Links are important for maximizing damage output for a combo…yes…but imo, combos are the least important fundamental aspect of SF play. You can win easily just doing ABC chain combos, launcher, into combo ender, over and over again, as long as your basic skill set is solid. Remember, your opponent isnt going to just sit there and take turns doing fancy combos, you have to earn that right, by knowing how to setup for a chance to land big damage.
Maybe I should pick Juri/Ryu and head into some online battles then ? :).
EDIT: Just did, it was devastating, but nothing I didnt’ expect. :P. It’s just crazy when you choose “same” on skill level and get paired up with dudes who brings you down to half life if you slip up in your defense once! My main problems were keeping a good defense with blocking the correct way against mixups and overheads/lows, but I also don’t have any real combos to speak of atm. :P.
Just so you know, I don’t exactly like losing, but I wont give up after one night :P. Also I ended on a winning note and that felt alot better :P.
The hard kick-button on my Fightstick stopped working aswell, so I guess it’s time to order some new parts…
For some time now, my hands just want to do everything so fast and end up for lack of a better word, spazzing.This is on an Arcade stick.
I break down combos and do them slower, but at some point I just spaz on my execution.
Lately it’s more when I am trying trials. The timing of some of them is quite strict. I have seen the game’s leniency on inputs and I guess I need to pay more attention to that system.
How does one Calm the hands down when utilizing an arcade stick so that the fingers are doing most of the work?
Experience will help you make cleaner inputs, while maintaining finger speed. Just tell yourself to calm down, and try to keep your arms and hands as relaxed as possible. Eventually you’ll get to the point where you’re proficient enough with your arcade stick to maintain your composure, and not tense up in a stressful situation.
A lot of it is also muscle memory. If you practice a combo to the point where you can do it in your sleep, your hands won’t have such a rough time doing the inputs in a match.
I had watched some videos online to help me get the hang of the Shoryuken motion but I also found another concern. After seeing the execution videos done by other players, I wonder how quick do I need to be in order to execute a solid move? I somewhat better with charge characters as I know they only require a two second hold and release but with command characters such as Ryu or Cammy, I need to put the inputs fast or it will not register. How quick do I need to be fingers and thumbs? Or is it all timing?
Everything is “all timing”. Motions should be completed as quickly and accurately as possible. Try going to training mode and testing yourself.
What Brewing said. Just go to training mode and practice the inputs. Start with a fireball, and work your way up to a dragon punch. Try to do the input as slow as you can, if it doesn’t work, speed it up a little bit. That will give you a basic idea of how the input leniency in that game works.
Now, it’s always better if you can execute a move faster. It’ll make life a lot easier when you’re able to react quickly, and you’re able to execute your counter quickly. But it’s far more important that you can perform clean inputs than it is to be able to do stuff fast. Lots of people are able to flail their arms and hands about, but they have a higher chance of screwing up an important input when you need it during a match.
Practice, practice, practice. That should be the first thing people see when they read the first post in this thread.
So I’m trying to do Akuma Trial 22 last night and I am having a problem with my stick not staying in one place. I am using it on my lap to get used to it for Tourneys and it moves way too much. Anyone have any suggestions? I know Velcro is an option…
- Attach felt (or similar material) to the bottom of the stick. I have them on my Qanba, and you’d be amazed at how well they’re able to grip jeans. I can almost stand up before they start to slip off.
- Play on the floor. It’s an awkward angle for your wrist, but it will on a more stable surface
- If you can, bring a small stool or chair with you. It’s highly impractical at a tournament, but it’s a stable surface.
- Bring a milk crate, drill some holes on the top of your stick, and hold it down with bungee chords. It’s a pretty dumb idea, but it is a solution.
Honestly, the best thing you can do, is just get used to it. It sounds like you’re moving the stick around WAY too much, which is due to you putting excessive force on your stick. Relax and calm down. Restrict the movement of your left hand to using primarily your fingers and wrists, and use light, but quick, movements.
