee]

I hate being a bad player. I hate putting forth all this time, effort, emotion, and thought just to be the guy that nobody takes seriously, the guy that nobody respects, the guy who's always going to be bottom of the heap. I fight and fight because I don't want to be that guy anymore, but I lose and lose, and I remain that guy. I can try to tell myself stuff like "losing is a learning experience", but that feels like the most fake, superficial thing I could possibly tell myself, even if it's true. It feels like trying to deny the fact that I am bad at this game.

tl;dr: Losing means I'm a shitty player.

All of this is true, but please try to take a step back and look at this with perspective. Even if you are getting bodied by online warriors, you are NOT the bottom of the heap. The majority of the people who own and play the game look on someone brave enough to even try to play online with wonder (not making this up - I've had this conversation more than once). So yeah, you are scrapping the bottom...of the top 10-25%.

Just stepping out of the comfort zone of only playing the AI or your little brother pretty much guarantees you are better than half the people who own the game. Don't let your failures blind you to your successes and give yourself a little credit. Krillin may get his ass kicked countless times but he can still break mountains.

 

[TiZ]

You say you fight not to be "a loser". But, how are you doing this? What methods are you using to change your situation?

I'm not sure what you're asking here.

If you are bad, what are you bad at? Specifically, what is it? Do you have problems following the rules? Do you have poor reactions? Do you have problems recognizing your opponent's movements?

Look inward, and completely identify your own weakness. If you have to change it or just live with it, you at least need to know.

I have poor reactions, and I have problems recognizing my opponent's patterns, to start off. I think those are the hardest ones to fix. I also tend to act very predictably, and I have a habit of trying to get out of situations that I can't get out of by pressing buttons. I pick wrong times to counterattack, and wrong ways to do it. Also, my wakeup game is super weak. I've noticed that I don't tech... ever. I just hold G and try to wake up guarding. Half of the knockdowns I eat are untechable anyways. But I also have a bad habit of rolling around, which usually just gets me hurt.

All of this is true, but please try to take a step back and look at this with perspective. Even if you are getting bodied by online warriors, you are NOT the bottom of the heap. The majority of the people who own and play the game look on someone brave enough to even try to play online with wonder (not making this up - I've had this conversation more than once). So yeah, you are scrapping the bottom...of the top 10-25%.

Just stepping out of the comfort zone of only playing the AI or your little brother pretty much guarantees you are better than half the people who own the game. Don't let your failures blind you to your successes and give yourself a little credit. Krillin may get his ass kicked countless times but he can still break mountains.

Perspective, huh... I might reset my data for this game to try and take advantage of that perspective. Being an A kind of sucks. Because the people that you can beat won't fight you, and the only people who will fight you are the people who are very likely to beat you. Getting back to E might be a nice change of pace.

 

[DrakeAldan]

I'm not sure what you're asking here.

"How are you training to get better?"

Acknowledging you have problems is the first step. How are you going about fixing it?

I have poor reactions, and I have problems recognizing my opponent's patterns, to start off. I think those are the hardest ones to fix.

I am not sure that reactions can be improved through training. I do know that reaction times improve when you are expecting something to happen.

If your defense is poor because of a slow reaction speed, perhaps you should focus on increasing your aggression to compensate. You must play to your strengths, after all.


Recognizing opponent patterns is just a matter of experience. You'll get that through matchup study, replay analysis, and practice mode simulations.

I also tend to act very predictably, and I have a habit of trying to get out of situations that I can't get out of by pressing buttons.

Simplify your play. AA, BB, 3B, throw, etc. When you are playing simple, it's easier to change strategies mid-match, as your options are not very complicated to begin with.

Practice economy of movement. Play calmly, don't feel rushed by your opponent. You have to not care about the outcome of the match, so that you can focus on what is happening in front of you.

I pick wrong times to counterattack, and wrong ways to do it.

Ask yourself, why do I do this? What is the wrong time, and wrong way? What is the right time, and the right way?

Think of the game as a chain of situations. If you are good at recognizing standard situations and responding correctly, you'll win. Hence, taking notes on situations (usually from watching replays) or simulating said situations will serve you well.

Compile a "database" of individual problems or situations, and work out the solutions to them. It's "homework", long hours in practice mode checking frames and options. Do your homework and you'll "pass the test".

Also, my wakeup game is super weak.

If you notice you never utilize tech, go into a match and focus on it. Tech every time you notice you're knocked down. Try to overcompensate, so that you'll "stabilize" when you come off of your training.

