Bones (Falco) vs.
15.
Paul (Sheik)
I'm gonna watch this game and maybe another one and critique.
0:09- I can be okay with everything you did until that Bair. You need to Dair there and lots of Falcos(and Foxes for some reason) fall with Bair facing the wrong way lol. Also you probably could have shined instead of spotdodged and been okay since that guy didn't try to CC punish.
0:11- If you had FF'd your Dair you might have been able to catch Sheik's shield before he rolled. Either way remember that hitting the back of Sheik's shield like that makes them uncomfortable and be ready to react to any defensive maneuvers once you land.
Also that shield you put up afterward is bad because you hit Sheik out of the DJ. Don't do a move on a platform/at all if you aren't confident in it(that immediate shield made you look unconfident in your ability to get the hit there). You could have just dropped down instead of Bair'ing if it felt risky.
0:16- looked like you went through a few more pre-planned motions. That falling Bair was good but I think Sheik mashing Nair might have beaten it. A tilt or maybe a jab to something might have helped your combo more in that case. If Sheik wasn't Nair'ing(which she wasn't), then you should have Dair'd there. When you followed up on that weak Bair(which you could have shined out of), you should have shined instead of Nair'ing. Nair might have been you thinking he would have shielded. Either way, just try to feel more confident in your hits and figure out how to follow up once you do feel like you'll connect.
0:18- Uptilt was okay there, but if you shine you have to realize something: the side of the shine you're hitting with is the way that people can DI the farthest. If for example he held right then he wouldn't have gone anywhere. alternatively, if you hit with the right side of the shine, then his current DI would have kept him going straight up and that Dair would have comboed, but if he DI'd to the right then he would have flown away just as far and stayed safe.
Anyway, you could have still comboed out of the shine, but you shouldn't guess on the DI unless they seem likely to make an error in DI judgment. You should be able to react to DI usually though.
0:20- just grab the edge. that's what ***** sheik lol.
0:25- You do lots of really weird Bairs LOL. Just punish his bad move choice or landing lag.
0:26- You could have Dsmashed anyway! React to his missed tech.
0:45- Weird spotdodge that kept you unable from really punishing Sheik or taking advantage of your position.
0:47- A decent idea, but when you went to grab the edge this time, Sheik DJ'd right away. Staying onstage and observing the opponents' moves could be something that could help you decide which course of action to take later. I personally would mix up SH'ing and either delayed Bair'ing or grabbing the edge to make it hard for Sheik to have a reliable time recovering.
0:48- Dsmash or even Dtilt would have connected and sent Sheik offstage or killed here.
And then the Fsmashes. Those don't really work because people can just wait and punish them. Maybe with lasers in between for control and to make people anxious they can work better, but after doing so many like that they lose their surprise effect lol.
0:56- Don't do that Bair unless you're watching Sheik and certain she will follow you. It looks like you're relying hard on prediction instead of reaction and I don't think you have to lean so much on guesswork here(at least not without more conditioning).
Then you should have edge hogged because the Sheik could have gone there instead of into the Dsmash(which she could tech).
1:10- Try to avoid pushing yourself to the edge when the opponent respawns, and work on that edge dash I guess you were trying to do lol.
1:19- I don't really think you need to do all that lol. A (shine)grab would've worked just fine.
1:23- Try not to waveshine into someone when shield pressuring. People can often react well to that waveshine. Just double shine or do other pressure-related stuff.
1:28- Try not to Dair someone into the ground at that awkward non-tech higher percent unless they are higher in the air(for shine to combo). You would have been better off shining from that Uptilt or doing another Uptilt or maybe a Nair.
1:32- Try not to Bair out of shine at that range, but generally doing so right away won't get you much when Sheik is facing backward anyway. She can't Nair there and Bair reaches too high above Falco's head. Just shine and then attack or wait a second(don't shine) then attack.
1:34- attacking from too far away. Sheik can react to that approach easily from that distance. Try to get closer when lasering before attacking or just move closer after a laser and react to what Sheik does.
