I’ve been playing on a stick for a while - I initially got it as a novelty but I really like the feel of playing on it so I would like to really get into it but I don’t want to build any bad habits. If you wouldn’t mind, I have some very specific questions about hand technique. I know that everybody’s is different, but I’m curious as to what different members of the community do.
Left Hand - I basically use the wine glass, but I was wondering if it’s traditional to let the hand float with the pinky just touching the top of the cab, or to actually rest the bulk of the left hand’s weight on the cab.
With the left hand, I was also wondering if Batman’s double jump motion on Injustice is supposed to feel super strange and awkward. A double jump motion is so weird and it made me wonder if I was just doing something wrong in the first place.
Right Hand - Occasionally my fingers get lost on the buttons with my TE, so I was hoping I could get some tips from the community. Do you use the same three fingers for top row and bottom row? That’s where I get discombobulated sometimes.
Do you use thumb for LK and throw, or just move your whole setup down? When hitting FK and FP do you use ring finger?
Thank you for your patience!
There’s no right or wrong way to hold a stick. Well, to be more accurate, the “right way” is whatever feels most comfortable to you and results in the lowest amount of input errors. If double jumping feels unnatural to you, you should probably adjust. Without taking a look at your grip, I would guess you’re trying too hard to stay underneath the ball top, and your hand is too rigid as a result. Try either rotating your hand slightly towards you, or moving your index finger a little higher so that your thumb and front fingers are in control. Stay fluid, keep your grip comfortable.
This guide has a ton of pictures for reference of how some people hold their sticks: http://www.eventhubs.com/guides/2009/jul/08/tips-switching-pad-joystick/
The buttons thing is also just preference. I use my thumb when I play 4-button games, but in SF I only use three fingers. Some people switch rows, some people use the joints of their fingers, some people even hunt and peck. Do whatever feels natural to you, man.
For six button games I use index for LK, and LP. My middle finger for MK, and MP. And my ring finger for HK, and HP.
I use my index and and middle for double buttons presses such as grabs, focus attacks, supers, etc.
My thumb and pinky get used for miscellaneous shit. For example I hear my marvel layout is somewhat odd:
L M H
A2 S A1
Since i play felicia, when i do cat and mouse, I use index to hit L, and my thumb to hit S. I use my pinky finger to hit my xfactor button that isnt in the main 6
Stick can be hard to learn at first. Just stick with it and you’ll get it. Practice practice practice!
Most button combos involving top and bottom buttons can be done with thumb and respective other finger. So if we’re talking SF4: AE, throw can be done with thumb + pointer, focus attack can be done with thumb + middle finger. If it’s just a single button on the bottom row, I usually do thumb for LK, middle finger for MK, and ring finger for HK. But if I had to do a taunt (HP + HK), I’d probably slide my hand over and do thumb + middle finger. It’s all preference though. Some people even have really weird button layouts to account for how they like to play.
The general consensus on here is that whatever feels comfortable is right. I come from a competitive table tennis background, and this is wrong. You want a grip and hand position that is efficient and effective; for example, you need to have equal mobility on both sides of the screen as well as effective button placement. This will solve any problems of “feeling better on P2 than P1” over time, however qcf motions will naturally be slower on P2 regardless.
Use the Daigo grip (similar to the wineglass except only the stick is between the ring finger and the pinky), then relax your hand until its comfortable. Your home-row hand placement on the buttons should be thumb on LK, index finger on LP (throw is with your thumb and index finger) with the rest of your fingers on the top row of buttons until HP. Then slide your hand down when you need to use the kick buttons.
Any new grip will not feel “natural”, thats because its new. Just use it enough and it’ll feel natural and comfortable before you even realize it. I also recommend going into training mode and doing special moves X amount of times on each side as well as performing combos to get it into your muscle memory.