MINDSET, TIME MANAGEMENT & IMPROVEMENT IN FIGHTING GAMES - King Funk

2/11/2016
BringtheFunk|Interviews,editorialsandvariouscontentonfightinggamesandtheFGC!
BringtheFunk
Interviews,editorialsandvariouscontentonfightinggames
andtheFGC!
Mindset,timemanagement&improvementin
fightinggames
InmypreviousarticleIwroteaquickintroductionaboutwhatIconsidertobeacommonmythamong
ghtinggameplayers.Itisthatideathatonecanonlygetgoodatgamesifheputstonsoftimeintoit
andthatimprovementisonlycorrelatedwiththeamountoftimethatisspentonthegame.Ohhe
playsallthetime,thatswhyhesgood.
Ifyoubelievethattobetrue,answermethisquestion:
Howcomedosomeplayersreachtoplevelsofplayinonlyoneortwoyearswhileothersarestill
stuckatlow/midlevelsafterveorsixyears?
Therearepeoplewhowilltellyouitisama eroftalent.Talentmayplayapartbutisinnowaytheend
allbeallbehindimprovement.Iwillexplainwhylaterinthearticle.Therearealsopeoplewhowilltell
youitisadierenceofmindset.Thatstatementiscompletelytrue.However,notonlyisitnotthefull
answer,butitisalsoquitevague.Howdoesknowingyoumighthaveabadmindsethelpwhenyouare
notexactlysurewhatagoodmindsetis?
https://mrkingfunk.wordpress.com/
Inreality,ifyouareabletouseyourtimemoreecientlyyouwillnoticeimprovementinyourgameat1/18
2/11/2016
Inreality,ifyouareabletouseyourtimemoreecientlyyouwillnoticeimprovementinyourgameat
amuchfasterratethanusual.Fartoooftendoweseeplayerswhodonothingbutwastetheirtimeaway
playingmatcheswithoutpu inganyrealthoughtwhattheycandotoxareasoftheirgame.
InthisarticleIwilloutlinesomeoftheidealsthatIbelievehelpcontributetoagoodmindsetfor
improvingatghtinggames.Iwillalsooutlineafewmethodsthatcanhelpmaximizeyour
improvementwithinthetimeconstraintsofyourdaytodaylife.
Fiveidealsyouhavetoembrace
Beforewestartthingso,letmejustsaytwothings.Firsto,dontbeascrub.Alloftheseidealsarenull
andvoidifyouhaveanyofthetypicalsymptomsofthescrub.Itisextremelyimportanttobehonest
withyourselfandyourshortcomingsasaplayer.Therearemanyarticlesouttherethattreataboutthe
topicofscrubs(forthoseofyouthathavenotreadit,IwouldsuggesttocheckoutSirlinsarticle
(h p://www.sirlin.net/ptwbook/introducingthescrub)).
Secondly,ifyouareoneoftheseplayerswhoarguethattheyarejustplayingforfun,fairenough.But
inthiscase,donotcomplainwhenyoukeeplosingorarenotimproving.Illletyouinonali lesecret
though.Winningisfun.
1.Playtolearn,notnecessarilytowin
Thisisthenumberonecrucialrulewhenitcomestoplayingoutsideofatournamentenvironment.
Whenyoudonotbelieveyouhaveachievedalevelthatsatisesyouasaplayerandyouarestillwilling
toimprove,youmustacceptthefactthatwinningisnotthepriority.Youmustacceptthefactthatyou
havestillmuchyettolearn.
Thereareoftencaseswherethetwophilosophiesofplayingtowinandplayingtolearnclash.Ifyou
onlyplaytowin,youwilloftenendupbeingcontentwithdefeatingopponentsbutnotnecessarilybe
willingtoexperimentwithnewtools.Andexperimentingisexactlywhatallowsyoutomakestridesin
ghtinggames.Ontheotherhand,experimentingduringmatchesmightmakeyoulosemoreoften
becauseyouarenotnecessarilymakingoptimalchoicesagainstspecicplayers.ThewayIseeit,
winningisthenalgoal,butlearningiswhathelpsyouwinmoreagainstbe erplayersinthelong
term.
ManylowerlevelplayersIencounterandplaycasuals/friendlieswithtry.theirhardesttowin.More
oftenthannot,whentheyclosetodoingsotheytellmemanIwassoclose.ButusuallyIwonderif
theyhavetrulylearnedanythingorwhethertheyarebeingdelusionalandconfuseblindluckwith
actualimprovement.Ontheothersideofthespectrum,therearemidorevenhighlevelplayerswholike
tobragaboutdefeatingotherplayers(generallyoflesserlevel)inaveryconvincingmanner(aperfect
inStreetFighterora4stockinMeleeperhaps).Thistranslatestoaratherdubiousmindsetwhere
beatingsomeonereallyhardismoreimportantthange ingsomeknowledgefromit.
Trialanderroriskey.Everytimeyoufacesomeone,youshouldhavesomenewthingsyouwanttotry.2/18
2/11/2016
Trialanderroriskey.Everytimeyoufacesomeone,youshouldhavesomenewthingsyouwanttotry.
Ifitmeansusingamoveortryingasetupoverandoveragaininavarietyofsituations,thatisne.Sure,
itmayormaynotoftenoritevenmaylookabitsillyordisrespectfultotheopponent,butthegoalhere
istolearn.However,everyexperimentrequiresacriticalevaluation.Youhavetobeabletotellwhether
somethingisusefulornotwhilestillkeepinganopenmind,whichleadsmetomynextpoint.
