Thursday, April 23, 2009

Becoming a good player from the ground up: Part 2

A week has passed so I figure I'll end what I started.  While writing the first part, I looked back at my start of becoming a fighting game player.  I remembered what it was like to start in Cvs2 and learn combos on my first week of having the game.  I remember when I was taught about patience and hit confirming, as well as the idea of spacing and footsies.  And when I look back, it's pretty amazing to see how far I've evolved as a player.  I'm not trying to put myself on some list of legends or hype myself up or anything...but I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's important to realize that everyone had to start from somewhere.  It's hard to think of when Daigo or Justin Wong were beginners, but it's also inspiring to believe that they truly WERE at one point beginners at one time.  They didn't just pop out of the whom being greats (well maybe they did ^_^ ), they put in hard work, tons of effort and time and true dedication to this.  They are the legends of today, but at one point they were just as new as the next guy was.  I said in part 1 that I believe that anyone can become top level players.  And to be honest, I truly stick by that because I personally believe that if you want it bad enough and are willing to put in the work, you will find that it's only a matter of time before you are great.  But honestly, enough with my rambling, lets get into the next step, which is what I call "becoming a solid player."

I left part 1 off basically explaining where a player would have qualities like understanding the game mechanics better, learning how to press the advantage more, a basic understanding of punishment, a semi strong ground game regarding space control with footsies and anti air's, and understanding their character strengths and weakness better.  Now as I've said just recently, the next step (in my opinion) is what I like to call becoming a solid player.  And what I mean by that is, a fundamentally strong player.  One in which has almost all bases covered and is beginning to tap into the more "advanced" parts of fighting games.  Let me give a list of what I feel a solid player looks like:

 -  Strong ground game using various pokes or specials that control space and anti airs.  The player knows what it means to control space on the ground as well as in the air.
 -  Strong combo ability and execution.  
 -  Even more "in touch" with the character(s) he uses, to a point where he understands a strong game plan regarding mixups, spacing, possible tricks, as well as slight matchup knowledge.  
 -  Lacking in BAD HABITS as well as predictability.  With that, the player has an actual game plan into which he wants to accomplish (not character specific, I'll explain more in a bit).  As well as disciplined and patient when attacking. 
 -  Slight ability to adapt to specific patterns/play styles opponents are throwing at him

This in my opinion narrows down what I mean by a "Solid Player."  These players are really good, they're of the top 15% of SRK I'd say.  They are players who are down right fundamental as hell, and if your not on top of your game, you WILL lose to them.  They hit consistently with combos that hit you hard, they have a strong ground game and can control space well, they know their character tricks and mixups as well as knowledge of matchups...these players are getting to the next level of play here.  It's actually quite hard to achieve this level because, aside from skill and understanding, I feel that most players forget to get rid of their bad habits.  Habits that are sometimes NOT so obvious.  

For instance an obvious bad habit is to wake up shoryuken a lot.  However a not so obvious one is say...neutral jumping on their wake up a lot of the time.  Or a different example...mashing on throw or jab when being pressured with a block string (in order to stop a throw).  Or an even more simple bad habit of jumping in too often.  The point of the matter is that bad habits come in a lot of different shapes and forms, predictable play is also another bad habit since players at this level should be able to adapt to patterns (that aren't obvious to most players) and dissect how to beat these certain play styles.  On top of everything, these players are also great because of the fact that they come into matches with a specific game plan that at most times are NOT character specific.  It can be a game plan that revolves around his opponents character selection (matchup decisions)...it could be a plan to rush his opponent down (or turtle for that matter)...or it could even be a plan to play for a mixup opportunity at all times.  The point of the matter is that a game plan is a set course of WHAT you want to do as a player in a match.  It doesn't need to be character specific at all, such as with Ryu: throw hadoukens to space, get a knockdown and pressure with strings and combo using.....ramble ramble ramble.  Instead, its about having a set game plan on what you want to ACHIEVE in the specific match...THIS (in most cases) is what separates players from being able to get to the next level.  We all have game plans, most times for lower level players, it's to simply win.  HOWEVER, at this level the player makes a game plan of exactly WHAT to focus on to win.  Basically theses players begin to deduce how to win.  They see the obstacle that they are presented with, they know they need to get over this obstacle, however knowing HOW to get over this obstacle is what these players begin to focus on.  Which brings us to the last and final set of what a "top" player looks like (in my opinion).

