Complete Noob Wanting to Get Better at Street Fighter IV

I bought ultra street fighter iv a few months back, I’m trash at the game, currently I was trying out Ibuki then I was hoping for more damage, so I switched to Cammy. Anyway I’m complete trash at the game and can’t link for shit or anything, and I’ve lost like a 120 games online and only won 5. Now I want to start from scratch, anyone know how I can get better without having to put in a shit ton of hours, since I kinda live on a slightly busy schedule?

You sure you don’t play Vega?

The best advice I could give is to start with a shoto like Ryu or Ken. They’re as basic as it gets. So learning how to play with them, will help you learn the fundamentals. ( Footsies, zoning, anti airs, punish etc ) Also learn how to utilise the focus mechanic. It’s essential.

I’d say practice 30mins in training and then play against the CPU for 30 min to perfect what you’ve been practicing. Don’t start off practicing Shoryuken then FADC into Ultra 1. Start practing the basics, ( what moves can anti air, spacing to learn the optimal range for the character’s normals etc ) and the advance techniques will come

There’s plenty of information available for beginners basically anywhere. Did you look at all? There’s even a better place to put this question on this forum.

If you have the money for an arcade stick, you could buy one. The main advantages to using one are better control on the control stick (having your whole hand to control it rather than just your thumb) and quicker access to more buttons (4 fingers on 4 buttons vs a tumb managing the 4 face buttons + the index and possibly middle finger managing R1/RB and R2/RT). You could also mod in an octo gate. I think they’re easier to get used to for beginners than square gates are

Also, Chun-Li is another easy character to use. She’s very focused on the neutral game. Her normals are really good

You’re struggling because you dont understand the metagame. Many people thinking fighting games are simply about doing combos, why then dont people walk right up to each other and just do them? Im sure you tried that, it doesnt work.

zoning and footsies are a great place to start and the concepts overlap many fighting games.





^Much of this information applies to SF4. He explains zoning better than anyone IMO.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQQCan5oo90 <- the absolute best tutorial ive seen on footsies so far.

… and if all else fails. Pick Blanka.

You should have posted in the Newbie Saikyo Dojo. The part of the forum is specifically made to help new players.

I got an arcade stick, I’ve tried playing smart and trying to read opponents, even when I know what they’re gonna do, my executions is still pretty shitty so I can’t really put any damage out

Then you know your problem. Get in the training room.

Thanks for the help guys, I was thinking of picking up Yun, if not I’ll just relearn the game with Ryu

If you’re on XBL you could add me, I’m pretty trash and could probably boost your confidence a bit. GT: lukexcore

Its good to play with as many characters if possible. Even if you do not like some characters knowing how they play and knowing their inputs helps to better understand the game.

This x1000. It’s good to get familiar with everything; walk speeds, jump arcs, special moves, etc. I do most of the trials/challenges with every character. It’s one thing to see special moves done to you, but when you do them yourself, you become more intimate with them and get a better grasp for their properties.