2.Alwaysbecriticalandalwaysaskquestions
Everytimeyouexperimentwithsomething,youhavetointerpretitsanswers.Thisallowsyoutogauge
theeciencyofwhateveryouhaveexperimentedwithandthendecidewhetheryouwanttoapplyitto
youroverallgameplanornot(thegameplanwhichyouwouldthenusefortournamentplay/playingto
win).
Sometimes,theanswerisaratherobviousyesorno.Butthisisdenitelynotassimpleasitsounds
andisalsowherealotofmidlevelplayerswillfalter.Theymightoftenmakealotofwrongormisled
interpretations.
Example:
(USF4)YouaretestingoutantiairingwithRyuscr.HP;insomeoccasionsitworks(theopponentisin
rangeoftheantiairorpressesabu onfromfar),inothersitwhis(theopponentchoosestoempty
jump).
Misledinterpretation:cr.HPisnotagoodantiairbecauseitcanwhisometimes
Correctinterpretation:cr.HPisagoodoptioniftheopponentjumpsandIpositionmyselfataspot
wherehecannotpossiblyavoidit,evenwithanemptyjump.orIhaveagoodreadonthefactthathe
willalwayspressabu onwhilejumpingsoIamnottooworriedaboutemptyjumps..
Fightinggamesareoftensubjecttoambiguity.Therearefewpureyesornoanswerswhenitcomes
tomanyaspectsofthegame,infactIwouldsaytherearemoremaybesandperhaps.Itisimportant
tomakesureyouhaveputareasonableamountofthoughtbeforejumpingtoanyconclusion.
Youmaynoticethattheoneofthecorrectinterpretationsinvolvesareadonyouropponenthimself.
Thisiswhatmakesghtinggamesinteresting.Theyaretwoplayergames.Theyinvolveaba leof
minds.Ahugepartofitisguringouthowyouropponentthinksandthenpickingwhatyoubelieveto
bethecorrectoptionsagainsthim.Iamusingthewordbelievebecauseyoucanneverknowforsure.
Insituationswhereitisnecessarytoguess,itisimpossibletomakeperfectpredictionsallthetime,
especiallynotagainstcapableopponentsorplayersyouhaveneverfacedbefore.Thingsthatworkon
DaigomaynotworkonEvilDan666,andviceversa.Thebestyoucandoisaneducatedguess,which
comeswithalotofexperienceincriticalthinkingagainstavarietyofopponents.
Lastly,beopentoadvicefromotherpeople.Otherperspectivesarevitalingivingyouadierent
outlookonthegame,whichcansometimeshelpyouinyourthinking.
3.Strivetounderstandthegamethatyouplay
Nothingshouldbeasecrettoyou.Especiallynotalltheuniversalmechanicsofthegameyouplay.You
havetobeasfamiliaraspossiblewithitsterminology/language/slang.Youshouldtryyourbestto
understandhowframedata,hitboxes/hurtboxes,invincibility,etc.works.
Youalsohavetobehungryforknowledge.Almostanyknowledgeisgoodknowledgeandcuriosityis 3/18
2/11/2016
Youalsohavetobehungryforknowledge.Almostanyknowledgeisgoodknowledgeandcuriosityis
yourbestfriend.Askquestionsaboutthegametoyourfriendsifyouarenotsureaboutsomethingor
discussitwiththem.Watchtournamentmatches/streamsonYouTube/Twitch,especiallyvideoswith
commentaryasthosecanfeedyouevenmoreinformation.
Anotherimportantskilltodevelopisasolidvisionofthegame.ThewayIseeit,mostghtinggames
(especiallythemoretraditionaloneslikeStreetFighter)aredesignedwithasenseofbalanceandlogical
solutionstoproblems.Mostcharactersandmoveswillbedesignedwithprosandcons.Agoodmethod
totryandunderstandagameistogureoutitswheelofoptionsandhowtheyallbeateachother.
AnexamplecouldbethewakeupgameinUSF4:
Blockingisgoodagainstanythingexceptthrows/heavychipdamage
Instantcrouchtechingisgoodagainstthrowsbutisvulnerabletoearlyframetraps/meaties
Quickinvinciblereversalsaregoodagainstmeaties/earlyframetrapsbutcanberiskyagainst
opponentsthathappentoblock/delayframetrap/delaythrow
Standteching/bu onsaregoodtotakeadvantageofdelayedframetraps/delaythrow
Thelistgoeson
Thiskindofthinkingcanbeappliedtomanyotheraspectsofanygameandallowsyoutoseetheoverall
picture.Understandingtheoverallpicturewillalsoallowyoutounderstandwhatittakestobecomea
completeplayer.Ifyoucannotspeakthegamethatyouplay,youcannotpossiblyformulatethesteps
necessarytondsolutionstoproblemsandthusimprove.
4.Thinkaboutthegameattimeswhenyouarenotplaying
Alotofthelogicalthinkingandknowledgeprocessingcanbedoneoutsideofthegame.Itdoesnot
ma erwhetheryouaresi inginabus,atschooloratwork,thinkingaboutthegameishelpfulasit
helpsyoudevelopideasforthenexttimeyouwillplay(pleasedonotloseyourjobthinkingaboutvideo
games).HmmwhatifItriedthis,maybethiswouldwork.Thisgivesyouapurposeandmotivation
foreverynextsessionyouhave.