I don't think that I can even really tell you a set of "qualities" that a top player has that is different then the previously explained "Solid" player.  To be honest they have many of the same qualities, but in my personal opinion, they have completely different mindsets.  Most top players have all the qualities I listed above...incredible ground game, incredible combo ability and execution, a great amount of knowledge concerning the cast in the game (this helps greatly in the matchup aspect of fighting games because of understanding character strengths and weaknesses), and lastly they begin to read opponents play styles to where they can learn how to beat the specific style.  However I feel that the next level after being solid, is to play to your opponent and not the game, or as I call it "playing instinctually" or "instinctual play."   Instincts are defined as a fixed pattern to a certain situation, or in other-words a natural action for any given situation thrown at us.  The BEST players are able to play to adapt to any sort of play style and always know how to defeat it.  For instance when you watch Daigo play, he doesn't really DO the same shit in every match.  The guy seriously plays like a chameleon and adapts to his nature.  Not only that, but as we all know and have seen, the guy is a freak of nature in which reads his opponent SO WELL that he's been called psychic at times.  He is by far the #1 instinctual play I've ever seen....a player that reacts so well to his opponents, he reads them to a point where he gets inside their head!  He reads tendencies and habits like no other player, and for it, he's earned the World Champion title.  So now that we got the definition of instinctual play out and open, lets talk about that "next level" that I was getting to.

As I said before, the next level is merely having a mindset of playing the player and not just the game.  These players play and react/adapt to their opponents so well that they essentially do 3 things in their matches, read their opponent, limit their options, and condition them to think their strategy isn't working.  By reading the player, you begin to realize what this player feels his options are against you, and by reading this you essentially understand what this players play style is.  In doing this, you begin to realize how to limit this players options with your move set.  After limiting his options, the opponent must now go back to the drawing board and re-plan a different strategy to win.  Unfortunately with such little time, it's VERY hard to adapt to someone who is adapting to your own play style...in most cases the player that limits his opponent better and conditions the opponent to second guess his own strategy...they are the victor.  It becomes more of a mental game then a skill game.  Before to get better, you needed to improve on spacing, combos, knowledge, etc.  These are all attained through strengthening up your skill set and putting in time to inform yourself of what you should know to win.  However instinctual play does not come naturally.  No one says "to get better you should play more to your player instead of to the game."  The idea of "reading your opponent" is not as wide spread as it should be.  And because of this, THAT is what separates the top player from the solid players.  Essentially solid players are learning how to win...the best of the best already KNOW how to win and they apply it in every match.  Instinctual play...the next level.    

As I said it's broken down essentially to 3 steps:  reading/limiting/conditioning.  You read your opponent, you limit his options, and in doing so he becomes conditioned to think that what he's doing is wrong, therefore he needs to adapt and change his game plan.  Example?  Put it this way, there's a REASON as to why Daigo had complete control during his match with Justin Wong.  Justin said that the reason why he lost to Daigo was because he was able to uppercut his dive kicks all the time.  From there, he knew that he couldn't rush Daigo down and put him in an uncomfortable situation.  Daigo took ONE attack away from Justin (the dive kick) and WITH that, he never even got hit by a solid Messiah kick (one in which hits all hits), and look at the outcome!  Daigo took Rufus' primary tool out of Justin's hands, and with that, Justin's not able to adapt to the situation at hand.  Daigo read that Justin was to reliant on that attack, took it away from him, and wrecked him 4 to 0.  That to me is SOLID proof of reading an opponent, limiting his options, and conditioning him to second guess himself and his strategy.  

I've beaten to death the "thought process" of a top player (in my eyes at least) with this blog, and hope that you find it informative and helpful.  I'm sorry if I rambled to long, and I'm also sorry if I let you down and you were thinking this blog was going to be something different then what you had thought it would be.  I just want to say that, my point is that there comes a time where fundamental/solid play becomes so air tight, that it becomes hard to improve.  Not many player hit this place, shoot I don't think that I personally have hit that level yet either...however its not to say that I don't play instinctually.  And in doing so, my level of skill has risen greatly.  It's the idea of "playing smarter, not better."  In my opinion, the ability to play instinctually while at the same time play solid as well as analytically (analytical play stems from knowledge of the game)...This is what makes champions.

 - Mickey D'  



Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Becoming a good player from the ground up: Part 1

I've been wanting to do a blog now for quite awhile.  I've been putting it off constantly, but finally I'm all of a sudden inspired to write.  So with that, I wanted to blog about my personal "basis" of separating yourself from a player who is good, and a player who is great.  I wanted to write down the steps of becoming better (my personal opinions of course) from beginner to tops.  To be honest, in my personal opinion, I believe that just about anyone can become a great player.  It all really depends on if they grasp the certain concepts that are needed to be understood to be a great player.  I've even personally realized, that at times, it's not enough to even grasp the concept, but instead to value the concept.  For instance, I grasped the concept of "attacking for a reason" (better known as "testing") however never valued it until the past 6 months.  To expand on that, I understood why you test your opponent, however never really used it much as I was still at the point where I was more focused on "playing solid" (something I'll explain later as well).  Finally I gave "testing" a chance...and slowly, it hit me on WHY you test your opponent, and what you GAIN from testing an opponent.  To put it simply, I truly appreciated it and valued the concept of testing my opponent, and thus, I now constantly test my opponent in every match!  All in all, this blog will be about the steps of becoming a better player, from complete beginner, to top player.  By the way, this'll be a 2 parter since I ramble so much.  

