-Ran
Smash Master
This is more akin to a laundry list of items for me, but I'm sure others can gleam information from it. Every single mention of a technique is in reference to it being able to be done without fail and without thought.
1) Perfect shield more, and capitalize on the opportunities that they provide better. Perfect shields up close should at least yield a tilt or a down throw.
2) Improve tech chase reads. People should hold their breath for fear of getting stuck in a loop. People should be afraid of getting grabbed by Snake, just as they fear getting grabbed by the Ice Climbers or a chain grab character.
3) Improve F-Tilt range game. Boost grab, down tilt, grenade, spot dodge read to pivot grab, jab, mortar slide, dash attack, walk/shield, and so on. Be able to react to every F-Tilt 'bounce' to go into another full F-Tilt.
4) Better Grenade game. Too many grenades bounce away from the action or off of the stage. Grenades need to be a persistent threat on the stage. I should at least pull 30-50 grenades a game. I need to remember to check after every match.
5) Improve SDI. You need to SDI every attack, and predict every hit that you're getting attacked with to SDI to the fullest.
6) Tech everything.
7) Avoid spot dodging; it's typically a bad thing.
8) Stop air dodging out of fear. Only spot dodge to avoid a move during its start up.
9) Camp more. Stop giving up leads, or increasing the margin of your opponent's victory by playing at their tempo.
10) No more sloppy B-reversals, or any other tech for that matter.
12) Adapt faster.
13) Get Hungry.
Now, most of that was aimed for my own sake, but I'm sure that it can help most of you out in some form. Really, the key to getting better at any game is to remind yourself how bad you are at it. It's easy to look at where you currently are and view yourself as better than when you started, but does that matter if you aren't winning tournaments? Without a hunger instilled into your play, you aren't going to improve at the pace that you would if you had just started playing the game. I'm always reminded of an iconic scene from Rocky III when I think of the 'hunger' for winning.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqjbwA8JDW4
Anytime you do anything for a length of time you're going to stagnant. You become comfortable at where you are in life, be at at the top of the food chain or in the middle where most of us find ourselves. It's only when you WANT it that you achieve something that you're able to become truly better. Really, it's a fact of life that everyone needs to realize that is applicable beyond simple gaming. Unless you want to be the best at Brawl in your area, state, region, or in the nation, you aren't going to achieve it. If you're OK with playing second fiddle to someone else, you aren't going to become better at an acceptable pace.
It's time to be realistic. Find the best person in your state, region, or otherwise and make it your goal to surpass them before the end of the summer. If that thought doesn't make your blood boil with the zeal of competition, then no amount of reading or writing about Brawl will make you better at the game. But, I would like to thank you for filling the pot. <3
April 26//
After playing with Lee Martin for four days, I've got a bit more to add to my list.
14) Stay confident throughout the match. Don't let doubt enter your mind.
15) Learn when to attack, and when to defend. Even if you have the advantage, you don't always have to attack, nor should you always camp.
16) Do not trade hits for the sake of mounting damage.
17) Play Safe. This doesn't mean camp. You must use the safest, least punishable options available. At the same time, you must be aware of how your opponent can attempt to punish these options, and then deal with them.
18) Learn how to get to my opponent's back consistently.
19) Stop running. If you're running at your opponent, you're doing it wrong. You're removing almost every option you have.
20) Never crawl to avoid a projectile. Always power shield, it's quicker.
21) Understand the vectors of attack my opponent can take, and utilize my DI/SDI to avoid the strongest attacks.
22) Avoid burning jumps unnecessarily when recovering.
**) Help one low-placing player at every tournament I go to for at least thirty minutes.
August 1st//
24) Find better options for dealing with moves. Don't limit yourself to Spot dodge/shield against a move. Beat out longer moves [such as most tilts] with your jab on reaction.
25) Stop losing the first game. Losing the first game means you're at a horrible disadvantage. Bring you A game as fast as possible.
26) Don't beat yourself. Ask yourself WHY you are Sd'ing or damaging yourself. Don't forget about it, correct it.
