Why do I suck? My future as a fighter

Current Fighting Games Fighting Game Discussion
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Hello there, this is my first post on SRK. I’ve been lurking for quite awhile, pretty much nervous to join this site due to the rampant territorial attitude some of you have with new users. I’ve seen many forums do this, whether they have to do with street or drag racing, model and figurine collectors or even forums about fanart.

The current year users will always be considered scum.

So I beseech you, as scum to the established userbase, to hear me out before I have to wait 5-6 months to post this. I wish I had more to offer you, but I need your help more than ever.

Street Fighter IV is coming. There is a calling in my soul deeply reaching into me that I haven’t felt for nearly a decade. My fingers twitch, and I remember the cheering, the booing, the slaps on my back after beating a rival at the local arcades.

I begin to remember the long car trips just to go to that one arcade with that one cabinet that nobody else has packed with way too many people in the car and no money for food and drinks when we got there because we spent it all on quarters.

I see people who have never touched, or even seen Street Fighter outside of Youtube poops and internet meme’s talking about how to do QCF+P’s and HCB+K’s. I remember a time when people played real fighting games.

Unlike them, unlike so many returning to the game though, I never really left. I’ve been playing these games on my laptop on emulation, or on my old Dreamcast and Saturn or modded PS2 for years now. I’ve gone back home and seen my old buddies and challenged them at a spar at the random classic. I’ve been watching Youtube clips of combos and ultras and just drooling in anticipation for the next fighter.

…yet I suck.

Really, I’m just terrible. I pick up the controller, and I get stomped by the computer on default difficulties without spamming ultra moves to save my life. I challenge new kids in the arcades who don’t know the difference between a Hadouken and a Sonic Boom and I get defeated. I get on HD Remix psyched to play classic SF with real people again, and I can’t win a single match.

I get frustrated with the gamepad, or the arcade stick being stuck, or some random thing. My friends keep saying maybe if I get a real arcade pad it’ll come back to me, but deep inside I know. I just suck.

Despite playing fighters that people have never heard of. Spending all my free time on Guilty Gear XX when I was deployed in Iraq. Memorizing every single special move in Street Fighter, I can still get killed by someone spamming jabs. I see people do things in HD Remix I can’t even get close to countering. It’s not even just relearning things like Chun-li’s new horrible arcing SBK, I literally just have no game.

I lose to players who honestly make mistakes I can see myself capitalizing. I can visualize the proper move in my head. But I can’t execute. I see him jumping at me, hit roundhouse kick as he comes in! I whiffed it! Again, I’m hit. How did he trip me as I got up? I know this shit, I KNOW this game… why? Why am I unable to compete at something so dear to my heart?

Why can’t I go to the arcade and pop in a quarter into SF2T and beat the first computer controlled opponent? Why after playing Guilty Gear XX for years, I still can’t pull a roman cancel combo accurately? Is there no hope for me? There are so many people playing this game who have never once opened a FAQ on it in their life, yet I’ve buried my nose in them for hours and when it comes to actually playing… I just can’t hack it.

I can beat scrubs at the arcade no problem. I can jump into a machine and so my knowledge of fireballs, special moves and supers. I got every single one encoded on my brain since 94.

So why do I suck? Is my future as a gamer finished? I see these awesome players racking up ratings on HD Remix, and I should be there with them. I should not be where I 'm at. I’m the guy in my neighborhood who printed and copied Sirlin’s “Playing to Win” article to my circle of friends. I’m the one with the spirit of Street Fighter so engraved into my soul 've dreamnt about it.

What is wrong with me? Should I just give up? I would kill for a mentor, a guide. Someone who can get on live and just wake me out of this stupor. Maybe if I could see, hear and understand what I’ve been missing. You know, like someone sitting next to you in the passenger seat and goes “Why do you hold the steering wheel like that?” or “No wonder you turn so sharp, you’re resting your left foot on the clutch.”

Maybe I’m missing something, but I’ve been missing it for way too damn long. It’s been too many years. With SF4 right around the corner, I really don’t want to hang it all up. I looked at my online cart on a Cali based website and looked at my Mad Catz Street Fighter Tournament Fightstick preorder, and I hovered over the cancellation button for 10m before writing this. Is it worth it? Should I really give this another go?

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just have fun. thats the point.

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You read much theory?

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I enjoy theory. I like reading blogs of famous fighters. Sometimes I wish I could just have a beer with Sirlin. The guy is a smart designer, and understands why people play Street Fighter in the first place. But it’s not just theory that I enjoy, I need to bring this into the realm of practice.

