The only characters who should give you the most headache with air to airs are those with air grabs. Other than that I would say learn the different hit boxes of Gouken’s air to airs so you can know which attack to execute depending on where your opponent is. http://shoryuken.com/f268/gouken-hitbox-data-ssf4-235595/
If you still can’t resolve your issue that way, then just find way’s to bait them into a couple of cr. fp’s so they will be reluctant to jump.
The other half he should be working on is his timing. Even if you use the right air normal it won’t mean anything if you hit it late. Work on your reaction to someone jumping as well, that should iron out those air to air issues.
Another question: Kara throw. How many people uses it, and how do you use it?
I’m very bad at it, mostly cause my timing is bad and it turn into forward round house almost half the time. Typically when I do, I will use three jab then try to take them by surprise since they are usually expecting a c.lk or a c.mp from that range. What is your recommend set up? And do you know anywhere where kara throw can be used as a punish?
PS: When I Kara throw with Gouken I usually do forward throw, not backward.
Gouken’s kara throw is pretty worthless. Don’t even bother investing the time in it, just work on your throw setups.
How do you guys feel about the Gouken vs. Ryu match up at the moment in your gamplay, you know 5-5 or 4-6, I’ve been getting my arse handed to more by Ryu so I feel more like a 3-7. Just wanted your guys/gals input on the situation.
I think it is 5.5/4.5 in Ryu favorite. You have many tools against his fireball game, but up close Ryu destroy Gouken with mix up. Long as you can keep them under pressure instead of being pressured, you should be fine. But obviously easier said then done since he have superior footise.
Sounds about right to me. Gouken is strong in that matchup when he’s on offense or during zoning, but once he starts to get rushed down there isn’t anything he can do. It’s all guessing at that point since there isn’t a guaranteed way to get Ryu off you.
The advantage I normally resort to when I’m sure they aren’ teching is using EX Kongo between his block strings. According to frame data he doesn’t have a +3 on block normal, so you can slide one in during block strings and counter hit attempts to get him off of you. Of course you have to show you can tech the grab first, or if he doesn’t grab then, he’s likely to repeat the same pattern. Kongo away!!
On the other hand, Ken has a lot of +4 on block bull shit with 3 frame start ups so it’s not a good strategy vs. him.
I try not to throw out kongo on block strings because it’s very risky. Any number of things can go wrong and you’ll take some unnecessary damage. One of the people I play with regularly will start a block string and not do anything to bait a kongo if my teching has been on point that day. It’s mind games and pretty much it boils down to guessing unless you have your opponent so mindfucked he doesn’t know what he’s doing anymore, of which case you shouldn’t be letting him be able to move let alone do block strings on you.
The only thing that could go wrong is the opponent can stop and wait for a punish or just try to grab you. We all know this, that’s nothing new, that still doesn’t mean that it’s not useable. As far as being punished, it’s no different than a shoto having an srk blocked with the exclusion of SRK FADC.
If an opponent is all over your ass they either have to be empty jumping you on your wake up, they will attack and bait kongo, or they will try to go for the grabs. Once you’ve teched a few grabs and the opponent is hell bent on using block strings. You mash EX Kongo in the reversal window and if they do something stupid it comes out and they are now off of your ass and you can now go back to zoning or whatever.
This game is nothing but who guesses correctly especially all of that up close shit. If some one is strictly either grabbing you or trying to bait kongo per their rush down, in that case you’d be better off blocking and teching, but it’s still a guess. Checkmate who plays Ryu makes a living off of his opponent blocking and teching. That’s when he normally goes for the counter hit opportunity betting that you tried to tech the throw. On the other hand, Kongo beats the counter hit option per reversal, so it’s still a guessing mans game b/c we can do the same shit.
The reason why this is ineffective in most matches especially on lower level play, is b/c every one tries to kongo every damn thing b/c it looks cool. Get thrown a couple of times now you are scared to use it > thus opponents are free to pressure the shit out of you with grabs, block strings, hit confirms, and counter-hits.
You have to set your opponent up for these type of things and use their offense against them. That’s one of Gouken’s biggest strengths. I’m not saying that Kongo beat’s everything, but if an opponent is hell bent on rushing Gouken down they better make sure they are using block strings that don’t leave a reversal window or Kongo can beat it. That’s the primary function of kongo, to get them the hell off of you, only an idiot would just start tossing it out there trying to counter every damn thing > then it would be practically useless.
2 things I always ask myself in this match up, is he grab happy? Especially after the jumping hk. But cr. fp beats j. hk and you can 2 in 1 into another to meaty him after the reset. The other thing I look for is, does he spam srk in the reversal window. The only way to find that out is to get in close on that son of a bitch and test him, keep in mind that you can stuff his srk.
If you can bait the srk and force him to abandon it you’ve done your job. If he can force you to abandon kongo he’s done his. Aside from Red Fireball Ryu has to work and risk himself to close the distance between he and Gouken. Cr. fp beats all of his jump ins, and kongo beats air tatsu. Who will guess right? I’m putting my money on cr. fp! Once he’s eaten a couple of those, he’s free to anti air kongo.
Gouken is a master of the mind fuck, if he loses to Ryu he just got out guessed and out played, period. This match up is 5/5.
congo FADC palm outside of corner, i’m sure i saw some1 doing this. who does it work on??
Thanks for the very insightful responses I guess ill just have to play more and don’t lose confidence in my game, in any case what type of controllers do you guys/gals use? Since I was thinking of buying a stick for like… ever.
Back in Vanilla I played on keyboard (PC version lol) and now I’m using a standard PS3 pad until I can stop being lazy and make a keyboard for my PS3.
The more I play, the less I think EX Hado is useful – outside of combos that is. I feel like it’s essentially saying “I’m giving up an EX bar so I don’t have to guess.” But I am unsure if this is really a negative thing. Do you guys use EX hado or would you rather keep EX stock for different things?
It isn’t really like that, at all.
EX Hado releases the straight hado first, Which is usually what people work on reflex for. If they see a forward one they will just jump afterward. Since Gouken as a match up is rare for most people, they usually don’t know they have to wait or catches the EX flashes to make sure they can jump safely, and even if they do wait, those moment of hesitation will throw them out of their groove and let you control the pace of the match much easier.
So for another word, throwing it out randomly is not a waste. It have it’s use, especially against people who don’t know the match up. They will start thinking that they can’t jump at all and let you do whatever you want.
i only try to use it when it’s gonna end the round or in a corner combo…i do throw it out their sometimes, usually fully charged & it catches people trying to dodge the first one half the time
That’s pretty much what Gouken’s EX is good for, to take out the guess work. It has it’s uses, but generally outside of combos it is for the purpose of forcing your opponent to deal with two areas he can’t go.
Yeah. It blocks the opponent from advancing on the ground, and sets up for a palm-juggle if they jump.
^ Very true for charged EX hado’s. Non Charged EX hado, the opponent can focus absorb it and punish you. 
Also true, but it’s somewhat less likely to happen. Still a valid tactic, IMO.
… Because I’ve been using it much more, recently - instead of firing just a lone upwards-fireball.
I do it after pressuring with about 2 random fireballs first.