Ryu Numbers

I figured I'd make a quick blog about Ryu's combos.  I want to know the most efficient way to use my meter, and in doing so, I wanted to number crunch a few combos.  The combos will be split into multiple groups as I go on...more or less this is for "data" purposes.  A side note is that the ultra damage is calculated at LEAST amount of damage (not infinite meter on training dummy) so therefore the numbers are rough to play devil's advocate.  The D stands for damage and S for stun.  Lastly there are VERY few combos here that deal with using EX meter mainly because as I've said before, this blog is about realizing the most ideal/hard hitting combos, WHILE saving meter.  Only if an ex combo is truly worth the damage I'll put it up.  

 - BnB Combo's:  c.lk, c.lp hp shoryuken = 178D, 260S.  c.lk c.lp, c.hp, hk hurricane:  214D, 400S. 

 - Punishment Combo's:  c.mk, hp shoryuken = 230D, 300S.  c.hp, hp shoryuken: 260D, 400S.  c.mp, c.hp, hp shoryuken:  298D, 460S.  c.hp, ex tatsu 300D, 450S.  

 - F+hp Combo's:  f+hp, hp shoryuken 280D, 300S.  f+hp, c.lp, c.hp, hk hurricane: 314D 450S.  f+hp, s.mk, hp shoryuken:  318D, 360S.  f+hp, c.hp, hp shoryuken:  348D, 460S.  f+hp, c.hp, ex tatsu = 380D, 500S.  f+hp, s.mk, ex tatsu:  350D, 400S

Overall notes:  As far as punishment combos go, c.mk, shoryu is most applicable due to range.  The c.hp, ex tatsu, I don't feel as if should be used ever since you could instead do the c.mp, c.hp shoryu combo instead for same damage over all.  The f+hp combos are very difficult to hit without focus 2's, and with focus 2's come damage/stun scaling.  The combos with a focus 2 primarily do the same amount of damage as well with a bit more stun.  When doing the focus lvl 2 into these, don't even do the ex moves since the damage is scaled so heavily.  On top of that the f+hp, c.hp link is really hard, so I don't even count it to be too valid of a combo.  All in all the best (most valid during a match) combos to use are in bold.

SADC Combos:   FA lvl 2, f+hp, s.mk, hadou, sadc, c.hp, hp shoryuken:  381D 540S.  FA lvl 2, c.hp, hadouken, sadc, c.hp, hk hurricane: 329D 600S.  J.hk, land, c.hp, hadouken, sadc, c.hp, hk hurricane:  398D 740S.  

Notes on SADC combos:  A lot of these combos are at times character specific.  The only real valid combo I could really suggest that hits every time on every character is the one in bold.  

 - Super Combo's:  c.mk, hp shoryuken, super:  470D (500D if c.hp is used instead).  f+hp, hp shoryuken, super:  520D.  Jab shoryu, land, super:  430D.  c.mk, hadouken, super:  380D (410D if c.hp is substituted.)

Notes on combos with super:  Don't ever focus attack into super.  The scaling takes away so much percentage that it's not worth using all 4 meters for it.  Definitely avoid using the c.mk, hadouken, super combo since it's the worst output.  You want to be hitting around that 45% sweet spot.  All in all, best combo is high lighted in bold. 

 - Ultra Combo's:  hp shoryuken 381D   (at times 291D when anti aired).  c.mk, hp shoryuken:  424D (454D if c.hp is used instead).  F+hp, hp shoryuken: 474D.  c.lk, c.lp, hp shoryuken:  345D.  j.hk, land, c.hp, shoryuken:  495D

Notes on ultra combo's:  As you can see, the damage to hitting this combo could mean hitting either 29% or even 49%.  Thats a 20% difference, so I think it's safe to say that your TRYING to hit about 40%.  By trying to hit 40% your not settling for hitting a weak ultra, and your making the most out of it.  I also would like to say that FA lvl 2 into ultra is completely fine in my opinion BUT you MUST use the combo: f+hp, hp shoryuken...into it so that you can break about 42% (breaking the 40% mark).  So don't be afraid to combo into the ultra with a FA lvl 2.  At the same time, if a 29% is gonna hurt an opponent that bad, by all means go for it.  Just remember that you could be doing 43% by doing a jab shoryu into super though!  All in all, the combos to go for are in bold once again.  