27) Do not attempt to be overly complicated. The less you think in a match, the easier you can read and react. The more moving parts a strategy has, the more likely it will fail.
28) Find out how to deal or avoid with Snake's weakness of landing on the ground after Cypher. Options are typically: Bair, B reversal grenade, air dodge, or do nothing.
August 16//
29) Relearn every match up every month. Forget everything, and rebuild your individual databases.
30) Understand that 90% of the time you 'know a match up', it's because you know the person. This is actually going to be covered a bit more, so read on.
Learn to adapt to the player, not the character. Don't spend the first match forgetting the habits of people you usually play with. I came to this conclusion while playing with Bigfoot and CG at Quakecon. Both of them are DK players, and Bigfoot is pretty amazing. The thing is, I thought I knew the Snake vs Dk match up more than anyone else in the world, because I've routinely played against Cyphus who is also an amazing DK player. While I was playing against CG in bracket, I was constantly making reads and choices based off what I knew from playing Cyphus, and I was paying for them. It took me two whole matches to 'purge' the experience I had from Cyphus before I was really running on all cylinders.
I hadn't really thought much about it, until I played Bigfoot after the tournament was over. Our matches were relatively even through out, but I was constantly making poor reads and judgment calls because of the knowledge I had accrued from playing with Cyphus. I brought this up with Bigfoot, and we determined that I'm making the mistake between match up experience and player experience. It's why I become a better player towards the end of a set, or further into several friendlies. I noticed this in hindsight with a lot of matches I had done previously in the day, such as a match with Kirbykid [when I've played Esca numerous times], Dmg [Jnig], and Infinity [Lee.]
So, take this as a warning, don't let your people match up experience knowledge cost you a match. The only way you can get better at this is by playing anyone and everyone that you see at a tournament. As a player, your individual tempo and move selection is greatly effected by both the players and the characters that they use. The more individuals you play, the better off you will always be.
-
Also, this thread has become kind of a Q/A to me, so feel free to ask me questions. I know I'm not some great Snake or anything, but I'll try to help everyone so that I can improve myself.
1) Perfect shield more, and capitalize on the opportunities that they provide better. Perfect shields up close should at least yield a tilt or a down throw.
2) Improve tech chase reads. People should hold their breath for fear of getting stuck in a loop. People should be afraid of getting grabbed by Snake, just as they fear getting grabbed by the Ice Climbers or a chain grab character.
3) Improve F-Tilt range game. Boost grab, down tilt, grenade, spot dodge read to pivot grab, jab, mortar slide, dash attack, walk/shield, and so on. Be able to react to every F-Tilt 'bounce' to go into another full F-Tilt.
4) Better Grenade game. Too many grenades bounce away from the action or off of the stage. Grenades need to be a persistent threat on the stage. I should at least pull 30-50 grenades a game. I need to remember to check after every match.
5) Improve SDI. You need to SDI every attack, and predict every hit that you're getting attacked with to SDI to the fullest.
6) Tech everything.
7) Avoid spot dodging; it's typically a bad thing.
8) Stop air dodging out of fear. Only spot dodge to avoid a move during its start up.
9) Camp more. Stop giving up leads, or increasing the margin of your opponent's victory by playing at their tempo.
10) No more sloppy B-reversals, or any other tech for that matter.
12) Adapt faster.
13) Get Hungry.
Now, most of that was aimed for my own sake, but I'm sure that it can help most of you out in some form. Really, the key to getting better at any game is to remind yourself how bad you are at it. It's easy to look at where you currently are and view yourself as better than when you started, but does that matter if you aren't winning tournaments? Without a hunger instilled into your play, you aren't going to improve at the pace that you would if you had just started playing the game. I'm always reminded of an iconic scene from Rocky III when I think of the 'hunger' for winning.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqjbwA8JDW4
Anytime you do anything for a length of time you're going to stagnant. You become comfortable at where you are in life, be at at the top of the food chain or in the middle where most of us find ourselves. It's only when you WANT it that you achieve something that you're able to become truly better. Really, it's a fact of life that everyone needs to realize that is applicable beyond simple gaming. Unless you want to be the best at Brawl in your area, state, region, or in the nation, you aren't going to achieve it. If you're OK with playing second fiddle to someone else, you aren't going to become better at an acceptable pace.