SomethingIlovetotellnewplayersishowIhaveasortofemulatorinmyheadthatcansimulate
MeleeorUSF4ratheraccurately.Iwillsometimeshaveanideaaboutsomethingineithergame,then
runitthroughmyheadandthinkwhetheritcouldrealisticallywork.Iamobviouslynottheonlyone
withthiskindofability,anditissomethingyoudevelopthroughexperiencewiththegameandgood
amountsofknowledge.
Thisisoftenareasonastowhyitispossibletotakeabreakandstillcomebackasanimprovedplayer
fromit.Youmayhavenotbeenplayingthegame,butyouhavebeenthinkingaboutitfromtimetotime,
whichsupplementsyourfreshoutlookwithnewideas.
5.Donotautopilotwhenyouplaytolearn
Autopilotingoccurswhenyouareplayingwithoutactivelythinkingaboutthedecisionsyouandyour
opponentmake.Itslikebeinginamachinelikestateanditiscrucialtoavoiditifyouareplayingto
learn.Thiscanespeciallyharmyouasaplayerbecauseyoumightunconsciouslygoforoptionsthat
workedaspecicplayeryoupracticedwithalot,butthatwillsuddenlyfailagainstotheropponents
becauseyouhavenotputenoughthoughtintothema er.
4/18
Goingautopilotcanserveagoodpurposeifyouareplayingtournamentmatchesagainstweakerplayers
2/11/2016
Goingautopilotcanserveagoodpurposeifyouareplayingtournamentmatchesagainstweakerplayers
asitcansaveyourmentalenergyforthelaterstages.Butoutsideofthetournamentenvironment,you
wanttomakethemostofyourtimeplayingthegame.
Toavoidautopiloting,makesureyoupaya entiontodetailandkeepanotebookinyourheadfor
everythingthatyounoticebutevenmoreimportantly,everythingyouhavetroublewith.And
remembertheseideasthatyouweredevelopinginyourheadatatimeyouwerenotplaying?Trythem
out,maybetheyaregood.
OnethingIcanrecommendistoplayeverymatchwithasortofgoalorachievementinmindoutsideof
winning.Itcanbeforinstanceusingamovesuccessfullyinneutral,punishingacommonmistakebythe
opponentorlandingaspecicpracticalcomboyouhavelearned.Ifyouaresuccessfulatachieving
theseli legoalsbutloseanyway,itisstillarewardingfeelingasyouhavelearnedtoapplysomething
new.
Threepracticalmethodstouseyourtimemorewisely
1.Limityouramountoftimespentplayingmatches
Youdonotneedahundredmatchestounderstandwhatyourweaknessesareandwhatitisyouhaveto
workonorthinkabout.Ifyouareseriousaboutyourimprovementinwhatevergameyouplay,you
shouldmakesurethatyouarenotusingtoomuchtimeplayingthesameopponentsoverandover
again.Playingtoomanymatchesmayleadtoasaturation/deteriorationofthethinkingprocessand
eventuallyautopilot,whichisbadforlearning.
Anotherimportantreasonnottoplaytoomuchisthatthetimeyouspentinfruitlessextramatches
couldhavebeenusedpracticingspecicweakerareasofyourgame,whichIexplaininmynextpoint.
Anecientwaytoavoidplayingtoomuchisbysimplyaskingforaset.FT3,FT5,FT7,whateveroats
yourboat.Thiswillallowyoutolimityourtimewiththegameinafunandecientmanner.Just
rememberthatwinningisnotthemaingoaloftheset.
2.Usetimeintrainingmodetopracticespecicstuinamuchshorteramountoftimethatyou
wouldhavetryingtheminmatches
Ihavetoucheduponitinmypreviousarticleanditisbyfarthemostusefulmethodtooptimizeyour
learning.
Alotofpeopleonlyusetrainingmodejusttopracticecombosorpunishgame.Trainingmodeinmost
moderngamesgivesyoutheopportunitytopracticeanythingandeverything,mostnotablysituations.
Therststepisdonebeforethetrainingevenbegins.Youpinpointtheproblemthatyouusually
encounterinyourmatches.Thisproblemcanbeanythingfromadecisionintheneutralgametoyour
choiceofmovesinthepunishgame.Whetheryounoticeitduringthematchesorlaterasyouwatcha
replay/videoofyourselfdoesnotma er,aslongasyouareabletocorrectlyidentifywhatitis.Onceyou
do,yougotothelabandtrytoemulatethesituationandndanswerstoit,afterwhichyoumakea
criticalassessmentifnecessary.AsIsaidinmypreviousarticle,insteadofwaitingforasituationto
happenonceineachof100matches,youarebe
eropracticingthatsamesituation100timestonda5/18
2/11/2016
happenonceineachof100matches,youarebe eropracticingthatsamesituation100timestonda
solutionwhichyouthenincorporateintoyourmusclememory.Youcanachievethesameifnothigher
levelofimprovementin20minutesoftrainingmodethanyoucanin5hoursofmatches.
Evenifyouareplayingwithafriend,donotbeafraidtoaskhiminthemiddleofasessiontotestthings
outtogether.Knowledgeisalmostalwaysmutuallybenecial,soifheisinterestedinimprovinghewill
generallyagreetoit.
Itshouldallbeanaturalreex.Somethingwrong?Practice.
Examplesofpropertrainingethics:
(USF4)Youareintrainingmodeandjustgotdonege ingwreckedbyM.Bisonsst.MK?Stoppracticing
combosandstartpracticingwhipunishing/stungBisonsst.MK.
(USF4)WasthisZangiefplayerconstantlyjumpingatyouandyouwerenotsurewhattodo?Goin
trainingmode,setupthedummywithrecord/playback,tryoutvariousantiairsandassesstheir
eciencyatdierentranges.