After breaking the numbers down, I'm realizing just how important hitting that ultra is.  At the same time, you have to wonder wether to save 2 meter, or use for ultra.  The deciding factor is exactly HOW you hit it, and if your not getting 40% out of the combo, your not using it as effectively as you should.  

 - Mickey D'

In a slump, but my plan to get out

As of recently, I've fallen into a huge slump.  In my last 3 or 4 tournament appearances, I have placed the lowest I have in my SF4 career.  Throughout the majority of my tournament placements, I've mainly stayed in the 3rd to 5th range.  And to be honest, I'm fairly satisfied with my placements when I think about how strong our scene is.  But recently, I struggling to say the least.  

Last night I had went into a tournament with about 30 heads, and didn't even place top 8, which is incredibly rare for me.  The tournament before was at Gameworks where the participants were split up in about 6 pools, with about 10 people in each pool.  And as it so happens, I didn't even get out of my pool.  To go even further back, 2 weeks ago at a different tournament, I tied for 7th, the beginning of the slump.

After all has been said and done, I'm naturally trying to get out of the the slump at hand.  I'm realizing that I need to focus on the basics and fundamentals again.  I also have to focus on my emotions during matches as well.  Sometimes I bring in pressures that don't need to be added, and at times, it really affects how I play.  For instance, I played a really close friend first match, and afterwards in the tournament, I played a guy who I've had personal problems with in the past.  With the match with my friend, there was no pressure at all, however with Paullee, I felt as if I had this mindset of "You can't lose to Paul...It's PAUL for crying out loud!"  All in all, I'm going to try and focus on a training regiment where I can focus on breaking bad habits, and strengthening over all fundamentals so I can get back to being solid and consistent.  At the end of the month, it's been decided that we are going to be holding the round robin tournament very soon to decide who can partake in the 5v5 regional tournament at Evo.  All in all, I want to train hard so that I can do well for myself...to show that I can break out of a slump, and that dedication and effort do prove to be worth the time and hard work.  

In this first week, I'm really going to try and improve on anti'airing.  I want to be able to start anti'airing at all times.  On top of that I'm going to try and break my bad habits.  Recently I've been having terrible habits such as focus'ing too much, wake up DP'ing sometimes (after focuses too), mashing on throw when someone is close, and jumping at wrong times.  And the way that I look at it, is that there are very obvious ways to break these habits.  Stop focus'ing as much during matches...use it about very sparingly, and don't ever whiff a focus.  As for dp'ing during the wrong times, I just gotta stop doing that period.  I gotta also realize that instead of wake up dp'ing, I gotta realize that blocking is most likely the best/ideal defense instead of trying to cheap my way out of it with a reversal.  As for mashing throw, I need to tighten up my reactions to when someone does a crouching string, that when they STAND, to throw, not DURING their string.  The jump'ins need to stop period.  Daigo rarely jumps in on his opponents...he might jump in ONCE during his round.  So let me end this  just some quick notes and key facts :

Week 1:  Make an effort to anti air at all times, and end bad habits such as:  reversal dp's, focus attacking excessively, mashing on throw when trying to tech, and jump in's.  

In week 2, I want to focus very strongly on my ground game and spacing.  This kind of goes hand in hand with the criteria of week 1, as I can still focus on ending my bad habits, as well as increasing the consistency of my anti air'ing (control of space).  Footsies and space control are very important and vital to becoming a great player.  It causes the opponent to make unnecessary risks where one can take advantage of.  With Ryu, it's important to know WHEN to throw a hadouken and also understand why you throw a hadouken.  This is what I'll mainly be working on because it's such an important part to his overall game plan.  I'll also be working on baiting jump ins (this is where the anti air'ing comes into play) by throwing hadouken's as well as using c.mk's to make the opponent think I'm going to play a ground game (convincing the opponent to think it's the right time to jump).  The quick and dirty looks something like this:

Week 2:  While still focusing on anti'airing consistently, work on ground game heavily.  This means NO rushing down even after knockdowns.  Strengthen the fundamental basics of the fire ball game as well as general footsies.  Remember, learning how to control space is the key with this regiment.

During the third week, I plan on working on the basic principle of pressing the advantage.  At this time, I plan to keep working on Week 2 criteria (strong ground/spacing game) but at the same time I want to work on pressing the advantage more efficiently.  What this entails exactly to ME, is that I want to understand when it's the right time to pressure, how to exactly go about pressuring, different types of setups and tricks after a knockdown...things like that.  King explained to me the "My Turn" process, and I really want to begin playing with that mindset.  King said he learned about "My Turn" when KO and KSK were over at his house when 3s was hot.  