WJ tells me to have fun, and I want to. I do, obviously even looking at someone play the game is fun to me. However I crave competition, I crave a challenge… and to give myself a challenge I need to bring that challenge to other players too.

People think I get frustrated when I fight a good player because he kicked my ass or because I couldn’t beat him. It’s not that at all ironically… it’s because I know I gave that guy no challenge.

Because he has talent and came to this arcade and sighs when he walks out of there thinking “Damn, there’s just nobody out there who cares about Street Fighter like I do.” when he’s wrong, he’s so damn wrong but no amount of words will change that. I do care, and I want the level of time I’ve spent on this game to reflect in my performance. I want to be a part of this damn community again. I want to win.

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Says who? Then again, developing the skills that lead to victory is fun (especially when pulling out a clutch win), but it’s the study and application of the skill that seems the point to me… much like playing chess or studying a real-world martial art.

Anyway, OP, sounds like you study up. I’d recommend less time with combo vids and more time with fundamentals. Read the articles posted here in Domination 101… they’ve been doing a ton to my view on fighting.

Keep playing and practicing. Just like a real martial art, you’ve gotta develop the ability to execute as second nature. I still whiff moves, too… but I’m building that ability to execute more frequently (playing on a 360 gamepad does make execution more bothersome, but it’s still doable).

Don’t cancel that pre-order. Keep working at it. I find that the more I make use of careful fundamental tactics in HD Remix, the better I do. Knowing when to crossup, when to bait an enemy into the air, knowing… you get the point. Building those skills of execution and habit seem to be working for me. I won’t be winning serious tournaments any time soon, but I’m playing a lot better than I was a month or two ago.

Also, find a few good (in skill and in character) guys to play regularly with. Plug in with an SRK community of your part of the States (assuming you’re in the States)… get in on Live/PSN/GGPO games with them.

Edit: You posted again before I got this up… not sure if it’ll apply in light of that.

Edit2: You post like you have the fighting spirit and drive to learn/improve/triumph, so I gotta iterate my recommendation for getting involved with a local scene… even if you primarily just do the online thing.

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Thanks man, I appreciate that. I think I will do just that. I guess I’m really venting, but I have to hope to be able to get better. It sucks feeling like a beginner when you know you aren’t. I split myself when I go into a match and I see a guy with a 22 win streak on HD Remix and I say to myself “Do I really want to go through this” and the other side of me says “It’s the only way to get better.”

Anyone find it weird that most of these guys don’t have headsets or talk much either? Most of the time, you can learn how a player learned something at the arcade just by chatting it up after a match, grabbing a soda or something at a food court and maybe making friends.

It’s a pain so far to do that in live. Maybe I’m missing that sense of improving over others. Fighting random ex-pro’s on live may be hurting me more than helping. I can never tell whether it’s my lack of game hurting me, or the fact that he’s just that good.

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Screw that. I lose to those guys, too… and I know it… and they win so much… little changes for either of us if I lose to them. However, there’s so much to gain for my ego if I win.

My problem is when I start to get the upper hand in a match like that… I get cocky and careless. In other words… I get my face handed to me. Don’t do that. :lol:

Again. Talk with guys from SRK that play online and send some friend requests or whatever to the people who play well and use mics. Definitely recommending the players local to your region.

Edit: (Friendly jest) now shut up, emo kid, and get out there and improve!

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Well, it sure sucks being in Utah atm. Living near my wife’s family as she goes to school. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. The fighting game community there is solid. Very solid, so I guess I’m just missing that particular vibe. (Spanish speaking people in general love fighters, SNK is still huge in Venezuela, Brazil and Mexico. Have lots of friends down in the real south :slight_smile: )

This state isn’t all that big in arcades, heck I don’t even think they have a DDR machine in the ones they do got. It’s that bad. :slight_smile:

Thanks for the advice, I’ll add my Gamertag to my Profile: Krystal Myth, for those interested. :slight_smile:

Hopefully I’m not the only one that has ever been in this rut, if anyone out there feels similarly, and wants to spar with a friendly brawler who wants to learn, look me up. I know how it is to hit a wall. I don’t mind reachin’ down for ya after I hurdle over your shoulder. :slight_smile:

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Are you on Xbox or PSN?

Also try ggpo.net for some good competition.

ALSO the HD remix and SF4 sections of this site will offer 10000x the insight of anywhere else in the world right now to my knowledge.