(Melee)AreyoumessingupshineoutofshieldasFoxagainstunsafeFalcoaerials?Stopplayingandask
yourfriendtodoaerialsoverandoveragainonyourshielduntilyougetabitmoreconsistentatshine
OOS.
Lastbutnotleast,donotwastetimepracticingthingsthatdonothelpyou.Ifallyouwantisbasic
practiceforthesakeofconsistency,youarebe eroplayingmatches.
3.Ifyouarenotsureaboutsomething,lookituporaskaround
Anotherconsiderabletimewasterforalotofplayersareallthosemomentswheretheyare
confused/angry/unsureaboutsomethingbutaretoolazytotaketheshortamountoftimetogureout
howitworks.
Therearegenerallytwomainwaystoguresomethingoutfast.Eitheryouasksomeoneoryoulookit
up.
Itcanbeatestofhumilitytoasksomeone(especiallyifheisthepersonyouarelosingto)for
advice/ideas,butitisoftennecessarysoyouhavetoswallowyourpride.Asforlookingsomethingup,
thiscaninvolveanythingfromreadingsomeframedatatowatchingavideoofthematchupyoujust
playedtogureouthowotherplayersdealwiththesamesituation.
Theshortamountoftimeyouspenddoingeitherwillmostdenitelysaveyoualotoftimewastedon
bu ingheadswiththesameproblemsduetolackofknowledge.
Threefactsyoumayberightabout
1.Fightinggamesdotakealotoftimetogetgoodat
Yes,likealmostanyhobbyyougetinto,itdoestakeaconsiderableamountoftimetogetgoodat
6/18
2/11/2016
Yes,likealmostanyhobbyyougetinto,itdoestakeaconsiderableamountoftimetogetgoodat
ghtinggames.Ittakeshardworkanddedication.Alotoftimehastobeputintopracticingallthe
basics,gaininganunderstandingofthegameandacquiringthenecessarymatchupexperience.
Whiledevelopingapropermindsetandmethodology/workethicalsotakestime,theirtimesaving
naturemakesitallthemoreworthit.Theeciencyyougainfromitcanheavilycutthetotalamountof
timerequiredtoreachthehigherlevelsofplay.Thiscanmeanyearsofdierence.
2.Talentisreal
Sometimestalentisarealfactor.Somepeoplearesimplymorenaturallyintelligentandmayhaveinnate
abilitytounderstandgamesfasterthanothers.Thissometimesallowsthemtobypasshavingasolid
methodologyormindset.Oftentimesalotoftheproblemsolvingthatmostplayerswouldgenerally
havetospendagoodamountoftimeonthinkingaboutisdoneinaratherautomaticmannerforthe
talentedplayer.
However,thisisbyfartheweakestexcuseofall.Icanguaranteeyouthatyoucanattheveryleastgetto
ahighlevelatamuchquickerpacethanyoumightthinkifyouputinthework,haveastrongmindset
andareabletomanageyourtimeproperly.
3.Ireallyreallydonothavetimeorsolidresourcestoimprovewith
Well,ifyouhaveafulltimejob,afamilytotakecareofandothersocialobligationsthatdonotmesh
wellwithyourgamingactivitiesthenIguessitcanbedicult.
Butevenifallyouhaveperdayisanhour,youcanstilltryyourbesttomakethemostofit.Inthese
casesyouhavetomakesurethateverytimeyougetanopportunitytoplay,youalreadyhaveideason
whatyouwanttotryoutorwhatyouwanttolearn.Thisiswherethinkingaboutthegameattimesyou
arenotplayingisreallyuseful.Combinethatwithagoodtheoreticalunderstandingofthegameand
youwillbeabletooptimizeyourplaytime.
Ifyoudonothaveasceneoratleastfriendstoplaywith,thenplayingonline(ifavailable)isstillagood
waytondopponentsandimprove.Ifyoudonotevenhaveadecentconnectiontodoso,thenyes
thereistrulynotmuchyoucando.
Examplesofanefficient2hoursession
1.5minutewarmup
2.15minutesoftrainingmodeforstuyouthoughtaboutwhilenotplaying
3.75minutesofmatches
4.15minutesoftestingsituationsthatyoufoundtroublesomeinsaidmatches
5.10minutesoflookingthingsup/watchingvideos/talkingtofriends
Obviouslythisdoesnothavetobefollowedwordforword.Infact,Iwouldactuallyrecommend
interruptingyourplayincasesomethingbothersyoutoomuchandeitherlookitup/asksomeoneorgo
totrainingmodetondasolutiononyourown.Themainpointhereisthatyoushouldalwayssave
sometimeforthelabasitisextremelyvaluableforyouintermsofecientlearning.
Thataboutsumsitup.IhopeyouallhadfunreadingthisandIhopethatitwashelpfultoyou!
7/18
2/11/2016
Thataboutsumsitup.IhopeyouallhadfunreadingthisandIhopethatitwashelpfultoyou!
_______________
Ifyouhaveanyquestionsonimprovementandmindset,oranythingforthatma erfeelfreetoaskme
questionsonTwi er(h p://twi er.com/MrKingFunk)!
YoucanalsolikemyFacebook(h ps://www.facebook.com/MrKingFunk/)pageorfollowmeonTwitch
(h p://twitch.tv/MrKingFunk).Itrytostreamonaregularbasisandlovetohelpoutplayersinneed.
PostedinEditorialandtaggedEditorials,Eciency,FightingGames,Improvement,KingFunk,
Learning,Melee,Mindset,Motivation,TimeManagement,USF4onDecember27,2015bymrkingfunk.