Waking up correctly is about knowing all of your options at any given time. It may also involve closely studying other characters' okizeme.

(hint: if you have studied well enough, you will probably gain the ability to play other characters.)


When you know what you're doing wrong, and you know what you should be doing... actually changing your bad habits is a grueling effort.

You'll most certainly lose when attempting to do so as you're focusing on changing your mindset, while your opponent is focused on fighting. Don't let this dissuade you, you have to come at it with a certain stubbornness. Keep trying to play "the right way". Even if your hands are moving slower than normal, or your mind goes blank- keep focusing on correct procedure, and applying strategic principles correctly.

Change aspects of your game one by one. The object is not to win, but to respond correctly. Train long enough, improve your responses, and you should eventually begin to win naturally, without thought.

Getting back to E might be a nice change of pace.

Worth a shot. You get more fights if people think you're easy pickings.

 

[Mr.MeatHook]

That's a good question, actually. I've never really paid attention to my own habits so deeply as "where on the screen am I looking?" I'll try to concentrate on looking at my opponent.

Honestly this is a very important part of the game. you have to see where you are and where your opponent is at the same time.

Once you feel comfortable with taking both fighters into focus at once, you must learn your fighter's range, and the range of certain attacks. eg.:

"If I'm this far away, 3b will hit, but not 1B BE. " It's as simple as knowing how far away an attack will hit. Go into training and study the "tip range" (max range) of all your attacks.

Once you have your own positioning and range down, it is time to take your enemy's into account. You must know where he is positioned and his effective range. What he can hit you with where. For example, you'd want to stay away from characters like Pat and Natsu, staying at your max range while staying out of theirs.

Conditioning feels like something that's just barely beyond my understanding. Like... I'm not sure how to explain it, it kind of hurts my head just to think about how to explain it. I'm not sure how I can condition a consistent response from my opponent consdering the very dynamic nature of this game, and the very dynamic nature of human thought.

Conditioning can be as simple as say, running up and throwing twice, then using 66B. It really is far simpler than you're making it. For example, if you always use a low after a certain move, use a vertical after it at some point to punish them for blocking the low they expected.

character that I've spent at least 300 hours with. I am worse than THAT kid. And he would rub it in my face at least as much as I rub it in my own face.

Just call me and watch the rage as they're 66A spammed to death by an E-Rank using the "worst fighter in the game"

And yes you can improve your reaction time through practice, especially with a fast-paced game like SC5.

And yes go back to E-Rank. (save your creations somehow, like take a photo or something) People won't feel so high-and-mighty after beating you, lower level combatants will be willing to fight you, and higher levels will expect less of you and give you a break. (sad but true)

Plus, once you get good people will rage and call you a "reset" or "Fake E-Rank" and that's basically saying "Wow! You're so good you should be a higher rank!"

 

[TiZ]

"How are you training to get better?"

Acknowledging you have problems is the first step. How are you going about fixing it?

I don't know what I can do to fix it other than to keep fighting. For example, I know that I'm free to lows. If someone wants to spam lows, they're going to get several hits off on me before I start ducking or jumping, by which point they've probably already wrapped me around their finger and are likely to immediately start doing something else. So what am I supposed to do then, go into training mode and practice blocking every single low in the game?

This is going to sound like an excuse... but I don't have time for that, nor the motivation to make time. I work full-time. 11-7, every weekday. On top of that, I also have family obligations, friend obligations, and come January, I'll have classes on top of all of that. I get maybe three hours a day to spend on my Xbox. So let's give myself the benefit of the doubt and say it will take an hour to start consistently blocking one character's lows. With a cast of 24 characters, that's 24 hours total I'll have to spend. Which means I will have to set eight days aside of not playing matches just to not be free to lows. And that's assuming the best of my ability!

I don't want to set eight days aside to train to play this game. I want to play. There must be some better way to fix this.

I am not sure that reactions can be improved through training. I do know that reaction times improve when you are expecting something to happen.

If your defense is poor because of a slow reaction speed, perhaps you should focus on increasing your aggression to compensate. You must play to your strengths, after all.

No, that doesn't work at all. In fact, it backfires more often than not. This happens especially when somebody realizes that their offense is better than my defense. Anyone who is hell-bent on doing whatever they want to do is going to get their way. All they have to do is block one of my moves and swing with a safe move, and then they start their assault. Since surely there's something I won't be able to block, they're going to hit me and put me into self-perpetuating oki situations or take off a good portion of my health bar with a combo.

