i can never get anything started when playing in a match. I can do decent combos in training mode (because the character is standing still of course) but once i get in a real match arcade mode or otherwise it feels like ive never played the game before.
Any tips? I really enjoy this game but its pretty discouraging getting owned 
Try to set the dummy to CPU (that way you find instances where the opponent is vulnerable) and try to find openings that lead to confirming your combos. Basically practice in real situations, eventually with patience and time youāll land them consistently =]
Also before you commit to an idea of pressing a certain button or motion try to think about what your opponent is TRYING to make you or he/herself is trying to do. Ask yourself what are the outcomes if you jump at this point or that point, ask yourself whether a certain move is safe at a certain distanceā¦most of it comes with experience but really I think the biggest problem new players have with ANY fg is constantly THINKING while they playā¦so knock em dead bro =]
Thanks Iāll definitely do that 
I can never get a good feel for these games, never seems like I can get the right space to jump in, use mynormals etc. Same was the case with blazblue, Iāll just have to practice more and lay off ssfae for a bit
Patience. You dont lose 2 then become good or even marginally better. Shit takes time.
It takes to get good at any fight games. You donāt suck!!! Training room is so different compare to real matches.
just gotta get used to the game by playing more people thatās all, even if it requires getting beatdown alot.
Eventually games like this wonāt seem so fast too you. As you become more familiar with the game and the characters your opponents use you start processing things faster. It just takes some experience.
I never considered this game to be fast paced. I actually love the pace that it runs at.
I know exactly what you mean, OP. Itās that thing that puts me off playing fighting games online (or any competitive game online, really). Though like Projectjustice above me, I actually find this game medium paced, just right for me, whereas BB and GG always felt too fast, like playing a game in ZSNES with the turbo mode toggled on (try that with SF2 some time, itās pretty funny). Even so, I still get that feeling of suddenly mentally regressing to someone whoās never played a fighting game before whenever I try to play online.
What Iām doing at the moment is playing practice mode against a friend. Itās just a crazy free-for-all than nobody can win, but it tends to naturally find a rhythm where heāll start doing some random rushdown stuff (heās not very good, a real button masher) which will make me go on the defensive and look for a way to reverse it, all the while considering āI could try* that* combo to punish himā. If I fuck it up, no big deal. We all have infinite health anyway. Then the tables turn and I go more on the offensive and heās trying to evade, so itās good practice from that angle too. I find it better than playing against the CPU in training mode simply because itās still a human, being more spontaneous and psychological than the CPU, even if itās your 10-year-old sister playing or whatever.
I guess anything faster than ssf4 is fast paced to me haha. not used to the hitboxes
I need someone whos pretty good at the game to practice with but is also cool to talk with, thats how i gained a little more skill in ssf was meeting people better then me who i also could get along with, helps alot
Donāt you have friend or family member in real life whoād just casually screw around in training mode with you? None of my friends are into fighting games (hell, most of them donāt even have a console or gaming PC) but some of them are up for just jumping around and attacking me in training mode. You might even get some of them interested in playing it more seriously.
It is easy to be disillusioned with the speed of kof. I dont really see it being all that fast as it is execution heavy
Pretty much. The harder execution is probably giving most people the illusion that itās fast. Itās slower than than the last few kof and I think itās slower than the 3d kof also.
I mean the game can seem fast when you donāt know how to punish anything and your opponent is just doing unsafe move after unsafe move against you lol. Thats how i felt when i first played kof years ago
yea theres that, i can barely punish stuff thats blatantly unsafe hah. pacing aside im definitely not used to the games hitboxes, i always misjudge my spacing
I donāt think the game is too fast. The hit-confirming is quicker sure, and some of the moves look a bit faster but I think itās overall the more aggressive nature of the game that fools you into think itās fast paced. Whereas Street fighter has a lot more zoning, footsies and ground games cause jumping is such a huge risk, thereās a lot more ways to vary it up in KOF. Thatās my perspective on it at least.
I feel like training mode is one of those things you should hit up AFTER you found some characters you like, or if you even like the game, and once you get a feel for how it plays. Okay, so it is helpful to at least know like a bnb combo going into it, but itās much better to just play and find out what works.
That being said, there are things you can do in real matches that help you improve, or at least they work for me whenever I learn a new character in a game. I usually have a mental checklist prepared before I start practicing a new guy against people, and I work on one thing at a time. For instance, in my first couple matches, Iām going to completely focus on learning the characterās anti-airs, when they trade/whiff, whatever. Then in another set, I might try working on a characters footsies or consistently getting the bnb down. Etc., just try to focus on improving specific parts of your game first, then everything will improve regardless as it becomes natural.
You forget 99% of the people on this site play SF4 lol
Including myself, i do find sf4 slow overalll especially after playing 3s.