Leaveacomment
PlayerPerspectiveinFightingGamesandHowTo
ImproveYourOwn
Woah
8/18
2/11/2016
Well,lookslikethefunnyli letweetImadeaboutthewaysdierentplayerscanlookatthe
samesituationmanagedtosomehowgetover1000retweetsandlikes.ThisisnothingthatIcould
possiblyhaveexpectedbutheresthefunpart:
Thistweetwasbornoutofpurelaziness.Iinitiallywantedtowriteanarticleaboutthetopicwiththese
picturesasexamplesandfullexplanationsonthedierentlevelsofperspectiveinStreetFighterand
ghtinggamesingeneral,aswellassomepointersonwhattodotogettoahigherlevelof
understanding.InsteadIdecidedtobelazyandmakeatweetwiththesepictures,andboom!Shoutouts
toMaximilian(@maximilian_)forhisretweet,whichbasicallycatapultedthisintoTwi erstardom(at
leastintheFGCcircle).
Buthey,sincepeopleseemtobesointriguedwiththistweet,Iguesssomeofthemmightalsowantto
knowmoreaboutwhatImeanwiththesepictures.ThatiswhyImightaswelldowhatIinitially
wantedtodoandbringyousomehelpfulcontent.Heregoes.
___________________________________________________
Aquicknoteonimprovementandtimemanagement
Disclaimer:alotoftheseideascanbeappliedtobasicallyanyghtinggame,butIwillbeusingUltra
StreetFighterIVasmyexampleofchoice.
IfthereisonethingIhearfrommanyplayersaboutimprovementthatIabsolutelydespise,itsthat
absurdideathatyouwillgetgoodatagameifyouputtonsofhoursintoit.Justplayalot,theysay,
youllgetthehangofit.Thisideaalsoendsupbeingthebasisbehindtheexcusethatonecannotget
goodataghtinggamebecauseofhis/herconsiderablelackoffreetimeduringtheweek.Allofthisis
wrong.Youarenotgoingtoimproveifyoumindlesslygrindagamewithoutdoingsomethingabout
yourmistakes.
Improvingatanything,especiallyghtinggames,isnotabouthowmuchtimeyouputintothegame.
Itsabouthowgoodyouareatusingyourtimewiththegame.Inalotofcases,playersthatimprove
veryquicklywillalsooftenbecalledtalented.Butitsrarelyacaseoftalenteither.Thatisgenerally
duetoagoodlearningmindset.
Bothoftheseskillscanbelearned.
Heresanexampleontimemanagement.LetssayyouhavetroublepunishingBisonsEXPsycho
CrusherescapefromthecornerinUSF4.Letsassumethatthissituationhappensonceamatch,andthat
youplay100matcheswithyourBisonfriend.100matchestakeabout56hoursormoretoplay.Many
punishesinStreetFighter,includingthisone,requiresomemusclememoryandtrainedreaction.Many
timesyouwillactuallyfailtopunishitinthesematchesandlearningwillbeslowatbest.Butwhatif
insteadyoudecidedtogointrainingmode,settheCPUtoRecordandPlaybackinconjunctionwith
theMemory/Reloadfeatureandpracticedpunishing100EXPsychoCrusherescapes?Thatdtake20
minutesatmost.Congratulations,youhaveachievedthesamelevelofimprovementin20minutes
oftrainingmodethatyouwouldhaveinover5hoursofmatches.
Asforagoodmindsetinthisexample,itiswhatspursyoutowanttogointrainingmodetopractice
9/18
2/11/2016
Asforagoodmindsetinthisexample,itiswhatspursyoutowanttogointrainingmodetopractice
punishingEXPsychoCrusherintherstplace.Itisgenerallynotenoughtoadmitthatyouhavemuch
tolearn,youalsohavetoputintheworkinthepartsofyourgamethatarelacking.Humilityisavirtue,
butdeterminationisanecessity.
TimemanagementissomethingIcouldwriteamuchmoredetailedarticleabout,soIwillleavethatfor
anotherday.Ijustwantedtodebunkthecommonmythspeoplebelieveinwhenitcomesto
improvement.Itispossibletobecomeahighlevelplayerinashortamountoftime,andhopefully,the
restofthisblogpostbelowwillinspireyouonyourway.
Letstakealookatthesepictures.
Thedifferentlevels
IwillsticktothelevelsImentionedinthepicture.Obviouslytherearesomanymorelevelsofplayand
understanding,andtherearealsopeoplewhotinmultiplecategories.
Thenovice
Thenovicewillgenerallynotunderstandwhatisgoingon.Hewillseethathegothit,buthewill
probablynotevenknowwhatmoveEvilRyujustusedandwhyhegothit.Someonemostlikelytold
himpressst.MKwithBison,itspre ygoodwithoutanyfurtherexplanation,sohedecidestofollow
thatadvicelikeasheep.Forthenovice,ghtinggamesareaboutkickingthehelloutofhisopponents,
sowhynotpresstheholybu on.