It's time to be realistic. Find the best person in your state, region, or otherwise and make it your goal to surpass them before the end of the summer. If that thought doesn't make your blood boil with the zeal of competition, then no amount of reading or writing about Brawl will make you better at the game. But, I would like to thank you for filling the pot. <3
April 26//
After playing with Lee Martin for four days, I've got a bit more to add to my list.
14) Stay confident throughout the match. Don't let doubt enter your mind.
15) Learn when to attack, and when to defend. Even if you have the advantage, you don't always have to attack, nor should you always camp.
16) Do not trade hits for the sake of mounting damage.
17) Play Safe. This doesn't mean camp. You must use the safest, least punishable options available. At the same time, you must be aware of how your opponent can attempt to punish these options, and then deal with them.
18) Learn how to get to my opponent's back consistently.
19) Stop running. If you're running at your opponent, you're doing it wrong. You're removing almost every option you have.
20) Never crawl to avoid a projectile. Always power shield, it's quicker.
21) Understand the vectors of attack my opponent can take, and utilize my DI/SDI to avoid the strongest attacks.
22) Avoid burning jumps unnecessarily when recovering.
**) Help one low-placing player at every tournament I go to for at least thirty minutes.
August 1st//
24) Find better options for dealing with moves. Don't limit yourself to Spot dodge/shield against a move. Beat out longer moves [such as most tilts] with your jab on reaction.
25) Stop losing the first game. Losing the first game means you're at a horrible disadvantage. Bring you A game as fast as possible.
26) Don't beat yourself. Ask yourself WHY you are Sd'ing or damaging yourself. Don't forget about it, correct it.
27) Do not attempt to be overly complicated. The less you think in a match, the easier you can read and react. The more moving parts a strategy has, the more likely it will fail.
28) Find out how to deal or avoid with Snake's weakness of landing on the ground after Cypher. Options are typically: Bair, B reversal grenade, air dodge, or do nothing.
August 16//
29) Relearn every match up every month. Forget everything, and rebuild your individual databases.
30) Understand that 90% of the time you 'know a match up', it's because you know the person. This is actually going to be covered a bit more, so read on.
Learn to adapt to the player, not the character. Don't spend the first match forgetting the habits of people you usually play with. I came to this conclusion while playing with Bigfoot and CG at Quakecon. Both of them are DK players, and Bigfoot is pretty amazing. The thing is, I thought I knew the Snake vs Dk match up more than anyone else in the world, because I've routinely played against Cyphus who is also an amazing DK player. While I was playing against CG in bracket, I was constantly making reads and choices based off what I knew from playing Cyphus, and I was paying for them. It took me two whole matches to 'purge' the experience I had from Cyphus before I was really running on all cylinders.
I hadn't really thought much about it, until I played Bigfoot after the tournament was over. Our matches were relatively even through out, but I was constantly making poor reads and judgment calls because of the knowledge I had accrued from playing with Cyphus. I brought this up with Bigfoot, and we determined that I'm making the mistake between match up experience and player experience. It's why I become a better player towards the end of a set, or further into several friendlies. I noticed this in hindsight with a lot of matches I had done previously in the day, such as a match with Kirbykid [when I've played Esca numerous times], Dmg [Jnig], and Infinity [Lee.]
So, take this as a warning, don't let your people match up experience knowledge cost you a match. The only way you can get better at this is by playing anyone and everyone that you see at a tournament. As a player, your individual tempo and move selection is greatly effected by both the players and the characters that they use. The more individuals you play, the better off you will always be.
-
Also, this thread has become kind of a Q/A to me, so feel free to ask me questions. I know I'm not some great Snake or anything, but I'll try to help everyone so that I can improve myself.