I get stuck in ruts all the time, and at times can beat some really good players and other times lose horribly. I don’t understand it (advice is welcome, at the risk of hijacking).

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click for Utah SRK community

Hit me up on Live for some HDR and SFIV when it comes out. 'Tag on the side.

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Im at a similar crossroads… I listen to pod casts… read every article known to man… watch videos and still I get frustrated. Im getting over it slowly but surely… it just takes alot of time and practice.

Do you play third strike at all? If you do on pc or xbox?

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You’ve already made the first step. Realizing you suck. Now you’re on the road to improvement.

No, I’m serious.

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Don’t doubt yourself like that. Every loss has it’s meaning.

One of my best friends is a Smash player. I would call him good bcause he would always beat the so called “experts” in our town. Anyway, I remember one day he said that he wishes that our town Lawton had more Melee and/or Brawl tournaments. I told him that there are a lot of tournaments in Oklahoma, Texas, hell even the whole Southwest region, he just had to look for them.

I remember him agreeing with what I said but he replied, “I know, but I kind of don’t want to travel that far just to lose.” That sentence showed me that he was doubting himself after being the king amongst our friends. I told him not to doubt himself like that because in every match, whether it is a win or loss, both players will gain something from their mistakes that they made during matches.

Just keep trying and keep playing man. Stand tall and proud. You’ll miss every shot that you don’t take.

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ok wait. u beat scrubs but u lose to other ppl?then that means there just better then u. and thats how u get better by losing to ppl who r better then u.and fightin games is not all bout combos, u can no every combo in a game and prolly even the best combo but if u cant hit em wats the point of nowing it? learn ur opponent. bait stuff out. look for a opening. and dont worry bout the cpu u wont get better fightin it. everyone loses to the cpu. there just unpredictable. but thats what u gota be.

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I’ve been lurking here for quite a while, too. I’m definitely up for getting some games in HD and SF4 and trying to improve with you. I’ll add your gamer tag when I get home.

The only advice I’ve got to give right now is just getting in some more playing time and practicing the moves. You’ve done more research than most, but it’s not very useful if you don’t know the problems for which you’ve seen the solutions. Get in to matches, figure out what these guys are doing to wreck you and then look for a counter. Maybe, you’ve just got a couple of bad habits…don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty rusty and know VERY little about the nuances of ST/HD play, but I’m willing to help where I can.

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Don’t try to nail the perfect counter until you’ve learned how to nail a counter.

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You’re damn right about this!! Every time I see a new poster I pee all over everything around me.

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I’m pretty sure I played you recently on xbox live HDR.
Add me to your friends list, and we can play more and maybe see how you can improve some stuff.

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Your name is familiar! :smiley: I’ll add ya soon. I’m letting the order on that fightstick go through. Most I’ve ever spent on anything outside of a gaming system for a video game. ^o^

Thanks for the help. I appreciate RagingstormX for contacting me as well. Your videos have been a lot of help and it’s cool to get to speak to you. :slight_smile: Just 20m of chattin and I learned such basics that I can’t believe I never knew about. I’ve been playing Chun-li for years and I didn’t know half the things she could do with just one button.

Try not to get any on me. :sweat:

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First, you should work on your execution. That’s probably the easiest thing to tackle in becoming a good player. Get a good stick* and just dedicate some time in the training room to make sure you can do the proper moves/combos when you want to. Also, make sure you’re not dependent on one side of the screen - you should be able to consistantly do the things you want, when you want to, regardless of whether you’re on 1P or 2P side.

*With arcades dying out, I suppose you could try just getting good on pad. I can’t wrap my mind around that personally though.

Once your execution is up to par, then you’ll need to work on gameplay. This is the hard part. In order to beat people, you have to actually out think and out-strategize them. You can’t just throw out random moves and hope they hit. When you are attacking, this also makes you vulnerable to be attacked. So you have to put thought into what attack you are going to throw out and how safe it is or isn’t.

When you lose, don’t just say “oh man, I got my butt kicked there!” Think about why you lost, and try not to make the same mistakes again. If you use Ken, and you always shoryuken whenever the opponent gets close, but you look at the match and find that your SRK whiffs 90% of the time and you usually get punished for it…then stop doing that. One of the biggest mistakes you can make in Street Fighter, or any fighting game, is predictability. If I know what you are going to do, I have an answer for it. You can use this to your advantage as well - if I am predictable, you should be waiting to punish me.

Good luck…