1:41- Looked like an Uptilt. with all of the lag out there a shine would have been safe instead. Uptilt is generally riskier on shields unless you hit it when you're spaced anyway.
1:50- Wavedash over! You would have made it in time to punish. You could have also lasered.
1:54- Sheik wouldn't have been able to kill you right away from any other read. If she's running and not WD'ing then it's okay to just tech in place/behind her.
2:16- Your lasers aren't quite right. You need to be aiming at where Sheik is and then where she might be going. Don't be so hasty!
2:18- Poor platform pressure. Needs more shine waveland to punish aerial lag on the platform.
2:25- Holding your shield entirely too much. A series of mistakes including wanting to shield drop too much(it hurt more than helped in this particular instance) and getting off the edge too quickly(try not to let bad momentum influence your actions so quickly, even though that did seem like a good spacing to double laser from) caused you to have to shield so much, which can get you ***** by Sheik's Fair or Dtilt.
You jump quickly when hit offstage. Try to delay the jump or recovery more against Sheik who picks those options apart well.
2:35- SHL'ing when the opponent is above you? Try to do 1 and only 1 SHL after you respawn and react after that(that's usually all you need to force a reaction, if that).
2:38- Try to drift with that Dair so you can catch the roll.
2:40- Try not to force the combo after you make a mistake like that fallthrough Dair. Shine would have been your only real combo move there anyway at that percent.
2:45- If you had come down with Dair on Sheik on her right side instead of her left that combo would have ended much better(with her offstage).
2:47- Sheik was just waiting for you. try to space the laser you fall with to avoid being punished OOS like that. I like that you wanted to punish after the laser but you also have to be safe there(you also had no previous conditioning in this situation so you couldn't have forced Sheik to jump there right away necessarily).
Then you shoot a lot and don't punish the edge jumps. You should stay a little closer to the edge and work Bair like Mango does. That Fsmash was also in haste. I know it's hard but you must try to stay calm and recognize that he is in a bad position if you want to get the hit.
After the respawn, you do a good job of avoiding sheik. You kinda shield too much again and don't laser with real purpose(some lasers can be distractors, but others you should shoot at Sheik as she lands to punish landing lag, and you would shoot just under her a few times). Again, you seem kind of hasty and need to calmly assess what Sheik is doing and how to beat it. Just start by shooting her when she gets low to the ground, and otherwise Bair'ing/uptilting when you get under her if you can.
I tried to throw in some general and specific stuff, hope it helps!
I like how my request for critique was COMPLETELY ignored. I'll try again.
Sets I lose:
Vs Falcoty:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QK5...ital-art-of-andy-gilmore/color-grid.jpg"]this. If you focus on only the center white square, the other squares around it you can get a little bit of information from, but the further out from the center the harder it is to distinguish things. Should this be how I tackle a match. I treat my opponent like this little white square and never let my focus drift from it. Whether I'm recovering, getting hit, etc. I never let my gaze stare from that white square no matter what.
Is the opponent supposed to be the square or the space between both characters? Either way, my focus sort of shifts entirely between the opponent himself or the space between the characters in my play. I find that, if you have good things to do to test the opponent's responses(like lasers) then it becomes much easier to focus on the opponent than just outright trying to watch them. Going in thinking you need to do things to manipulate the opponent and learn their habits can make watching them much easier imo.
Ideally, you never need to let your gaze shift from the space between the characters/your opponent. You shouldn't need to watch yourself except maybe when you're recovering to know exactly when you'll jump out of stun or whatever.
This is the only good post I've seen in here in weeks.
I'm tempted to do a brief guide to positioning, but I'm sure that will come down to boredom vs laziness and grad school will win.
I'm not really sure why someone says Falco can do a couple combos over and over and it'll work vs everyone. I find myself in odd combo situations often and even when I'm playing well my combos don't look the same all of the time. I guess that's okay advice to someone just starting with combos, but it seems misleading down the road....
You can talk to me about positioning stuff if it will motivate you to write such a thing. =)
