lol practise and plinking is all you need.
The timing isn’t necessarily the same. Since close lk is +6, and it has 4 frames of startup, you have a 3 frame window afterwards to hit lk and combo. For hp to combo, you have to do it on the first possible frame.
It’s not, LK LK is a 3 frame link and LK HP is a 1 frame link.
This might seems like a dumb question, but some games I’ve played have made it not so obvious: if we time dive kick - sLK - sHP perfectly, can a fast reversal break it anyway? A pro player I’m friends with claims that no links are safe, and mashed DP can c-c-c-c-COMBO BREAKER even if we time perfectly. Can anyone confirm or deny. I’m getting DPed or throw after my dive kick more often than I’d like to admit, and a lot of the time it doesnt feel like I’ve mis-timed it.
In particular this player will block dive kick w/ Chun and EX SBK before the stand short. I assumed I was mis-timing so I kept going for it, but he claims that unless I stop and block after dive kick, EX SBK will always pop me no matter how perfect my timing. Thoughts?
And if this IS correct, how often will you guys go dive kick - block? I like to mix that in vs DP mashers, but never dreamed I’d have to vs good players who know better. Silly SF4 
I hope you mean strictly on block, and not a literal interruption of a combo, links or not. Lk to hp is NOT a true blockstring, I know that for sure. Dive kick to lk I’m not sure. I would imagine if you hit the divekick low enough on their hitbox it’d be a blockstring but who knows. This game has very little blockstun. It’s stupid.
It depends on how deep the divekick hits, since that determines frame advantage. The higher up you hit, the less frame advantage, and the bigger the window between the divekick’s blockstun and the st. lk becoming active. The only truly safe blockstring Rufus has is chained cr. lks.
Divekick to block is alright, but it’s better to find the timing for divekick, delayed OS crouch tech (deep divekick, st. lk, delayed OS crouch tech is also good). Against characters with fast reversals, your button press will occur when you’re in blockstun, and if they anticipate you’re trying to bait the reversal and attempt to punish with a throw, the late tech will beat that, too.
It isn’t an issue of “knowing better”, too, since it apparently is working. Try to distance yourself from that mindset.
Yes I definitely meant on block, so I apologize for the terminology snafu (calling it “combo” was, in fact, wrong. thanks for catching that). I actually dont know what the OS crouch tech is, but I’m assuming hitting LK and LP at the same time (or “pianoed”) to either cLK or throw tech? I’ll look it up, I’m sure it’s all over the place. Though assuming that’s correct, when you say “delayed,” are you saying something like dive kick, block DP, cLK/throw tech OS to cover all bases?
I feel like I’m getting a lot better, but must admit I haven’t really looked into any option selects. No doubt I need to work that in to continue the level-up process And if sLK sHP isnt a true string, am I better off not even doing it if they block the dive? Wong seems to do it a lot in his vids, I always figured it was safe.
I’m really not as terrible as my posts must make me look lol Posting these threads is like a trip to the doctor. I’ll admit everything, no matter how embarrassing, long as it means I might get better as a result
If you divekick and don’t have enough frame advantage to blockstring into close lk (the divekick height where your close lk can get thrown), against characters with fast invincible reversals like DPs, you sort of put yourself into a bad 50/50 between getting thrown or DPed. If you exploit throw teching mechanics though the balance shifts back into your favor. Shoryukens and throws both start in 3 frames, so if you go straight to throw or immediately try to tech in anticipation of the throw, you can get DPed. You can delay the cr. lp + cr. lk up to 7 frames after the throw starts, though, so if you press OS tech late, you will be in blockstun if they DPed.
Realistically, doing something your opponent blocks isn’t that good for you. If they’re blocking, obviously it’d be better to throw; the key is mixing it up and doing the thing that beats the defense your opponent has set up against what they anticipate you’re going to do. I wouldn’t go so far as to say you’re better off not even doing it, since it can be a decent meter building option. Not every player will punish st. lk, st. hp on block, and not every character can, and some that can can be punished e.g. Blanka can ex upball, but that’s punishable on hit with U2 or low fierce.