I finally got the Akuma trials one a few days ago. I am getting used to the stick in my lap and keeping my hands calm. It’s going to take time, I know, to build execution, but I feel the lap is the best place as you have the most control. Ideally a tilted table would probably be best but totally impractical for tournaments. I’ll keep working…
I finally executed a shoryuken and I finally figured out the Z motion but I have a another question. Now that I figured it out, I realized that my timing is off and my movements are sloppy. How can I improve my reaction time and movements?
Practice will do wonders for your movement. It will increase consistency, accuracy, and speed. It’s much like learning how to shoot a basketball, or throw a football, just DO it, and you’ll improve.
As far as reaction time, it’s something you’ll have to develop in live matches. Be aware of when an opponent is most likely to jump, so be mindful of their jump arcs, their ranges, timing, etc etc. Good reactions are a combination of genetic ability, constant practice in your game of choice, knowledge of your character and your opponent’s character, and a dose of anticipation.
my connection is trash tier and i dont really have a online community so how do i practice without becoming a training mode slash combo monster?
Does anyone know how to execute those Supers and Ultras? I know how to execute the Metsu Hadouken in SFIV but for the older games I know the execution is important and I am not really good at executing the super arts or combo chains or whatever it is called. I want to know how I can execute supoers such as QCF, QCF + P in the game.
It’s just practice, no secret or trick to it. Keep doing it until you get it. It helps to have some sort of input display to turn on, so that you can see where you mess up your inputs.
I’m just about to start playing SF4(soon as my game is delivered) and I’m going to have this same problem. I’m currently stuck with a satellite connection and I’m pretty sure I’d lag in online play plus easily go over my ridiculously low monthly bandwidth cap. Is the record feature in training mode a way to solve this problem? If so, what are some useful ways to use it?
one thing that might help execution. Me, personally, I used to play (about to start back actually) the hell out of sf4. I noticed that i wasnt all that great, but i could pull off a win or 2 on a good day.
Then i expanded my horizon. I started to watch streams. Things like iplaywinner, peacefuljay, etc. Heck, there are a ton of stuff on twitch.tvto be watched.
The point is, i was limiting myself to sf4. I saw kofxiii on stream one day, and was like “i gotta get this”. Picked it up, and learned a lot about execution and timing. I noticed that kof combos were extensive and almost double that of anything ive seen on sf4.
So dont limit yourself just to one game. I learned more about SF4 while playing KOF and vise versa. Odd sounding i know, but give it a shot.
Practice is everything. This is often misquoted as Practice makes perfect.
i saw that quote somewhere and thought this thread would need it lol
My square gate is messing with my execution. I have played SF2 and most fighting games in Arcades, and I am not sure if they used octagonals or squares.
What might I do to train my hands to not ride the square gate edges in the heat of battle, which screws up my moves?
If you grew up playing in American arcades, you were most likely playing on circle gates. Having recently adjusted to Jap parts, I can definitely tell you that there is a difference.
Try using a different grip. Most American stick players use an open palm grip, or put the stick between the middle and third finger, which is the optimum grip for placing force on the stick. But with Japanese parts, it’s less about being able to apply pressure on the stick, but control, so you might need to adjust your hand positioning to better apply fine control over the stick. Be sure to use a light grip when hovering over the stick at neutral, which lets you make rapid and light movements with your left hand. If you grip it, it tends to leave to execution errors and over-shooting your motions.
Another issue is hitting the diagonals, which is more difficult on Japanese, due to the fact that the corners are farther away. Just try your best to develop a feel for the clicks of the stick, and if your moves end in diagonals, be sure to hold it in that position, to better ensure that you hit the corners perfectly.
I should probably clarify the “don’t ride the gate” section of the guide. There are times when riding the gate is perfectly fine. I’m all over the gate when I play charge characters. I end my DPs all the way in that down/forward corner. Feels good man.
The big thing people are trying to say when they say don’t ride the gate is “don’t turn a quarter circle motion into a _| motion, don’t turn half circles into |__|, etc”. It not only will probably feel really awkward, but it’s a waste of energy.