Jamie/Marvel: Last time I watched you, I was serious - you’ve obviously gotten a lot better and just need to watch random mashing into tag-out. One potential problem is you seem too defensively minded - that’ll rip apart many teams, but that’s why I was destroying you with Team Scrub. Work on the safe-ish rushdown.
Nate/Marvel: play characters who do less damage so you learn to get pickier about trading hits and choosing your openings. I think Sentinel and glitched Juggernaut breed pretty bad habits that way. :lol:
I feel like I am right on the brink of being a very good player, but I just can’t seem to break through the threshold that will put me there. The reason I’ve been doing so poorly in the tournaments lately is because I’ve been going into each tournament with a completely different set of strategies than the last time, trying to find something that will work for me the best.
I’ve noticed that I can predict almost exactly what my opponent is going to do at any given time, but sometimes I just stick out something stupid for no reason and I’ll lose a match for it. I can consciously say in my head (or out loud if I’m playing on GGPO or something) what the other guy is going to do next, and it’ll be right most of the time, but I’ll just fail to do anything about it. Like, I’ll see a super coming from a mile away, but for some dumb reason I’ll react to it with a low forward. wtf am I doing?
I guess I’ve kinda answered my own question here, maybe I just need to relax and start doing the right moves instead of the wrong ones
and maybe quit flash kicking so damn much
to Jamie: you play very defensively in ST, and you should keep doing that (against me at least). the moment you start getting aggressive is the moment the match swings into my favor, so keep up your wall of kikkokens as long as possible, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I lose to you in a tournament someday
to any shoto players (pablo, I’m looking at you): don’t ever throw a fireball at the start of a round against Guile. I can do a number of things to punish you for it on reaction (one of which will kill you), and the most you’ll get out of it is chip damage
I think you’re pretty good, you just make bad decisions at the wrong time. You don’t tech grabs either (at least not against me in my experience which is painful). I will say though, I admire you a lot for sticking to Guile and you’re still my favorite player up here to watch. I wouldn’t say beating you is as simple as picking Chun because you were beasting me pretty bad last tourney.
I must say though, I can’t think of a time you’ve ever anti-aired me when you weren’t charged for a flash kick.
For some reason, I can’t tech grabs. I see the grab, and I input a grab(two grabs, actually, strong and fierce), but I don’t tech. It’s puzzled me for a long time, and I don’t know what to do about it. I can counter throw fine, but techs just don’t happen for me
I remember Nate commenting on it at Evo last year, but I still haven’t figured it out
I didn’t mean for the Chun comment to be derogatory in any way, I just have a lot of trouble with that matchup. It really takes me out of my comfort zone whenever someone picks her, and I do a lot of stupid things when that happens. (you have seen this first hand a lot, Mandel)
I opt to block instead of attempting anti-air normals against Chun mostly because it is really hard to beat her jumping kicks (even with a flash kick it is hard, I have to pretty much pick her up off the ground)
and jeez guys, now that I know you like watching me play I’m gonna have to win a tournament for you
I know that, I’m inputting it right as I’m getting grabbed but nothing happens! I’m pretty sure I have the skills to react to a throw, but apparently not
Jamie you’ve improved at ST but I think your problem is you try to play at a higher level than you need to. Something Beaseley explained to me is that, if you will rape the opponent by doing tactic A, but they can counter Tactic A with counter tactic B, if you never do your tactic A ever, then you lose your guaranteed win strategy, it’s like not unholstering your gun.
So if you never play at basic, level “A”, then you lose a lot of your best weapons. Your level A stuff you could improve on would be simple shit like throw whoring, counter throwing, and getting chips in when it’s all you need to win.
Axels: I think that I’ve cought up to you since Random Select when you seemed to be on a different level than me. I feel pretty confident going against you in ST now because you seem way too defensive and robotic. You should play with less fear ala Pablo IMO. When I watch you play, it doesn’t seem like you really try to “zone” as in control space, you want the opponent to either get hit by your booms or keep blocking them so you can take damage. But you could do better at “blocking off space” if you know what I mean.
I’d definitely like some constructive ST feedback plz. :tup:
Umm… how long has it been since I played you in tournament? A while, that’s for sure. I haven’t lost to you once in casuals in the past while. I keep getting eliminated by Nate and Paul/Julian now. I now fireball whore all day long against non-shotos (except Dic) as much as possible.
I think you’re a good player, but it seems like you aren’t turtling enough in tournament. Seriously, you’re trying so many strategies and mind game tactics that the basics seems to get lost somewhere along the way, when I know that your basics are solid if you focus. Really solid.
Nate: I started picking up 360 characers lately and have been doing extremely well against Paul. After using some of the tactics I picked up by watching Pony and you, I relize how simple he can be sometimes, and how easy some of his most advanced tactics are.
-One thing I never see you do much that I’ve been able to utilize quite well so far is whiffed normal>360, such as cr.forward. Also, I see you trying to get too close with Lariats against characters with long-reaching low kicks a lot (guile, chun, etc).
-Your use of green hand was great before, and I see you use it less nowadays. Why?
-Your whiffed normals to bait shotos into shouken whiffing is great, maybe you can follow up with kara 360 instead of just standing forward/rh more. Get that damage!
Mandel: What can I say? You’re too good for me to give you much advice, especially when you play the same characters as I do. One thing I must say is that you get far too aggressive most of the time, and someone good at counterthrowing and spacing is going to punish you a lot. Don’t be so angry! :woot:
Julian: Stop playing Ken/Chun Keep focusing on your boxer, and don’t try and use dash punches so much against Chun unless she’s already in block stun. Those normals do beefy damage. Use 'em! Oh, and don’t try throw loops so much. Everyone is learning to counterthrow quite well, it seems.
I would like to criticize myself. I feel horrible about being drunk off my ass every time my turn came up in an SFIV tournament. My true skills in this game have yet to be shown.
You must focus, Pablo. I could post what I posted earlier up in this. Also I’d like to see you beast again, if I remember correctly you did place 5th once at cole’s. Which was tight.
I need to stop using focus attack. Like I need to play 20 matches in a row without focus attacking once just to get out of the habit. It’s seriously like my safeguard, if I don’t know what to do/get impatient (god I get bored during sf4 matches, not gonna lie) I just start doing focus attack and go from there. Terrible habit. I don’t know how to break it though, it just happens, I don’t think about it.
and as Sim in HDR, I need to stop using yoga fire so much. like, yoga fire is only a big part of his game ONCE YOU’VE ESTABLISHED that you’re gonna zone the fuck out of your opponent with his normals. instead I just assume everyone is scared of sim and throw fireballs and all these scrubs online just jump all day anyway and fuck me up and I get all these bad habits
Keep focusing on your boxer, and don’t try and use dash punches so much against Chun unless she’s already in block stun. Those normals do beefy damage. Use 'em! Oh, and don’t try throw loops so much. Everyone is learning to counterthrow quite well, it seems.