I’ve been playing this game for over a year now and I still can’t anti-air consistently. I have problems reacting to it when I’m not really looking for it (backing up slightly to get some space or getting ready to throw a poke out). When I’m looking for it or have conditioned my opponent to a certain degree it’s easy. The problem is that I can’t always rely on conditioning for anti-air. I need to be able to anti-air when I’m not expecting to. For those of you that have been playing for a long time and are pretty good and consistent at anti-air (reaction dp’s for the most part) how did you become that way or were you just naturally good at it from the start? Is there a training method you would recommend to improve just this aspect of my game? I feel like I’m fairly decent on the ground, but my inability to anti-air consistently is killing me. I’m not talking about anti-air against people that just jump like crazy all of the time. I’m talking about actual skilled players that throw it in once a blue moon and then once they realize I’m vulnerable keep randomly doing it. I know its a major problem that I have, I see it happening in front of me, but I feel like I can’t do anything about it.
Just practice. When you start out its hard to handle multiple possibilities at once.
what character are you using? situational antiairs like makoto’s s.mp/s.mk/c.mk/fukiage options are quite a bit harder to use than balrog or guile’s one size fits all c.fierce.
The more you play the quicker you’ll get
other than that you’ll sometimes get a feel of WHEN someone might jump so even though you’re not predicting it you’re preparing for the possibility so when/if they do jump you’re already on point to start the DP motion. For example you’ll throw fireballs and keep walking closer to someone and the closer you get the more likely they’re going to want to jump over it so after each fireball you’re somewhat starting to expect them to jump so you won’t be caught off guard if they do.
It’s all about planning what you and/or your opponent can do a few steps ahead of time. Learn your ranges and things of the like.
I’ve been trying to fix up my AA game as well. I’ve been trying to dictate the match a little more at times by doing more unsafe risks at the right ranges like hard pokes(fireball and big pokes). Hard pokes gives you more time to think when they are unsafe on prediction but not reaction, done at the right range. You get good reads on your opponent plus that conditioning factor, since people don’t like to block, take chip and worse yet get outpoked by a hard poke a couple of times in a row.
its all reaction time, and thats something that develops slowly.
just keep trying. Fighting games are amazing at boosting reaction time
This comment makes sense to me, but is it just going to click one day? I sure hope so. Hell, I could play Bach’s Invention No. 4 on the piano after a year and that requires my brain to be split into a bass and treble cleff, but for whatever reason I just can’t think of my next move and react to what my opponent is doing at the same time.
I don’t think anti air can be equated with playing a song on an instrument. There really isn’t any point where you arrive so to speak, you should always be getting better. Do what everyone else said, mainly practice, start learning to anticipate the air move and what punish goes with it.
There’s no secret. You can’t anti-air them if you aren’t thinking about it, you just need to know when to focus your attention on jumpers the most. I mean there’s a reason Ryu players throw a couple of fireballs and then just stop and do nothing for the next 5 seconds.
I think it really is a matter of knowing how to focus your attention. I’ve noticed when I see Arturo Sanchez play Dhalsim, he can do really annoying midscreen blockstrings with Dhalsim’s st. LK and st. MK over and over. Arturo is always looking for the b+MP anti-air, though, even when doing that shit.
well, you know, the piano isn’t trying to mess with your head or play tricks on you
I have the same issue, and as far as I can tell, it comes down to this.
Unless it’s literally impossible (you’re doing a combo on them, you’re at full screen), you need to always have part of your brain set to watching if your oponent jumps.
This is the thing, if they’re good enough, they’re likely not just doing it randomly, they’re likely specifically waiting untill it looks like you’re concentrating on something else, and then jumping in, for this reason, you need to specifically try to watch for jump in when you’re doing something else.
This made me laugh 
Seriously though, guy, it’s not something can really train yourself to do. This isn’t like a combo you’re practicing in training mode. It’s something you’ve got to get used to while continuing to fight more opponents.
Eventually, your muscles will know what to do when your brain registers the thought, “This guy is jumping” basically. I’m pretty sure it’s just your reaction time is a little off right now, that’s all. Probably got the old, “deer in headlights” goin’ on, heh.
You know what to do when you see someone jump in, but you can’t react fast enough, so you’re left just standing there and they get to jump in for free. The only time they should get a jump in like that without being punished is if their character has a safe jump after knockdown. Other than that, punish that shit!
Anyway, it will all piece itself together, man. Just don’t think about it so much. This is more about your muscles reacting in time. You’ve obviously got the thinking part down already