Last week when I was having a "training mode session" with
Deezo, I began to realize just how important it is to know how your damaging your opponent.
Deezo was doing various combo's on the training dummy, and I was shocked to see exactly how much damage potential she had when hitting these combo's. For those that don't know...
Chun also has great
mixup's after combo's. We started to look at exactly how much damage she was able to deal out, and the data we found was shocking (at least to me it was).
Chun's throws do 150 damage each, her instant over head (jump back hk) does 100 damage, and if I remember correctly a hazanshu did about 140 damage. Any combo that he'd do was about 250 - 300 damage (with the potential mixup of dealing out another one). Her main poke (c.hk) does 90 damage.
All in all, I came out with this theory...I told Mandel that if he could make a line where he could successfully hit these attacks, he would be dealing out nearly 400 damage. I explained it like this: if you could successfully knockdown with a move during ground game...say c.hk (90 damage), get a throw (150 damage), and hit the instant over head right after (100 damage), you'd be dealing out 340 damage straight out right then and there. When you begin to realize how much 340 damage is based off of 3 minuscule attacks...you start realizing that damage adds up QUICK. More importantly I realized the value of knowing where damage comes from, and how it can add up through specific lines of attack.
In a rough match, Deezo hits at the very least 1 combo a round (say 250 damage), and gets a knockdown about twice a match (totalling up to 180 damage). After every said knockdown, there comes a mixup with potential combo damage...however lets say to play a rough situation, he doesn't try to hit combo's...instead he hits the other attacks such as, throws, hazan shu's, or overheads. If Mandel could hit every one of these moves, including his combo's and knockdowns, he'd be doing nearly 80% damage. You can see how quickly the damage adds up by playing to this checklist.
By making a checklist of attacks you can really understand WHERE your damage is put in...now whys this important? If you know where your damage is coming from, you know where your damage ISN'T coming from. Sounds backwards right? But the logic is very plain...if you can see where your damage ISN'T coming from, you can work towards that, and learn how to fine tune your play style. Lets use Ryu as an example....
My personal check list goes something like this:
- Hp shoryuken (160D)
- Throw (120D)
- Overhead (70D)
- c.mk (70D)
- Hadouken (70D)
Now this is a VERY BASIC checklist, but look at how much damage it does...a total of 490 damage. When your realistically looking at things, by hitting each of these attacks, I'm taking off nearly 50% of my opponent's health. Now look at this....we haven't even got into COMBO'S yet. If I add THAT into my game, I'll be effectively taking of nearly 90% of my opponent's health now (a basic ultra/super combo does about 400 damage).
Now these are very cut and dry checklists. The little monkey wrench of "How are you so sure you'll get all these attacks in a round?" can always be thrown into the equation. More or less, the check list is there so that you know what options you have in EVERY SITUATION during the match...
Playing a ground game? That's where your c.mk and hadouken's come into play. Being pressured? That's why I threw shoryuken into there as it's very valid to be hit by a hp shoryuken reversal when someone is pressuring you....think about if you had ultra too! That 160 damage becomes 400 damage instead! Want to play it safe and not pressure for a combo because your opponent is reversal happy? This is where over head's and throws come into play...because these attacks are very subtle, they aren't abrasive enough to where you look as if your just trying to pressure all day (putting your opponent in the mindset to reversal you).
In other words, every attack here on the check list can be used in situations that happen all throughout the match. There's never ONE specific BEST attack to use in a situation...just remember the check list, and try to run through it, and you'll realize that by running through it, your giving yourself a strong fundamental play style that doesn't revolve around EXECUTION or PRESSURE, or COMBO'S just to win. In all honesty, while looking at the check list, your not even taking into perspective that your opponent might mess up or possibly make a mistake. For each mistake they make, you might as well make an assumption that your going to be hitting with a hard hitting combo...that's going to add more fuel to your fire since the combo's not even really a part of your check list...it's going to help you out and make you become more successfull without you even expecting it.
Realizing where your damage output comes from is really good to know because it'll make you realize how to tighten up and fine tune your play style. For instance, if you realize that you can only deal damage based off of combo's and pressuring, by making the check list, you can start to understand that you won't NEED to pressure all the time during a match just to deal damage...you'll start to see that your damage can come from somewhere different....somewhere that you weren't putting thought into!
- Mickey