I just fought a Siegfried player who bodied me on this very principle. Since it's impossible for me to poke him continuously, all he has to do is block me and poke back, which gives him the advantage, then he gets going. Mid low low mid mid mid low low low throw mid low throw mid and I'm dead. Hell, I was probably actually dead halfway through all that. I've fought him several times and it's always gone the same way. In fact, I am ashamed to admit that I quit in the middle of a match against him tonight. I just couldn't handle the stress of fighting him since he always gets to do whatever he wants and I don't get to do jack shit about it.

I always have extreme difficulty against players who pitbull me. Who force their will upon me. "I'm going to do whatever I want, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it." I don't know how they're able to do it, and I don't know why I can't stop them.

Simplify your play. AA, BB, 3B, throw, etc. When you are playing simple, it's easier to change strategies mid-match, as your options are not very complicated to begin with.

When I look at those moves, I see three moves that are essentially the same... three moves that can be blocked standing, one of which is unsafe, and one move that must be ducked or broken. This is probably a problem with my perspective. What are the functional differences between these moves?

Practice economy of movement. Play calmly, don't feel rushed by your opponent. You have to not care about the outcome of the match, so that you can focus on what is happening in front of you.

I have an extremely hard time not caring. How can I make myself not care? Losing sucks. Being dominated over and over sucks.

Ask yourself, why do I do this? What is the wrong time, and wrong way? What is the right time, and the right way?

Think of the game as a chain of situations. If you are good at recognizing standard situations and responding correctly, you'll win. Hence, taking notes on situations (usually from watching replays) or simulating said situations will serve you well.

Compile a "database" of individual problems or situations, and work out the solutions to them. It's "homework", long hours in practice mode checking frames and options. Do your homework and you'll "pass the test".[/quote]
Long hours that I don't have available, not to mention results that aren't guaranteed.

If you notice you never utilize tech, go into a match and focus on it. Tech every time you notice you're knocked down. Try to overcompensate, so that you'll "stabilize" when you come off of your training.

This much I can do.

Waking up correctly is about knowing all of your options at any given time. It may also involve closely studying other characters' okizeme.

(hint: if you have studied well enough, you will probably gain the ability to play other characters.)

More hours that I don't have. Obviously, there's a theme coming up here, involving the amount of time and effort I'm willing to put forth. I want to find the point of diminishing returns. "Study all this shit" is all fine and good when my time and motivation are infinite, but they're not. It probably still sounds like an excuse, but I need to be practical here. What can you recommend in the realm of practical solutions to improve?

Or hell... probably a better proposal: what can you recommend to help me come to terms with the fact that I'm just not good at this game, and to enjoy it regardless? If improving means I must commit a certain amount of time and effort that I am not able to, then we need to start going the other direction.

When you know what you're doing wrong, and you know what you should be doing... actually changing your bad habits is a grueling effort.

You'll most certainly lose when attempting to do so as you're focusing on changing your mindset, while your opponent is focused on fighting. Don't let this dissuade you, you have to come at it with a certain stubbornness. Keep trying to play "the right way". Even if your hands are moving slower than normal, or your mind goes blank- keep focusing on correct procedure, and applying strategic principles correctly.

Change aspects of your game one by one. The object is not to win, but to respond correctly. Train long enough, improve your responses, and you should eventually begin to win naturally, without thought.

This is linked to the above dilemma of not caring. How is it that you can come at it this way? The object of the game IS to win. When you change the object of the game from winning to "responding correctly", then you're not playing the game anymore. You're at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from a scrub. You go from "I'm good because even though I'm losing, I don't do this and this and this" to "I'm good because even though I'm losing, I'm doing this, this, this, and this well." You're denying the absolute truth of win or loss.

Worth a shot. You get more fights if people think you're easy pickings.

It helped for a little bit, but then tonight I fought about twenty matches and won only one of them (half of them being on stream, and that win isn't one of them), which just made me angry and discouraged. I'm starting to think I should stop playing on stream and find people that are actually at my level... whatever that level actually is.

Conditioning can be as simple as say, running up and throwing twice, then using 66B. It really is far simpler than you're making it. For example, if you always use a low after a certain move, use a vertical after it at some point to punish them for blocking the low they expected.

This is a sound principle... I'm not sure how to apply it though to where my opponent would give a crap about said conditioning. Like I said above, many of my problems come into play when my opponent simply doesn't give a shit about what I'm doing.