Howtoevolvefromthenovicelevel:trytogetmoreinvolvedwiththegameyouplay.Learnthe
10/18
2/11/2016
Howtoevolvefromthenovicelevel:trytogetmoreinvolvedwiththegameyouplay.Learnthe
languageforthegamethatyouplay,thatis,learntheterminologyforthemovesandfortheallthebasic
mechanics.Thiscanbedoneinalargevarietyofways.Youcanlookatthecommandlistsforthe
charactersingame,oryoucanalsondthecountlesswebsitesthathaveglossariesorexplanationsforall
theslang(h p://iplaywinner.com/glossary/(h p://iplaywinner.com/glossary/)isagoodone).From
there,tounderstandwhenandhowthosetermsareused,Irecommendwatchingasmuchghtinggame
matchesorcontentwithcommentary.Payinga entionandtryingtodecipherthecommentarycanbe
veryeducative.Lastbutnotleast,makesureyouhavediscussionswithotherplayersaboutghting
games,noma erhowgoodtheyare.Ifyoucanlearntospeakghtinggames,youcanstarttolearn
understandingghtinggames.
Themidlevelplayer
Themidlevelplayerhasabe erideaofwhatsgoingon.Hecanseethathisst.MKlosttoEvilRyuscr.
MP.However,theproblemhereisthathese lesforamisleadingconclusionastowhatthisallmeans.
Insteadofconsideringthefactthathisfootsiesmightbepredictable(thewayhewalks,thewayhe
interactswiththeopponentsmovement&actions,thetimingatwhichhepressesbu ons,etc.),he
immediatelyassumesthatst.MKisnotaverygoodtoolinthematchup.Afterall,itjustlostright?Nah.
Thefactis,anymovecanalmostalwayshaveapurposeinamatchupifusedattherighttime.Sure,st.
MKlosthere,butwhatifhepresseditafewframesearlier?HewouldhavemostlikelystuedEvil
Ryuscr.MP.Afewframeslater?Thatwouldhavemostlikelywhipunishedit.
Themidlevelplayermightknowallthemovesinthegame.Hemayevenhavegoodexecutionanddo
perfectIbukiloopsforallweknow.Buthewillnotunderstandthegameitselftothesameextentthata
highlevelplayerdoes.Hewilloftenmakepoorlythoughtoutconclusionsbasedonhisexperiences
becauseheusuallydoesnothaveanopenmind.Fightinggamesdonotalwayshaveclearcutyesor
noanswerstoeverything,therearelotsofmaybesandperhaps.Noteverythingisblackor
white,andthegreyzoneisinfactmassive.Themidlevelplayermightalsoevendeludehimselfinto
thinkingheisalreadyplayingatahighlevel.
Howtoevolvefromthemidlevel:theproblemyouarelikelytohaveisalackofunderstandingofthe 11/18
2/11/2016
Howtoevolvefromthemidlevel:theproblemyouarelikelytohaveisalackofunderstandingofthe
gameasawhole(orasweliketocallit,fundamentals).Youhavemostofthepiecesofthepuzzle,but
youhaventquiteputthemtogetheryet,soyouarenotableyettoseethebigpicture.Everythinginthe
gameplaysanimportantyetcomplementaryrole(footsies,space/timecontrol,yomi,meter
management).Toseethebigpicture,youhavetoopenyourmind,behonestwithyourselfandstart
thinkingaboutthegameinadeeperwaythanyouhavepreviouslydone.Alwaysbecriticalofany
situationandalwaysaskyourselfquestions,andalwaysbewillingtotestoutsolutions.Andwhenyou
testoutsolutions,dontimmediatelydiscardthemifyouarenotinitiallysuccessfulwiththem.Tryand
askyourselfwhytheydidntworkinthisparticularcaseandwhethertheycouldstillworkifused
slightlydierently.Curiosityiskey.ThemostcommonaspectofStreetFightermidlevelplayersdont
understandwellenougharefootsiesanditsusuallyakeytoreachingthehigherlevelsofplay.For
StreetFighterfootsies,everyplayershouldwatchthisvideobyJuicebox
(h ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQQCan5oo90(h ps://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=FQQCan5oo90)).Whilethetoneinthevideomightbeconfrontationalandperhapsabitrude,its
quitethehonesteyeopenerforvirtuallyanymidlevelplayer.Notonlydoesitshowyouhowfootsies
workinthatgame,itshowsyoutheamountofworkyouhavetoputintotrulyunderstandthem,in
eachandeverymatchup.
Thescrub
Thescrubisanegativevariantofthemidlevelplayer.Hewillgenerallybeevenmoredelusionalthan
yourregularmidlevelplayerbecausehewilloftentrytojustifyhisactionsandmindsetandreject
compellingarguments.Evenwhenhemightknowdeepinsidethatheiswrong,hewillalwaystryto
arguethatheisrightbecausehefeelsshame/humiliationinadmi ingtothecontrary.Ascrubmayalso
bequitevocalabouthissubjectiveopinionsonvirtuallyanythinginthegame.Heisoftentheguyyou
willhearcallacharacterbraindead,amovestupidoracertainplaystyleboring.Hemaywhine
constantlytothepointwhereyouwonderifheevenenjoysplayingthegameintherstplace.Similarly
totheregularmidlevelplayer,hewillalsomakehastyconclusions,buthemightbeevenmorestubborn
aboutle inggoofsaidconclusions.Therefore,thescrubistheonemostlikelytobestuckinhis
evolutionasaplayer.
12/18
Howtostopbeingascrub:Thegameisgenerallynotguiltyofbeingstupid.99,99%ofthetime,itsyour
2/11/2016
Howtostopbeingascrub:Thegameisgenerallynotguiltyofbeingstupid.99,99%ofthetime,itsyour
fault.Wouldntvideogamesbeboringifeverythingalwayswentyourway?Youshouldnotbeafraidto
admitthatyouarewrongandthatyouhavelotstolearn.Humilitygoesalongway,andthereishardly
anypointinmaintainingsomeformofegowhenyouwanttoimprove.Youplayvideogames,for
goodnesssake.Keepapositivemindsetandinsteadofjudgingplayersandplaystyles,workon
adaptingtothem.Asidefromthat,mostofthetipsIgaveinthehowtoevolvefromthemidlevelalso
applyhere,sogivethoseasecondread.
