I use the F, HCF method. It takes time to get used to but it works well. I have no complaints other than sometimes pressing the button too early when I get jittery.
I don’t know why you would do a shortcut, just do a motion like a lowercase “c”, as opposed to the “z” of a DP. The proper motion is really easy, certainly easier than doing half-circles back or QCFx2.
Qcf x2 also tips your step in the neutral game because you duck every time before you do it.
The issue with this is that while it works in most situations when doing the move by itself, the timing for performing moves changes while doing them in combos. Especially in this game i’m finding. There’s so many links into chains, chains into cancels, etc. Going from Forward to Back crosses directly through Neutral and clears out the residual forward input, ensuring you dont get a fireball or another move by mistake. The Dbl Qcf notation does the same thing, considering you dont go from Forward to Down-Forward first. I’d rather take no chances and do that f+hcf command and make sure i dont mess it up. There’s plenty of time to do it.
Example, you can do Kazuya’s SS to wave dash across the screen super super easy with f+hcf.
i use all three motions tbh i use the regular motion when canceling stand normals/moves, two qcf for canceling crouching normals. and the half circle when going thru fireballs and full screen movements. sounds wierd but it works for me
df, df is definately easier when poking with cr lp, cr mp for confirmation rather than f n df on the stick
You sir have made my life alot easier … D,F,D,F is soooo Much more comfortable. 
No problem. However, I noticed you still have to go neutral when using the QCFx2 method, so it’s just a long-cut like the others. The method I prefer atm is pressing forward+the desired button, then do a QCF when it connects. Works best with slow moves I guess.
I guess I do it unconsciously cause I haven’t dropped it doing the QCF x2 yet… (playing on Stick, if that matters)
Yeah, most people do. I did QCF, DF, QCF deliberately to see if it would work even without a neutral. It did not.
I try to do SS (qcf x2) after a cr.lp or cr.mp and I can get this fairly easily on the left side of the screen but its not entirely dependable since sometimes other moves come out…on the right side, you can forget about it. I can get it maybe once or twice (and thats in training).
i don’t understand why we need long cuts or alternate routes at this point. with enough practice the correct motion will be burned into muscle memory. This will also ensure that it is not dropped mid combo because the motion is being done correctly. The game just came out you’re not going to be as good as you were in tekken 6/SFIV in one week no matter how good you see the pros play on Youtube. they had the game for a month or more.
What’s up with this new generation and instant gratification?
right? i dont seem to need a shortcut just forward neutral and down,downforward, not that hard with practice. Then again I practice execution quite a bit
The only problems I can think of that don’t get the Special Steps out are either not hitting Neutral, or the timing of the cancel from a normal.
Both can be easily fixed with practice, but canceling from a crouched normal might be problematic for some.
EDIT: Thought I’d point out a misconception regarding QCF x 2. They’re actually smaller 360s that progress from QCF to Neutral repeatedly.
I agree, even though it’s a bit demeaning. You will set yourself back in the long run if you keep doing alternate motions and complicating things so you can use motions you’re familiar with instead of mastering new ones. Being able to do the motions in the most effective way will help you much more in doing quick frametraps and whatnot. It will also improve your execution overall in the long run.
The way I do it from a crouching move, let’s say a cr.hp is hold df during the cr.hp, then release and do a qcf. Do it very slowly at first, slower than you can to actually do the command, but just make sure you’re doing it slow enough to get the motion down 100% correct. Gradually speed it up until you’re at the right tempo, and then just practice normally like that. As a musician, I kind of like fighting games cause using the stick is sort of like an instrument, you can do some of the lazy shortcuts that will set you back in the long run, or bust your balls the right way and get it done good. Cool story me.
I’ve been getting better at it doing the way the notation says to, but its a b*tch when you miss you it, lol.
So i’ve been having a hard time nailing this consistently when on the left side facing the right side.
It sucks because this late in the game, I didn’t expect to be having issues with SS especially when I can nail it so well on the right side that I can do two of them consecutively immediately after a hard knock down.
Any tips on doing it from the other side?
the game has barely been out a month, i dont think its that late. Nailing it from the other side on stick i would say a good method is to hold the stick similar to how daigo holds it in his tutorial vid. i do the same grip but with two fingers around instead of three how he does it, look it up its not hard to find
thats how I hold it too, idk.
And even though the game has been out just barely a month, I’ve put a lot hours into training mode just getting basics down and I’m just realizing now the reason for a good portion of my losses are (no second character, I really rarely play my anchor which is why i chose random, i want to learn the ins and outs of jin first) and because I drop anything that involves SS when standing left, facing right.
I find that f,hcf works best in learning the proper motion because once you become faster with it more often than not you’ll miss the back but still get the neutral because you made a conscious effort to make the longer motion. Biggest problem is doing it from lows, it basically becomes 2 qcf’s, i tried doing these 2 qcf’s from lows on purpose but i felt i was way to…sloppy, too uncontrolled.
Anyway stuck with the f,hcf and focused on this motion from lows especially and works great. Don’t have any problems from either left or right because as long as you make this motion it’ll come out, also i exaggerate the motion heavily when facing right, i really try to hit the edges, doesn’t matter if i hit them or not, atleast i get neutral. Penetrating fist came out often in the beginning because i pressed the lp too early, the SS is the cancel, not the lp.