 

[DrakeAldan]

This is going to sound like an excuse... but I don't have time for that, nor the motivation to make time.

You'll have to ease up on your attitude, then.

There's no way around it... It takes time. Lots of time.


I can put DOA5 in my PS3, hop online, and get my ass beat... because I just haven't put in work for that game. Same for VF5FS, same for SFIV, same for everything.

If you have a weakness, you have to work on that. It takes time. And while you're working on the weakness you're not actually playing the game.

You sit down and just play, you're gonna be struggling. That's entirely natural. I spend more time in practice studying the game than actually playing it. If I play without preparing first, I'm just asking for it. I don't get mad if I lose 'cause I know I didn't practice in the first place, so why should I expect results?


What kind of lows are you getting hit with? There are lows that are legitimate, and lows that shouldn't hit unless you're preoccupied with something else. Give me some names so we can check frames.

I always have extreme difficulty against players who pitbull me. Who force their will upon me. "I'm going to do whatever I want, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it." I don't know how they're able to do it, and I don't know why I can't stop them.

like I said, I didn't see actual moves in that paragraph. Gimme a B6 or a 3B or a 22A. If you can't get specific, of course you won't know what's happening.

Why can't you force your will on your opponent? Why can't you flip this entire scenario so you're the one who doesn't care about what your opponent's doing?

When I look at those moves, I see three moves that are essentially the same... three moves that can be blocked standing, one of which is unsafe, and one move that must be ducked or broken. This is probably a problem with my perspective. What are the functional differences between these moves?

BB is a mid poke, you throw out whenever. You control space with it, keep people from running in on you, whiff punish with it, attack at advantage with it.

AA is anti-step and fast, you use it to check the other guy's rhythm. If there's a lull in the action, you're guarding, it's getting kinda awkward, AA. If the other guy is stepping your BB, you wait until the same situation occurs again, then AA.

3B you use when you've hit enough BBs that you'll know when you'll be able to hit mid next. It's a "confidence" thing, I know I'll land a hit here, but instead of using BB I'll use something with more damage.

Controlling space and whiff punishing with it (because it has more range) is sometimes better than using BB. At tip range 3B's lack of safety is irrelevant because the punish won't reach.

Throws you use when all of the above isn't working. Opponent gets fond of blocking, you start throwing him.

If your throws are getting broken, just keep using them as they can't break all throws 100% forever.

If your throws are getting ducked or punished in some way, you have to make a mental note to use BB in those situations.

I have an extremely hard time not caring. How can I make myself not care? Losing sucks. Being dominated over and over sucks.

You have to accept your situation. There's no magic bullet for this.

If you get steamrolled, and you don't want to have that happen, you have to find out why. That means you have to do research. That takes time, that's time you're not playing the game, all you're doing is looking at numbers and studying.

If you don't do the research you're never going to find out why. People aren't you, they don't know exactly what your problems are, so they can only contribute so much.


Personally, I get my ass kicked, there's two options. I can either

- study my ass off so this never happens again

or

- say "that's what happens" and go eat a sandwich


You have expectations about the game, I don't know where they come from. You can't expect to win without putting in the work. People just aren't going to let you get away with that.

What can you recommend in the realm of practical solutions to improve?

Play against one person.

Play one person only in long sets. Be sure that they're not the type to switch characters.

If you need variety, play people that play the exact same character. i.e. pick a character like Siegfried, and then only play Siegfried players.

You can make notes about your experience, and then apply them immediately next time around. You remove the "character" variable, and you can focus on the rest of the game.


course, that takes some jumping through hoops to do, but it provides consistent results with quick feedback.


If that isn't realistic, I'd say, take notes every time you lose. Maybe try to copy other people's styles.

What can you recommend to help me come to terms with the fact that I'm just not good at this game, and to enjoy it regardless? If improving means I must commit a certain amount of time and effort that I am not able to, then we need to start going the other direction.

That's all you, fam. I don't know why you get frustrated when you lose, only you do.

I know I either gotta study or let it go. I don't know how it is for you.

This is linked to the above dilemma of not caring. How is it that you can come at it this way? The object of the game IS to win.

When training "correct response", it is about winning.

In the future.

You are training so that you'll get a payoff later, that is, you respond correctly in situations without thinking, so you happen to win more.

During said training you're not responding correctly (and trying to fix it) so in the meantime you're losing.

Just how it is. Lose now, win later. You can lose on the field or lose in practice but you have to lose somewhere.

 

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