From what I understand "My Turn" basically is the idea of realizing who's turn it is to pressure/press advantage.  For instance, in the beginning of the match, unless an opportunity such as a knockdown or something happens, the turn is not specific.  At this point, this is where ground game comes into play.  However when a knockdown, or possibly a nicely timed jump comes into play, it is THAT person's (the aggressors) "turn."  This person's turn ENDS when he is pushed out of reach or sometimes the turn is continued after perpetual knockdown's.  All in all, it has to do with the mindset of knowing when to press the advantage, and knowing when it's not the right time to press the advantage.  I also want to point out real quick that in certain situations where it's not smart to "take your turn" it's okay to play into a ground game situation where the turn is not specific to anyone.  I understand and value this mindset, because in SF4, there are so many escape options such as lariat, or DP, SADC, etc.  The trick is to understand when to take your turn.  But once again, just to write down quick notes again:

Week 3:  While still practicing on ground game, focus more heavily on pressing the advantage.  Using the "My Turn" system, I can realize exactly when to pressure and how best to pressure my opponent.  

The fourth week kind of ties everything all together.  Hopefully at the end of it all, I'll have little to no bad habits, a strong ground game as well as a good realization of knowing when and how to pressure well.  In the end of it all, it should completely change my playstyle into a much more disciplined style of play, while at the same time still being very explosive.  If anything, I'll try to focus (after the 3 weeks) on trying to play matchups a bit differently.  I might try to focus on reading my opponent more, or maybe I might try and focus on strengthening up other things that I don't feel as if are strong enough.  All in all, I'm leaving this 4th week as a down time to collect all my thoughts, let my new play style settle in, and leave it as time to focus on any left over weaknesses that I might still have. 

But all in all, yeah, thats my training regiment, hopefully I can make a blog afterwards and tell people who it all panned out!

 - Mickey D'

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'  

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!

Positioning and the dreaded "Stand Off"

It's been a really long time since my last post, sorry for the long hiatus.  With the arrival of SF4 on console, I've seemed to have neglected writing.  But I'm back at it, with a post regarding "playing chicken" or what I like to call:  The stand off.

Street Fighter is a game where control of space is vital.  We use our characters tools to take up as much space as safely as possible.  The concept is pretty easy actually, you take up more space, you leave as little room for your opponent to move and advance.  The more heated of situations is when 2 players are looking at each other dead eye to eye.  They idle back and forth, assuming and reading their opponent on what attack they are going to decide to use, and how to counter it.  So much thought is put into these mili-seconds that I don't even know how it's possible sometimes for players to react on a whiff, and punish accordingly.  What I wanted to talk about today however, is not the mid screen distance of being able to idle back and forth, but the distance of 2 - 3 jabs or so...more or less the up close stage.  

The up close range will sometimes break you as a player during matches, yet sometimes make you win in matches.  This range is so intricate because as players, we need to know what our opponent is thinking, what he wants, what he wants to bait, and more importantly the best way to stop it.  The same goes for you as an attacker...knowing your defender.  Does he break throws well?  Does he have a nasty habit of trying to throw a lot or possibly jab you out of a throw?  Does he jump back often?  Maybe he's susceptible to meaties!  Once again to reiterate more, you start to realize that Street Fighter becomes more of a thinking game then a "button pressing" game.  At close range, what normally happens to me (against better players when I use SF4 Ryu), I'll get my knockdown, and do a few jab strings, then end with a c.mk xx hado to push my opponent further away.  I'm starting to realize recently however, that maybe it would be more wise of me to NOT do the c.mk xx hado.  For instance, Ryu has a very hard time getting in on his opponent as is already, what favor am I doing for myself in pushing my opponent further away from me?  All in all, what if the situation looked like this:  Throw, walk back, walk forward at about a crouching strongs distance...crouch block!  Simply put...post up right in my opponents face.  Thus we have upclose "The Stand Off"

 

