Help getting started

[Mambo490]

I recently started watching competitive smash at this years Zenith. I really enjoyed it and thought to give it a try at playing competitively. I am not new at all to smash, I've played melee since it came out and I still play usually once a month. I've always played Falco, but I am thinking of switching to Marth to play in tournaments. After watching the pros play, I heard many things that I don't know about. Wavedash, edge guarding, to name a few. What do I need to learn to get started? And how do you grab onto the ledge so that your opponent cannot grab it also? I am not new to fighting games, as I play Street Fighter regularly and watch tournaments of it also. Therefore terms like, a cancel, hitbox, hurtbox, I understand those terms.


Therefore if you guys can help me narrow it down to watch I should learn for basics for Marth?

 

[Young Rinku]

I'd say check the Marth board for FAQ's and other things you're curious about, and if you have the time, watch "Ken's Marth Tutorial" on Youtube.

 

[STiCKYBULL3TZ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n4s5yB7ZkE

Here's a video that shows you the advanced techniques. There's a part 2 I think too.
Along with what the above poster said, having a real life sparring partner is always great too.

 

[Josniff640]

One major thing is when you practice alone, never practice with a level 9 computer. They are more aggressive but die a lot easier. Practice on a level 7. But it's always best to just find a practice partner so also get on that. And one other thing is always remember smash is about knocking your opponent off the stage. Don't worry about going for ridiculous Ken combo's every single time because that will just end up in a lot of SD's. Just play the game pretty relaxed and have fun!

 

[EPsilon933]

Watch these videos to learn the general techniques
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n4s5yB7ZkE&feature=channel_page
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiZLs2doK8E&feature=channel_page
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFmGIOcWdsM&feature=channel_page

Then watch this video to learn some Marth specific things
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AexiFPr6x84

Ken's Marth Tutorial for when you want to get more in-depth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFCQIAnYUMM


And lastly, don't practice against CPUs. Practice by playing Street Fighter online. Fighting games are about making the right choices. When you do an action, you're stuck in its animation until either it ends or you get hit. Make the right decisions. Street Fighter will teach you how to predict. There's a lot of overlap in skill between the 2 games because they're both focused on the neutral game. Playing online is also more fun than playing against a dummy. 3rd Strike is the best SF to play online because it has the best net code and it's the best SF

 

[JKJ]

What they all said about the Advanced how to play videos^

Also my Marth Trials video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IACW5mltqY

 

[ReDDeFFect]

Watch videos on how to do basic tech like wavedashing, L canceling, Jump cancel grab, etc. Keep trying to use basic tech even if it makes you a worse player at first you will eventually get it down and become much better for it.

 

[zuloon]

Practice by playing Street Fighter online.

Uhh... WUT

 

[EPsilon933]

Uhh... WUT

It teaches prediction

 

[JoeTango]

Learn how to do things like wavedashing and work at it till you can do it consistently, but if you're playing in a tournament or something don't try to incorporate the more technical stuff into your play until you are comfortable doing it. Can't tell you how many times I used to SD trying to wavedash backwards to grab a ledge and then ending up air dodging to my death before I was comfortable doing it

 

[Vortex 4]

All of the videos that have been posted are very useful and informative, but can be confusing and intimidating to someone new to the competitive level of Smash Brothers.

If you want to understand competitive smash in a nutshell, watch the documentary series "The Smash Brothers" on Youtube.
Not only does it shed light on what this community is like, but it also gives straight forward explanations of advanced techniques like wavedashing.

 

[Cervidae]

What I find most enjoyable about smash is the fact that there's always something new to learn. Take your time and really just learn as you go. Basic things to start out with would be dash dances, familiarizing yourself with your character, and being comfortable being off stage. One thing to always be conscious about though is to not play the game on auto pilot. Understand why you would want to do an attack instead of just throwing moves out; patience goes a long way in smash. The more you play the more you learn!

 

[Walbytamer11]

Whatever you do, don't get frustrated if you can't perform a certain technique after X amount of time. It takes everyone a different amount of practice to get them down, perfect alone and then MASTER in an actual match.

 

[Host Change]

One of the best thing you can do (other than what's been already posted) is go to tournaments and talk to everyone you can there and try to play a lot of different people and ask specific questions. Don't get discouraged if you lose a lot of sets at first because it happens to everyone when they are new and use them to learn and develop as a player. Figure out what you did well or poorly in each game and evaluate yourself.

 

[Tremendo Dude]

http://smashlounge.com seems to be a good spot for learning terms and inputs for many techniques, showing examples of each in gif form. If there's a certain term you don't understand, feel free to look it up there.

 

[Siglemic]

lol aren't you that guy who was crying about getting banned in m2k's chat

XD