Thehighlevelplayer
Thehighlevelplayerhasafullunderstandingofthesituationathand.Heisnotsimplifyingittothis
normalbeatsmynormal.Heknowsthatitismorecomplexthanmeetstheeyeandthatdierent
factorsledtothisparticularmoment.Whenitcomestofootsies,thehighlevelplayerwillpaya ention
athowhisopponentswalk,whentheyliketopressbu onsandwillalwaystrytogureoutwhythey
dothethingstheydo(eventhetiniestli lethings).Theyputinthatkindofthoughtprocessforevery
aspectofthegame.
Butasidefromfundamentals,whatoftenseparatesgoodplayersfromtheweakisthegameplanandthe
abilitytoadapt.Thehighlevelplayerswilla empttogatherandinterpretinformationontheir
opponentsdecisionmakingtoformtheirgameplan.Theywilllookatafewtellsandquirksand
insertyouinacategory,andpicktheoptionstheyneedtodefeatyou.Thatistosay,theyarenotcontent
withsimplyknowingtheinsandoutsofamatchup,theywillalsolooktopresstheiradvantagesinthe
weaknessesthendinyouasaplayer.
Somepeopleansweringthetweethaveexpressedtheirreliefofnotbeinghighlevelplayersduetothe
amountofthinkingthatseemstogothrougheveryaction.Icouldnotunderstandthatmindsetanyless.
Inmyopinion,notonlyisitsatisfyingtohaveaperfectgraspofeverythingthatisgoingon,butitis
evenmoresatisfyingwhenyoutryoutanswerstocertainproblemsanditworksoutinyourfavor.Asa
ghtinggameplayer,Iwilltellyouthatthereisnothingquiteasmentallystimulatingasthe
adrenalinerushthatcomesfromcloselycontestedba leofmindswithastrongopponent.
___________________________________________________
Anyway,Ihopeyouguysallhadfunreadingthis.ThisiswhatIwantedtodoinitially,andthe
13/18
2/11/2016
Anyway,Ihopeyouguysallhadfunreadingthis.ThisiswhatIwantedtodoinitially,andthe
incredibleamountofpositivefeedbackfromthetweetpromptedmegiveyouguyssomethinginreturn.
Ifyouhaveanyquestionsonimprovementandmindset,oranythingforthatma erfeelfreetoaskme
questionsonTwi erath p://twi er.com/MrKingFunk! (h p://twi er.com/MrKingFunk!)
YoucanalsolikemyFacebook(h ps://www.facebook.com/MrKingFunk/)pageorfollowmeonTwitch
(h p://twitch.tv/MrKingFunk).Itrytostreamonaregularbasisandlovetohelpoutplayersinneed.
Haveagreattimelearningghtinggames!Stayhungryandbecurious!
PostedinEditorialandtaggedBison,DierentPlayersSameSituation,EvilRyu,FightingGames,
Improvement,KingFunk,Learning,Mindset,MrKingFunk,PlayerPerspective,StreetFighterIV,USF4
onDecember4,2015bymrkingfunk.4Comments
ThePowerofBlocking&Information
Disclaimer:ThisarticleismostlydedicatedtoUltraStreetFighterIV,butyoumightndideasandtheoriesthat
youcanapplytootherghtinggames.
Blocking.Itisbasicallytheultimateformofdefenseasitonlyhasoneweakness(throws).Strangely
enough,whenitcomestoUltraStreetFighterIV,thisisnotsomethingmostplayersliketodothatmuch.
14/18
ButbeforeItacklethistopic,thereisonecringeinducingandmisguidedideaIdliketoaddresswhichI
2/11/2016
ButbeforeItacklethistopic,thereisonecringeinducingandmisguidedideaIdliketoaddresswhichI
hearmuchtoooftenfrommidlevelplayers:whencrouchtechingisseenasaformofblocking.Idonot
careinwhatplanetorrealmyoulivein.Ifyoucrouchtech,youarenotblocking,youarepressing
bu onsandthusleavingyourselfopentoframetraps.Thismentalityisoftenfoundwithinpeoplewho
believethatcrouchtechingisanabsolutenecessityindefenseandhastobeperformedatalltimes,no
ma erwhatthesituation.Whatsnottolike?Yougettotechthrowsora acktheopponentifheisnt
doingsohimself!Whywouldntyoudoit?Well,Icouldgiveyoutheobviousanswermostwellversed
playersinthegamewilltellyouandsaywelluhhyoumighteatanastyframetrapwhichcanleadto
30%+damage,cornerpushandpossiblyasetupdependingonwhoyouarefacing.Butthisarticlewas
notwri entowarnyouaboutthedangersofexcessivecrouchteching.Thatwouldbelikepointingout
thatdrinking3litersofvodkaisbadforyourhealth.Itisheretotellyouaboutthebenetsofblocking
inawayyoumaynothavethoughtaboutbefore.
Thisisntblocking.
HaveyoueverfacedatopplayerinStreetFighter?
Letstakeaclassicscenario.YouarefacingsometopJapaneseplayerandyouaredoingquitewellinthe
rstround.Yougotabunchofthrowsonhimandperformedsomeofyourdirtysetups.Perhapsyou
evenwonthatround!Butforsomereason,everythingjustgoesdownhillfromthere.Breaking
hisdefensesuddenlybecomesalotmoredicultandheisoutplayingyouinneutral.Youlose
convincingly.Afterthesetsomefriendscomeuptoyouandtellyouwowyoudidgreatintherst
round,Ithoughtyouhadthis!.