Now by not doing anything, I realize that I'm not "creating" momentum, however the reason why I thought about this situation was mainly because in SF4, there are so many characters who have viable escapes such as DP, SADC....or ex dash punch giving him armor...now these aren't the BEST escape tools, however the point being that a Ryu player must respect them, because any loss of momentum is bad in any circumstance.  By looking my opponent dead in the eye, I begin to realize exactly how he feels when put in a situation...his options are to poke back, jump away, maybe ever reversal blindly or ultra blindly.  Maybe he likes to back dash, during this situation.  All in all, I haven't really used this yet, however would really like to figure out what it would net me.  If I can read into my opponents habits more often, maybe I can capitalize in an event down the line in our next match.  For instance, if he likes to jump back, I'll decide to shoot off a super/ultra to catch him.  Maybe if he likes to pull a poke in that position I'll pull off a psychic DP if I'm feeling extra frisky :), if he back dashes maybe an ex hado will push him back out and give me some more momentum.  I'm not sure what the possibilities are, however I feel as if it will put my opponent out of his or her comfort zone...and thats ALL I need to begin to win a match!

 - Mickey D'

Things to write in the journal

Recently, I've had a lot of want to write in my journal.  I've been keeping it fairly organized recently, and have been holding myself back and stopping myself from writing things that don't pretain to the actual subject at hand right now (which are character break downs).  I'm writing this blog (with the help of a friend, thanks Jacob!) so that I don't forget to include certain topics regarding becoming a better player.  All in all, here are the things we came up with:

Limiting options, reading opponents versus playing analytically, what playing analytically means, training room 101, conditioning opponents and the ability to adapt, playing to win versus playing to learn, mental blocks of all the sort and playing without limits, mindset before during and after the match, grudge matches and how they affect your play, upsets and why they happen, how to take a loss, the importance of having multiple characters, nerves during tournament time, explaining the tiers and how top/mid/low are different regarding how good of a player you must be to win with them, sandbagging and its affects on the scene and player, taking a break and getting out of that slump, Apoc's mythical post, the power of playing everyone to your true potential and underestimating an opponent, psyching out the opponent before or during the match :), sitting on a lead, 

This will be forever changing so, I'll just leave it here for now!  

Training Mode

After talking to a friend concerning SF4, he said that he would be really interested in seeing what kinds of things I do in training mode.  In turn, I told him that I could make a video of doing so, and explanations of what I would be doing...but then I began to think to myself, why not try to make it big and help out the SRK kids?  Basically, what I want to do is to show other people that training mode isn't just about the combos, and that the possibilities with training mode are more then what most people see.  Anyways, I wanted to write down some things that I do in training mode to prepare for making the video.  

In training mode, most people practice combos and practice their execution.  However I like to go a bit further.  I like to set the computer on "All Guard" and practice strings as well.  Even going a step further, I always gauge how far the string puts me, and think about my options after the string.  I like to range out where a combo leaves me or where a string leaves me so that I know what my options are afterwards.  I suppose what it really gets down to is that I like to know what I can setup in situations that I can control (such as guard strings, or after a knockdown or combo).  Some of the first things that I do in training mode is a simple throw.  Throws always leave you at the same distance no matter what, meaning that the range is a controlled state.  By figuring out the ranges of throws, I can think about how to position myself to gain opportune advantage like safe jump ins or crossovers, 

Testing things out against myself is a big thing too.  In Cvs2 I would go into the training room, and use my own setups and strats against myself.  By doing this, I saw what my opponent's options were and by doing so, learned what my most favorable options would be for the given situation.  Similarly, I also like to copy a certain play-style that I'm losing to (or am having trouble with) and learn how to break it.  For example say that I play a Dhalsim vs Ryu matchup quite a bit (I play Ryu) and am having a hard time learning how to deal with far zoning and pokes.  I'll go into training mode and see what normals of mine beat out his, as well as how often (I don't want to be trading c.lp's for s.hp's!).  I find that though this isn't neccesarilly as good as playing an actual person, it can give me a fairly strong foundation of how to go about learning how to beat play-styles that I'm not doing well in.

Training mode's true potential comes out when you begin to realize WHY exactly you are doing things.  I think it's stupid for people to train when they don't even know what they're actually training for.  Knowing how to do a combo is one thing, but knowing what exactly it will net you in the long run is playing with a much smarter mindset.  For example, just as if I were to use a new character, I would like to figure out what all my normals do and what their ranges are so that I know what to use in certain situations such as anti'airing, or in space control/zoning situations.  This kind of goes more along the lines of learning a newer character, however being aware of all your tools is key when learning in training mode.  

Hopefully I can make a video out of this.  But more importantly, I hope that it actually helps people