Also it’s worth noting that vs chun and rose it’s actually better to OS sweep since fs.hk will catch them too far away and you won’t be able to combo into anything seriously damaging. I think that a sweep is better than fs.hk > c.mk, especially since their wakeup sucks (obviosuly not rose when she has u2)
Ah, thanks for the responses.
- Didn’t realize the s.lk was OSing s.hk. Makes a lot of sense now - I thought that it was only so that a throw would “appear faster” as Akuma was already standing. If we chain cr.lk into s.lk the opponent has no opportunity to backdash right? Does that mean we purposely put a hole in this as well?
superlollo you mention it’s better to OS sweep, so that means we’re doing cr.lk cr.lp (+cr.hk), cr.lp as blockstrings vs Chun/Rose?
- Understood on the c.hk demon cancel. So basically he’s cancelling into Demon super late? Will have to work on that.
Can you cr.lk or cr.jab> cr.lk+hk for an os to beat out backdashes and FADC backdash? I’ve seen tokido use cr.jab into cr.rh to beat out backdashes on wakeup but I always thought that it was just pure reflexes that caught the backdash and not an OS. Also would the cr.lk recover in time to be able to cr.rh after a wakeup backdash?
yeah it obviously is an OS…just press c.lp > c.lp+c.hk and the sweep will come out if the first c.lp whiffs because of a backdash.
No, if you put a hole in the string you’ll always get s.hk instead of s.lk because it won’t chain. You can use that OS on wakeup doing a meaty c.lp or c.lk or after a blocked focus attack for example.
For example after getting a knockdown you can empty jump and press c.lk+c.lp (OS tech) then quickly chain s.lk+s.hk (OS for backdash)…this way you can cover 2 options at once…if you hit them with the first c.lk you can end your combo, if they block you can go into a blockstring, if they wakeup throw you tech and if the backdash you hit them with s.hk and can combo afterwards
Hey guys I wasn’t sure where to put this so I ask here: Who can I go to as a guide to learn how to improve my footsies? I heard that Infiltration has some pretty good footsies but wasn’t sure if he is considered “the golden standard” so to speak when it comes to footsies amongst Akuma players. I really want to get better in this department but not sure the best way to “train” so to speak so that I can be better in my footsies. Any thoughts/tips would be great appreciated. :china:
lk tatsu - hk sweep
Admittingly, this is probably one of Akuma’s best combo for vortexing. Sadly, I cannot seem to ever land it consistantly. However, to take my Akuma to the next level I finally concluded I need to master this combo. That said, I have spent countless hours in Training to get the timing down including how to plink, double tap, double-plink, etc., you name it to no-avail thus I am turning to you guys for some tips/help.
One thing I noticed overtime is that depending on how you start the lk tatsu, whether by itself or with st.HP or cr.lp-cr.lk tatsu, the opponent’s character will either fall closer or further away from Akuma thus the HK sweep needs to be done sooner or later else it will fail to connect. And plinking etc. seems to have little to no help in landing the sweep. Basically, it seems to all boil down to timing. I say this because without plinking etc. I can sometimes land the sweep if I just focus on timing.
Bottom line, how can I improve, land the tatsu - sweep, consistently regardless of the startup be it lk tatsu alone or via a BnB combo. Any pointers or suggestions would greatly be appreciated.
Note: Yes. I have read all the threads on this topic/subject with little to no success in execution thus am asking here for further assistance to hopefully master this combo once and for all. Thanks in advance.
I’ll try my best. I use a standard 360 controller. What I do is the following: hit FK+ MK/LK together when doing the sweep. Put more emphasis on FK though. As for visual cues and timing, do it a split-second after hitting the tatsu - right after Akuma makes the “oomph” sound. If you want, add me to XBL and we can go over it in party chat. I was so happy when I learned it myself, lol, I felt like a new player.
I hope I’m not asking a stupid question, but who exactly are you trying to tatsu, sweep? I don’t like to assume what others know, but it is character specific. It is fairly easy on Sagat/Boxer. It is impossible on Ryu/Ken (amongst others)
As I “Note: …”, I have read all the tatsu-sweep thread therefore I know which characters it works on and those that do not. But thanks for the clarification.
Sorry but I’m on PSN. (It’s still down … :wtf: , I need my SSF4 fix … 
.) Anyway, I use a stick, not a MadCatz thank goodness, though I have one - so freaking heavy etc.
And yes, I have done/tried the FK+MK/LK plink after a tatsu with very little success. I am not looking for random success but more so like above 80% so I can comfortably use the combo in actual matches. As it stands, I just go for the full BnB HP srk combo in fear of missing the sweep. Everytime I try it in actual matches, it misses so I just resort to the HP srk.