Herearethesadnews.Thatrstroundwasntyouwinningoroutthinkingyouropponent.Thereisa
reasontopplayersareusuallyeasytothrowintheearlystagesofamatch.Theyaredownloadingyou.
Theyarele ingyouthrowthem.
Thisallhappenedbecausetheywereinitiallyblockingalot.Whyisblockingsopowerful?Thisiswhere
theconceptofinformationkicksin.Blockingisanoncommi ingtypeofdefensethatleaksveryli le
informationwhileleavingyoususceptibletogainalotonyouropponentsoense.Insimplerwords,
youlearnmuchmoreaboutyouropponentsa ackpa ernsthantheydoaboutyourdefensivepa erns.
Letssayyoulovetomashinvinciblereversalsingeneral.Reversalswillofteneitherhitorgetblocked
bytheopponent.ButwhatifthatsmokyRyuerceDragonPunchhitsyouropponent?Whathaveyou
learnedfromthat?Notthatmuch.UhhIguesstheygothitbecausetheytriedtodosomething,Imnot
surewhatorwhythough.ButheyIgotoutofthisbadsituationsoitsallgood..Incontrast,your
15/18
2/11/2016
surewhatorwhythough.ButheyIgotoutofthisbadsituationsoitsallgood..Incontrast,your
opponentlearnedthatyoulikemashingunsafereversalswhichisnotnecessarilygood(unlessyouare
tryingtosendamessage).
Butwhatifyouhadjustblocked?Youcouldhaveusedthisopportunitytoanalyzehowyouropponent
performsoense.Manyofthequestionsbelowcanbeansweredbyholdingdownbackandobserving
whatyouradversarydoes:
doesyouropponenttrytouseframetraps?
doesyouropponenttrytoconditionyouwiththrows?
doesyouropponentgoforthrowsbywalkingforwardafteranextendedblockstring?
doesyouropponentblock/backointhemiddleofhispressuretobaityourreversals?
doesyouropponentuseoverheads?
isyouropponentjustthemostaverageXBLKenplayerwhodoesacr.LK,cr.LPblockstringinto
karathrow?
manymore
Asasidenote:eatingathrowisnottheendoftheworld.EspeciallyinUltraStreetFighterIVwhereyouhave
delaywakeuptomakemixupsmoredicultforyouropponent.Furthermore,byge ingthrownyougetan
opportunitytolearntoblockambiguoussetups.Again,information.
Thisiswhatmanytopplayersdo.Theyletyouperformyouroensesotheycangatherinformation
fromyou.Oncetheyknowenough,theywilla empttoapplyagameplantocounteryouroense.If
theynoticethatyouloveyourframetraps,theywillkeepblocking,maybebackdash/reversalorperhaps
evenreadyourtrainofthoughtandtechyourthrow.Iftheynoticeyouaretryingtobaittheirreversals,
theywillexploityourdoubtandpressbu onstotakecontrol(anyKazunokomatch).Iftheynoticeyou
liketowalkuptothrowthemafterablockstring,theywillstopyouwithbu ons.Theexamplesare
endless.Thepointis,thisissomethingyoucanalsoapplytoyourgame.
Thisisnottosayyoushouldntsometimesusereversalsorcrouchtech.Intheend,itishardtodenythe
factthatwhatworksagainstsomeoneisusuallytherightthingtodo.Ifyouspamcrouchtechandyour
opponentsarebadatbreakingdefenses,goodforyouIguess.Butkeepinmindthatwheneveryou
performamoveinStreetFighter,whetherinoenseordefense,youaregivingoutinformation.
Informationforyouropponenttousetohisadvantage.Informationhecanusetoadapthisgameplan.
Virtuallyanyplayerhaspa ernsorhabits.Oneofthemostimportantqualitiesforaplayertohaveisthe
abilitytodiscernandexploitthem.
SomethingalotofplayersforgetaboutStreetFighteristhatitsatwoplayergame.Thegameisntjust
aboutwhatyoudo,itsaboutyourinteractionwiththeotherplayer.Gooddefenseisnotyourabilityto
techthrows,butrathertheabilitytoadapttotheopponentshabitsbytakingintoaccountthe
informationyouhavegathered,thusincreasingyourlikelihoodtoblockframetraps,techthrowsand
perhapsndthecorrectmomentstouseareversal.Thisrequirespatienceandobservation.
Ofcourse,theresalsotheconceptoffeedingyouropponentfalseordeceitfulinformationbutthatsa
topicforanotherday.
Soyeah,blockingiskindagood.Dontbeafraidtoholddownbackwhenpressured,especiallyatthe
startofsets.Maybeyoulleatathrowortwoinitially,butyouwilllearnmoreaboutyouropponentand
thiswillimproveyourabilityinthelongtermtoadapttoyouropponentinbothshortandlongsets.
EvenifyouareaViperorYunplayer.
PostedinEditorialandtaggedBlocking,CrouchTeching,Defense,Editorials,Information,KingFunk,16/18

MINDSET, TIME MANAGEMENT & IMPROVEMENT IN FIGHTING GAMES - King Funk

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Оригинальное название

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

MINDSET, TIME MANAGEMENT & IMPROVEMENT IN FIGHTING GAMES - King Funk

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

2/11/2016

Вам также может понравиться