I could go on and on about the specific "advanced thought process" of a top player, however it wouldn't mean anything to someone who doesn't understand the basics of fighting games.  For instance, I'll tell a lot of people that Street Fighter breaks down to 3 aspects...physically, mentally, and emotionally (a blog for another day).  Physically speaking, all you really do is press buttons and move a joystick.  It's not physically straining at all really.  However, tell this to a player who plays on pad, that doesn't understand why they should even play on a stick!  There's 2 points here, the first being physically SF only demands that you execute correctly.  Wether it be combos, trying to tech a throw, whatever the case, execution is pretty much the only physical aspect of Street Fighter.  The 2nd point being that the player playing pad doesn't understand why it would be good to play on a stick, the explanation would be the same if I were to explain to a beginner why you should try to read your opponent each match.   In other words, it's just not understood at that level.  So we need to talk basics, and put things in perspective at what THEIR level is.  The way that I look at it, when a player first begins playing fighting games competitively, they go through certain steps to get to the next level of skill.  It looks a bit like this:

 -  Learns what button does what, how to block, how to dash, how to jump and throw 
 -  Learns special moves/specific character's move set including ultra's/supers

This is the most common foundation of learning a fighting game.  And to be honest with you, not many players go past this tiny foundation.  These players are quite apparent as well, they're what you call a random Ken who constantly shoryuken's (because it looks so cool!) anywhere he is on the play field.  All in all, they have no skill whatsoever, yet most of them think that they can play the game well, or they think they're tight since they can do an SRK.  Lets move to the next set of steps to improving...

 -  Very basic understanding of zoning (footsies, anti airing and space control)
 -  Begins learning basic combos and basic block strings (when the combos' blocked)

The player that takes the time to delve into learning these steps, is the player that wants to start becoming "serious" or competitive for that matter.  The only reason why a player starts learning these aspects is to become above your typical scrub and become BETTER.  There are many players at this range.  Though this player understands only the basics of how to play, they are on their way to becoming better.  The understanding of zoning, and controlling space through pokes, anti airs, fireballs, or whatever the like becomes a bit more apparent.  The player has a weak ground game, however understands that it is needed.  Basic combos such as: jab, jab, jab, hadouken are used.  Maybe even c.mk hadouken.  The point is that they begin to realize how to combo a bit.  Nothing to serious, however there is a clear effort that the player is trying to combo.  I should note that, at this skill level, these players don't anti air much however know that they should be anti air'ing.  The block strings are also probably a bit choppy, and the ground game may need a bit of work, however it's only the beginning of strengthening these basic aspects.

 -  Slight understanding of what to do after a knockdown (crossover, go for another combo)
 -  Improvement in anti'airing and ground game
 -  Begins to hit confirm combos as well as learns more technical combos
 -  Basic understanding of "punishment"
 -  Understand game mechanics more in depth (SA or SADC, throws beat blocks, etc.)
 -  Slight understanding of mixups
 -  Starts to realize character strengths (mixups, or gimmicks, specific pokes to use, anti air, etc.)

The player here is starting to become much stronger.  He understands slightly how to press the advantage (after knockdowns) by using crossovers or maybe jump ins with a block string or potential combo.  As for his combo's, the player begins to realize how to hit confirm, meaning understand when his combo is blocked and understand when to stop his combo so that his opponent will not punish him for finishing it.  Instead, he stops the combo if he sees his opponent block, yet continues with the combo if he sees his opponent is being hit.  With that, the player learns more damaging combos and his execution becomes a bit more tight.  At this point he's most likely using typical Bnb's fairly well, nothing too flashy or technical, just the basic combos but this time around, they're more tight.  On that note, the players block strings becomes a bit stronger, mixing in throws and trying to have tight strings so that the opponent can't jab through or throw him through the string.  The player also begins to understand the game mechanics a bit more and starts to try and use these new things (such as SA's and SADC's) to learn more about their uses.  More importantly the player begins to learn his character better learning the characters strengths and weaknesses, over all game plan, how to control space, how to press advantage, things like that.  By becoming more "in touch" with the character, the player starts learning what his character is capable of.  Now it's just a matter of strengthening this overall understanding into becoming what I like to call a "solid player."  **Side note**  In my opinion, I think that this is where I personally was when SF4 came out in August.  I was at the point where I had an okay ground game, fair combo ability as well as hit confirming combos, fair understanding of how to press advantage and pressure, understanding of my character, and also understanding of the new SA and SADC's.  

This is going to wrap up part 1, sorry that it's so long.  Part 2 will finish it off...and I'd also like to disclaim that these are my PERSONAL OPINIONS of how to climb the ladder to greatness, so with that, don't take my word as law!