Can't seem to get better...

[wiiqwertyuiop]

So I have been in a rut recently, and I just can't seem to get any better. I have pretty much got my tech skill down and I am now just trying to learn my fundamentals and improve my neutral game.

Right now when I am playing in neutral, everything just seems so chaotic and sporadic; it all just happens so fast, it is hard to keep track of stuff and what is going on when both me and my opponent are moving around so quickly (I try to have purpose with my movement but I can never tell what my opponent is looking for). Part of it could be me maybe playing too reactively.

But I find myself preemptively just throwing out moves in case my opponent does something, and sometimes it works, sometimes I miss and I don't get punished, and sometimes I get punished for it so in game it is hard for me to tell when something works.

I think the biggest problem I have is just knowing when my opponent will do something. Most of the time I can actually guess WHAT they will do, but I can never tell WHEN they will do it (for example I know a falcon will try to jump toward me and Nair so I try to up-smash him but I end up doing it early and then I get hit).

I am just wondering if anybody has any tips or is having/had a problem similar to mine as well.

 

[Sudoi]

My advice?

First of all, what you're doing is called "Reading."
The only difference is that you seem to be doing it randomly,

The biggest contributor to a loss other than playstyle / how good you were, is Stress. If you stay stressed, you'll think more. Thinking more means you'll have less time to react, and that repeats the cycle.

To quote my old Brazillian Jiu Jitsu teacher:
"You can't just think about everything, you have to stay in the flow, and adjust yourself to the moment. Give me your glass." (In joke here) The same applies here.

Instead of trying to keep track of lots of things, make little brain tabs, and autopilot, except use those tabs to adjust yourself.

Example Tab 1:
Opponent likes to Fair, Out of Shield when I approach.

20 seconds later, they're shielding, and you're on the offensive. Fake out an attack, and shield yourself. Bait them out, and get a grab, or retaliate.

This applies to every aspect of Melee. Don't obsess over everything though, as most details, won't make a difference at the lower level.

My last hint about that throwing attacks out too early?

DON'T. If you throw out a move you know should land, go for a move that will either start a combo if you're feeling hot, or pull out a move with lot's of active frames. (Ex. Marth Fair/ Nair).

 

[Cho]

I struggled alot to get used to the whole Neutral-game concept.. what helped me alot were mainly 3 points:

1- I started to play one person over and over again. Eventually I began to see patterns in his behaviour, which made it alot easier for me to spot patterns in other people as well. That made me play more consciously overall.

2- In some matches I started abusing single moves at random out of nowhere.. not to be obnoxious, but to get a better understanding for when to use each specific move.. and more importantly: when not to use it

3- This is gonna sound really stupid.. but alas...
I started almost exclusively looking at my opponents character during the match - not at my own... Maybe that's completely natural for some people... it wasn't for me - I had to actively force myself to do it.. and boy was it worth it.