I need the sweep combo as it is crucial against the likes of Sagat, Balrog, Cammy, and Guile just to name a few.
Anyway, any suggestion, tips, or help is much appreciated. And I’ll try the “oomph sound” cue to see how it works out.
I just wanted to be sure and I was wary of causing insult! I quoted your “Note:” for a reason, but with all the trouble you are experiencing, I wasn’t sure if you were still unaware about the characters. With that all cleared up, I feel like landing the sweep is simply a matter of practice. I would only suggest trial and error because you really should be able to land this after very little time. If you sweep and it whiffs, press sweep sooner. If you sweep and it doesn’t even come out, press sweep later. Once you find the right timing, just keep practicing it until it’s consistent.
I don’t like to over complicate things with visual queues or sounds, but just getting a feeling and developing muscle memory for it. Sorry if this isn’t helpful, but it’s what I do when trying to work on certain things!
Well, that is my problem all along - “getting a feeling” - for when to precisely hit the sweep. Plinking, double taps, and double plinks are suppose to eliminate this guessing game of when to his the sweep. Well, not eliminate, but better the odds of connecting the sweep. Obviously, it is not working for me regardless of which method I have tried leading me to ask for tips, suggestions, and help.
If I practice say for hours and finally land it somewhat consistently. Well, that is good but give it a rest or day or two and I am back to “zero” thus I need a better, proven, method/way to land it on day one or day one-hundred.
Anyway, thanks for your input.
Try to develop a rythm for it. It may sound strange, but that’s what I do when I practice my combos - I pretend I’m tapping out the rythm for a given combo until it becomes engrained in my mind. So for me, when I do cr. lp x 3 xx LK Tatsu, I think in my head tap… tap… tap-tap!. And it works!
The only problem I have with the tatsu sweep is that sometimes I’m on autopilot and I do it on characters I’m not supposed to… :razz:
Let’s get this straight: you’re never gonna have 80% consistency on tatsu>sweep online…you can see fucking TOKIDO miss that shit in offline play. Myself, I can do it 9/10 in training mode but online it’s more like 50/50 unless i’m playing on a really good connection. Also, different characters have different timings and I believe that even the combo starter can vary the timing of the sweep.
There are only 2 answers to get it down consistently:
A) learn plinking correctly…and I don’t mean pressing 2 buttons together, I mean consistently seeing the right input in training mode.
B) Grind that shit…for hours…just go in training mode, pick someone like Rose as p2 and practice all your combos and end them all with sweep…fadc combos, easy bnbs, whatever, just end them all with lk tatsu > sweep…and I don’t mean 15 minutes, I mean hours…1 hour a day for a week should give you a good consistency…again, forget to be consistent on a yellow bar connection
I’m guessing that my two greatest hopes- that Akuma will get back the two best things about him in the original SF4, are in vain:
1: That Akuma would get back his best quote ever, the one that got taken away in Super for no reason… “Open your eyes and gaze upon the man who has broken you!”
2: That Akuma gets his loop back. Yes I know you can still do it but no one really explained clearly why it still works when the frame data is different… and its harder to do, isn’t it?
The loop was retarded and was removed from vanilla for complete valid reasons.
Its fickle in this game for two main reasons:
1.) fs.hk starts up 1frame slower
2.) Both hitboxes for the fs.hk have been retracted closer to Akuma’s body which reduces its forward reach.
What this means is that its only possible on characters that have odd hitboxes (Adon, Rufus, Cody, Honda) combined with the player having to ‘try’ and take advantage of landing the fs.lp on its later active frames (thus giving you a pseudo +1 frame of frame advantage for the fs.hk to link, ergo loop). These things combined allow 2 - 3 loops, particularly on Honda. Even so, its horribly unreliable and is quite literally a bit of dumb luck if you land it.
The biggest downside to this change is that fadc from a regular fireball into fs.hk is borderline useless on almost all the cast with the exception of perhaps Ryu and Chun.
Also, wasn’t the st.LP hitbox nerfed too? That thing seems to have no reach at all atm…
nah, it’s still the same…you can still hti sagat from a mile away after a s.hk
Oh I see, thought they tweaked it too to get the loop removed. So it’s just the fs.HK, good to know.
Tweaking the s.lp hitbox would have been the INTELLIGENT way to remove the loop, but we all know they don’t do smart stuff at Capcom, so they decided to increase the startup of fs.hk, making the FADC combo also impossible (well, not really impossible but not reliable).