Grr, allow me to vent a little, but this link is driving me insane. I play on a pad so I can’t plink it (I know some pad players claim they are able, I am not. Please, fellow pad warriors, enlighten me what you’re doing!). And having my combo blocked mid-combo is really REALLY getting on my nerves!! There HAS to be some kind of visual or sound cue! It’s been a while since this was discussed, so I’m wondering if anyone has any fresh ideas on timing this consistently. I have practiced and practiced and practiced ad nauseum. I’ll get it 5 or 7 times in a row, go to crack the champagne, but then fail it 5 or 7 times in a row.
Rufus is, otherwise, by FAR my best character in this game, but if I can’t do his damn BNB, I’m thinking of dropping him. What’s the point? Does anyone have any advice on this aside from, “just practice it?” In particular someone who’s hitting it 90, or even 80+% of the time w/o plinking? What I wouldn’t give for 80% consistency (I’m somewhere between 20 and 50% depending on the day)!! I’ll take that, I’ll take it and thank the SF Gods for it!! Grrrrrrrrrr!! OK, sorry I’ll be civil again.
i tried everything possible without having to plink it, but in the end plinking was the best method and most reliable. i practiced for about a month in TM without plinking and only about two weeks plinking and plinking showed better results, im able to hit my bnb about 70-80 percent of the time online, wong/ortiz still miss it everynow and than so yeah
I’ll just leave this here:
http://shoryuken.com/f315/addendum-links-252845/
Here’s the part that might actually matter to you:
Well, I know you don’t want to hear it, but yeah it’s just practice. I used to be just like you back in the vanilla days, frustrated at this link. I can do it now about 9 times out of 10 without plinking. It was just practice! I think practice is enough, because I think when your brain sees you do the combo successfully, it activates the reward center in it and you just naturally gravitate to the right timing over a period of time. Sorry if that sounded corny, haha.
Can I ask what happens when you fail the link? Do you get a c.HP or does the S.HP get blocked? I remember I had a big issue getting a c.hp instead of s.hp because I was trying to buffer the tornado too early.
When failed, I would get the sHP, but it would be blocked.
HOWEVER, I actually came up with a method that is working reeeally well! So despite being the guy who ranted about not being able to do it, I can now be the guy I was looking for then who has a trick for doing it! It sounds kind of paradoxical, but my method is: do it as fast as possible without doing it as fast as possible. Obviously if you piano it, it’s too fast. But outside of that, I’m just doing it as fast as I can and have been 80% or so in the last few days. And man, that is a be-autiful thing (like violence!)
And of course, having practiced it ad nauseum no doubt helped 
easier said than done lol
I was noticing this when I was practicing last night, the HP input is deceptively fast.
Something I found that helps me is rather than plinking HP~MP, I plink HP ~ LK. Still ends in the same result, but lessens the chance of me being sloppy and getting EX tornado.
plink is tha way
Like many people already said, plinking with strong is the way to go.
Just practise and you’ll get the rhythm. I had trouble with this too and ended up doing cr. fierce before the tornado for some reason.
Don’t rush the cancel or you’ll also cr. fierce.
Perhaps someone can shed light on my problem. Currently i can get dive kick >lk>st.hp>hpGT about 20% of the time in practice mode, if i pull the dive kick out and just do lk > st.hp>hp.gt i am successful 40-50% of the time. When i’m not successful with the full combo it gets split into two (a 2 hit then a 3 hit). Does the dive kick alter timings later on in the combo?
TLDR version: Does height of a dive kick affect combo timing?
Yes, the higher you hit the divekick the bigger delay there is between the mk and lk button presses, and since you get less frame advantage, linking into lk is a tighter timing. If you are getting 2 hits then 3 hits, your lk and hp are comboing, but you aren’t holding forward so the HP GT isn’t comboing from HP.
Ah sorry i meant to put 2 hits then 4 hits, hp is comboing with gt and lk is comboing with the divekick. If i don’t do the divekick i get the combo out in full (lk hp hp gt), but if i add it in i get the 2 hit 4 hit