Things for a total SC noob to practice to become good?

I agree with Warble for the last Paragraph.

Get to play with more people, and you will learn a lot of things from them. Most importantly, be a good sportsman, learn from your own mistakes. If there are anything unsure, ask.

I use to be very bad, I cannot say I'm good now, but I still play decent.
 
I've got a question that I'm afraid might sound a little dumb :X When I was younger I learned to play Tekken from my uncle and he taught me to use my index and middle finger on the face buttons instead of just my thumb. I've done this ever since and I've never noticed it putting me at a disadvantage and have sometimes even thought it was advantageous. Is this wrong? Will I be better off just using my thumb?
 
so you're pretending you're holding a joystick?

sounds like a champ in the making to me!

only thing you can do better is go get an actual joystick =)

(i h8 macro buttons)
 
fallore, that is the perfect way to hold the controller. We, here call it the "Tekken Grip" because of how necessary that grip was for the Tekken games (think King's throw combos). And it is by FAR the easiest way to get simultaneous button presses in any combination.

Also, to get better... play against someone who's better than you (and I mean a LOT better). Let them show you what's safe, what's not and execution, use them as a practice dummy, because they'll be able to ward you off of poor tactics fairly quickly, like getting 236:B'd if you're mashing the A button, lots of stepping if you like the B button a little much, etc.

It's the quickest and easiest way to learn.
 
1. Block
Doing this will instantly elevate you past half the people out there.

2. Take advantage of frame advantage
Most things you block will leave you at frame advantage. Either attack them back immediately or set them up with a mid/low mixup.

3. Learn a basic mid/low mixup with your character.
Find a strong mid and a cheap low. Keep them guessing wrong.

4. Learn a guaranteed combo.
Hammer it out in practice mode, no excuses. No one is going to take you seriously if your combo is launcher -> air-controllable B,B.

Doing those things are a must. If possible, begin learning your character-specific punishment and breaking throws.
 
I'll reiterate what Fuzion said:

Block
Take advantage of frame advantage

If you can do those two things, you're well on your way to becoming a better player.

Here's something: Don't ever mash buttons unless you have a good reason. Even in frustration, don't mash buttons - you're better off just holding block. At least you won't eat CH damage.
 
Thanks for the help everyone, going to keep practicing but my big dilema now is I can't decide if I like Amy or Cassandra more. I feel like I play better with Amy but I don't know.
 
emo_prinny said:
Thanks for the help everyone, going to keep practicing but my big dilema now is I can't decide if I like Amy or Cassandra more. I feel like I play better with Amy but I don't know.
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whoever you pick stick with that character. i'm not a "counter-character" player i just pick one character and stick with them throughout
 
Syrpiektre said:
Tiamat, how do you generally use recording in terms of training? I use it for testing stuff but I dunno how I could use it to help me learn things beyond that :/
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what kinda stuff do you want to know how to do? test how to punish moves on block? test how to escape/interrupt certain attack series?

an example attack series, you could record amy 1A 2A, play recording get hit by 1A, see what moves you can beat 2A with. then re-record with her doing 1A 6BB, get hit by 1A and see what you can beat 6BB with, etc
 
Ok here is a match I captured a couple days ago of me playing BoringRyu..

I think I need to learn when it's ok to attack and when not to attack, also I think I need to be more aggressive with Amy. If anyone else can point out any more stuff for me to work on that'd be great. Remember though I suck so don't be expecting much out of the vid. :p

 
You block too much because you can't react to your opponent's moves. You're not able to identify his move when he makes it and there's little to no interaction. This match you posted is far below a high level computer-on-computer match, your reactions are just too slow. Spend more time in basic training you aren't even fit for a hard computer.
 
Probably would have been best to post that in the Amy forums, but that's ok I guess.

Key things

Work on your combos
Get them down and even go as far as working on doing them blindfolded (just closing your eyes works too) so that online lag won't effect you that much.

:6h::B:, :3::3::B:
:3::B:, :8::A::+::B:
Check Amy Combos for more.

Use more pokes
Don't go for :3::B: so much. It's good when used sparingly, not after every other move.

Some examples of her good pokes.
:6::B::B: - Her bread and butter.
:3::A: - Nice full tracking mid.
:2::K: - Generic but still good.

When to attack and when to defend
You'll know this by instinct after to playing for a while, but some basic things to remember.

1. When you successful block a strong attack from the opponent it is usually ok to attack because you have the advantage.

2. If they are poking you generally defend while looking for openings. Weather the storm, you'll be surprised how many people just lose patience and try something they shouldn't allowing you to take advantage.

Edit: Oh and don't worry about attacking more or defending more with Amy. She plays both sides of that coin just fine, just play with your gut until you get some knowledge to back it up. Most importantly, learn to like losing, because you'll do it a lot. I was beaten recently offline by the local SC player by a score of 24 - 39, but I noticed that I improved from last time so I was happy with that. As long as you improve, losing can be likable despite what Amy says, lol.
 
Elaborating on what Pixel09 had wrote there.

When you successfully block a move, you are either at a disadvantage or at an advantage.

When you attack out of disadvantage, its what the Japanese and our local community calls "Abare 暴れ" (Pronounced as Ah-Bah-Ray). Attacking out of disadvantage usually would mean that you use a fast move to interrupt what your opponent is going to do next. Usually a 2A/2K would suffice since it would put your opponent out of momentum and both moves are usually on crouch positions which would technically dodge highs and throws.

