Trying to start learning a basic loop, but I’m having trouble with the timing to connect the 4 hits:
st.hp ->lk.tatsu->cr.hp->lk. tatsu
I don’t get the input timing after the first tatsu is out
any tips (besides practicing of course)? Is there an easier loop to practice? haha thanks
Make sure your not just using muscle memory but also a visual reference. Set ups and tv’s are always different and while muscle memory is very important its also important to visually know when your supposed to be pressing it. You have to feel the rhythm of it. Try going lk.tatsu>st.hp>lk.tatsu>cr.hp>lk.tatsu when practicing, for me that helps cause I get the rhythm of the st.hp for my cr.hp. You can use s.lk which is an easier link (2 frames) but if you plink cr.hp its a 2 frame link anyways. You just gotta feel it, some days when i’m not hitting my loops I just switch them up. What I like to do is practice while watching a movie or tv, that way I am barely focusing and developing muscle memory, then I switch it up and strictly focus on my characters animation and try and hit the link. You develop both skills needed. A lot of hitting hard links is just the confidence, if you hit confirm something and you get nervous thinking “this is my chance to hit it, i hope i dont mess it up” you probably will
The only tip needed for learning links in sf4: if the dummy blocks, you did it too late. If your move doesn’t come out, you did it too early. That’s all.
Pretty much what Leggo said. Practice, practice, practice. Plinking/double plinking help once you’ve started to get the timing.
Yeah plinking goes a long way for this one. You want to cr.hp right after both feet are back on the ground, generally I find that you’re more likely to hit cr.hp too early than too late so nothing comes out. I’m starting to kinda shy away from the loop in online play just because people are wising up and starting to spam reversals/ultras right when I land, if I miss the link they blow me up.
what i usually do is after the first lk tatsu, and i’ll hold down, and as soon as the crouching animation starts i’ll plink c.hp~mp
So any part of the loop can be punished at any time, despite the linking (if it hits)?
if you do the link too late, and leave a gap, your opponent can block or do anything else. Meaning if he does an invincible move (dp) in that gap, it’s going to beat whatever you’re fucking up the timing for.
Obviously, if you don’t fuck up the timing, it will combo and they can’t do anything.
I’m really inconsistent on the st.hp>l.tatsu cancel is there an easier way to do it?
Turbo! Kidding 
Just lots and lots of practice really…
Honestly though once you get it that’s it… even if you get a rough idea of the timing you’ll quickly pick up on the timing.
You should also consider learning plinking… its essential… I’m doing OK without it so far but I know if I learnt to plink (I can do it like 30% of the time) I could land cr hp at the end instead of st lk and add that extra bit of damage but atm I’m using just timing…
Once you start doing it on a regular basis you’ll have it implanted into your head!
Understanding buffering is essential to all of these execution issues. Pressing HP inputting 214 (tatsumak input) and pressing LK are all separate inputs that can happen in parallel. Basically as soon as I press HP I do a halfcircle back and as soon as I my stick reaches the back position I am hitting LK.
With tatsu loops I found the most important visual queue I had was learning that Sakura does not completely end the animation for LK tatsu before the crHP must be linked. Basically as soon as she is about to “drop” out of the air and return to standing you can and must press the crHP. The visual queue for me is that there is no visual queue at all I simply have to learn the position of the cancel window withing the tatsu animation.
I’m pretty sure she finishes her animation after every l tatsu… i don’t think any special moves can be cancelled out into a normal but don’t quote me on that xD
That’s why its called a link combo
Yeah you can’t cancel a special into anything but supers / focus attacks. And normals can’t be buffered under any circumstance as far as I know…
I was playing on an xbox upscaling to 1080, make sure you play the game at native 720p on a lagless monitor if you don’t want to have to learn the combos my way haha.