When using Abare, always know what are your options are. This is where your knowledge of your move set and its frame data comes into use. 2A of most characters are usually around the frames of i15 - i16 (correct me please I think I'm wrong here) and on counter gives you a frame advantage of around +4 (again here correct me), which would set both of you guys back to neutral based off psychology of game play. Usually opponents will block or back step after eating a CH 2A, but if they decide to rush in again 2A or 2K again, but this is just one of the many options.

The other thing to do out of advantage is to side step or back step. Side stepping/8WR direct you away from vertical attacks that is shit on tracking. Back stepping keeps you out of range from your opponent, puts you back on neutral or make your opponent whiff a move.

And the most basic option to choose from is to block. Block properly, wait for your opponent to make a mistake and punish. Or you can GI if you know when to GI.
When attacking out of advantage, there are few things you can do:

1. To bait for "Abare 暴れ" from the opponent.
2. Use "Niitaku 二択"
3. Block
4. Back step / sidestep

Baiting for Abare is definitely very rewarding if done right because it usually accounts for a free CH for yourself. This is usually done by "Frame trapping", there are definitely a lot of options to bait for "Abare" but this is just one of them.

To best describe "Frame trapping", let me use a very good example. In SC 3, Ivy's SW 22B usually leaves her at -1 and does a force crouch on the opponent, in this situation the opponent will eat a CH 2A from Ivy, if they plan to do anything. This is because doing any WS moves will be slower than a 2A and standing up for a force crouch to do anything will need frame to stand up as well.

Another choice is to do a 7_8_9 move since it tech jumps 2A/2K and any lows.

"Nitaku 二択" is what we call the 50/50. To put it in example, in SC3 after Ivy's CH/NH SW 33[K], SE which leaves her at +4/5 (i think more than that). Off SE in SC3, Ivy can choose to launch (K, JF 5 Hit) or do a throw (SS/CS) (the low is horribly slow, that is hardly a choice), that is a Nitaku there. So there is a bit of guessing over there, risk must also be taken, weigh your options correctly.

To block out of advantage is probably the safest thing to do. Because you don't know what your opponent is going to do. Say, you do a vertical, and your opponent side steps. It leaves you wide open for punishment. Blocking puts everyone back on neutral and give you more time to react to what your opponent chose to do.

Back stepping/ side stepping is another option when you are at an advantage. Side stepping dodges most verticals, so that you can punish them as well. Back stepping, again, puts everyone back on neutral and gives you frame advantages if your opponent decides to move in to hit you (moving in takes frames as well). Back stepping usually puts you out of normal attacking range, certain mid range and all close range moves whiffs if your opponent decides to throw them out.

Some other things that I would like to point out as well are these:

Fast moves are usually mid or short range.

Short Range = Point blank - 1 Character spacing
Mid Range = 1 - 2/3 Character spacing
Long Range = 4 onwards, moves like Kilik's 44B or Ivy's CL 6A+B can easily reach.

PS: And again, if I'm wrong in any of my info above please correct me.
 
Some errors in joulisian's post (he mixed up advantage/disadvantage at certain points.. I think. Lol) but in general his concept in correct. Though this sort of thing is at a slightly higher level, at a level where yomi and character knowledge becomes more important than execution or combos.

Basics would include mastering what your character CAN do.
This would mean understanding his/her basic pokes and how much advantage/disadvantage and how safe those pokes are.
Picking out your Tech Crouch and Tech Jump moves, as well as evasive moves (Xiang's 44B, 66A+B, Mina's 4A etc.) These are a lot easier to pull out of your ass than stepping/backdashing and doing big punishment. So i'd recommend you'd start with these before going on to the riskier option of step/backdash.
This also means mastering your combos, understanding when your launchers or pokes can get you more damage, or favorable wakeup, as well as where to abuse that wake up.
Finally, learning how to punish your character is essential.

Its a little late right now, so i'm not so keen on typing a character specific example, but here's a post on learning how to punish that I wrote in the Kilik SAs.

http://www.8wayrun.com/showpost.php?p=2323&postcount=2

Hopefully that's enough for you to understand the concept of punishment.

After you're used to all this, then comes learning how to find and use your frame data, when and how to step/backdash to your advantage and understanding Yomi.

Once you get a glimpse of the above, you'll want to make your decision between casual play or competitive play. Because chances are depending on that decision, the way you view yomi and frame data will change.

If you decide to play casual, you'll be looking more towards players with your own mindset. Casual players are a very important contribution to the community as well, because these players are the ones who are more willing to play around with different ideas and maybe discover things that may be useful to the competitive scene. (Like bugs/glitches.. :P A lot of stuff in SC2 ended up adding to the complexity of competitive instead of breaking the game. Remember G2? TER? etc.etc.)

Once you decide to play competitively, anti-character becomes alarmingly important, along with learning how to bait effectively, like the use severely disadvantageous situations or planning your throws etc. A whole new world opens up with this decision and you'll find yourself working with the game more and at the same time.. discovering a new realm of fun with the game.
 
i don't know amy yet so all i can say is keep practicing

you can see the lack of confidence you come into the match with

also less naked amy please
 
coming from another noob, something I can suggest is to go through *all* of the characters moveset, not quite as in depth as your main, but at least go to the Soul Arena's, and go through anything listed in the Top 10 moves threads. One thing I've noticed is that I have a much easier time fighting against a Cervy or Asty, since I play them the most, but if I encounter a Setsuka or X, I just get destroyed because I have no idea what they can do.
 
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