Mental Block

[WritersBlah]

Apologies in advance if this is posted in the wrong section of the forum. Now then.

I feel stuck. Like, really stuck. I've been trying to get into competitive Smash since 2010, and I cannot for the life of me seem to advance my game. Brawl, PM, Smash 4, doesn't matter the game. I spend hours looking up character strats and techs on Smash Wiki and here on the boards in hopes of receiving new information. But when it comes down to actually playing with other people, I have a really sloppy playstyle. I see openings where I can punish my opponent (like a smash attack's ending lag), I rush in to attack, and they always get their shield up first and punish me in turn. I think about mixing in grabs, I get read like an open book. I repeat moves and become predictable, I make unsafe decisions in the heat of the moment, and essentially, my only improvement has been in being able to take off two stocks from an opponent instead of just one...over the course of four years. I'd ask for critiques, but I lack reliable ways of recording matches. Should I just bring an SD Card with me and request to save replays? And how about on 3DS? I just really want to become a good Smash player; I can't give this game up because I love it too much. What do?

 

[<π]

Miami (south Florida) has a GREAT smash scene get connected with those guys down there if you are committed to improvement as you sound they'll definitely help you. I'll play you and record your matches and critique you if you want.

 

[WritersBlah]

Miami (south Florida) has a GREAT smash scene get connected with those guys down there if you are committed to improvement as you sound they'll definitely help you. I'll play you and record your matches and critique you if you want.

Over in Georgia? How often do you come down here? And I do have a local scene with FIU's Smash club. These are the said people that I get destroyed by. It's hilarious too because on Smash 3DS's For Glory mode, I win about 75% of my matches pretty easily. I'm in this really weird plateau where I beat casuals super-easily but get destroyed by anyone who takes the game even slightly seriously.

 

[<π]

Never! Or more accurately I won't anytime soon unless I start winning events for smash4 or get a great new job and can afford vacations! Both are pretty distant futures.

I meant online in smash4 I can record and upload footage from the 3ds. I have an 83% win rate in for glory with over 160 matches... if that means anything. I was a top level sheik in brawl and a high level melee samus main 10 years ago. Ever need advice or help look me up.

 

[JamietheAuraUser]

Over in Georgia? How often do you come down here? And I do have a local scene with FIU's Smash club. These are the said people that I get destroyed by. It's hilarious too because on Smash 3DS's For Glory mode, I win about 75% of my matches pretty easily. I'm in this really weird plateau where I beat casuals super-easily but get destroyed by anyone who takes the game even slightly seriously.

Sounds kinda like me. My problem seems to primarily be reaction time and technical skill, and that I don't strategize "on the fly", so when I try to go for mix-ups my opponent just somehow reads my thought process. It's like they know the odds that I'll go for that particular option right then, or they wanted me to go for that "mix-up" all along and they've just strung me up like a marionette and I just do what they want me to guaranteed. It doesn't feel like a case of me not being adaptable or them being more adaptable than I am, it just feels like they planned exactly when I would catch on and "adapt". They've already countered my attempted counter before I can even try to put it into effect.

 

[yume_nikki]

Stay calm. After losing during 4 years to the same people, being conditioned to lose is natural. I’ve been playing mainly with the same group of friends for 10 years and the same happens to me sometimes. I’ve never managed to win consistently some of my friends.

Once your opponent has a lead, you subconsciously start to see it as a defeat, because you already have been defeated by the same guy a million times. You start playing just to not be destroyed, instead of playing to win. This means having zero adaptability, and desperately repeating the same strategies. Besides, your friend has been wining you for years, so he’s likely to know your mistakes better than you.

Try playing more against new people. Online is perfect for that (if you have decent connection), but in tournaments you will usually find better players. I’m sure you will play much better than with your friends, and it will help you to overcome your block.

Also, don’t be afraid of losing. Everybody loses from time to time. After every loss, try to identify your biggest errors (generally, they will be the same in most matches). If you still don’t see anything, ask the winner for advice, if he’s a friend. I know it’s obvious, but I’ve known people that after being 2 or 3 stocked just refuses to play and tries not to think about the match. It’s hard, but you shouldn’t be emotionally attached to your performance if you want to improve.

Finally, play the game more and lurk smashboards less. If you’re failing to read the opponent, or if you just don’t have strong fundamentals, some obscure character specific tech won’t help you at all. And don’t expect to win someone who has invested much more time and effort in the game without doing so. If you do, you will only get frustrated.



Sorry for the wall of text. Hope it helps.

 

[oldkingcroz]

Play for fun, and winning might just come naturally. I used to play Melee with my friends, back when it first came out, and I was never the best. Out of my buddies, I usually got 2/3rd place, with the occasional 1st. It would be a competitive moment, and I just couldn't really get in the mojo' of the game. But, I eventually started playing Brawl mainly with my brother just for the love of the game, and slowly got better, because we didn't care who won and who lost. We honed our reflexes and learned whoch stratagies worked and who we liked to play as. Now, when I vs. legit Smash Bros players, I can stand my ground, because I have just naturally gotten better. Don't take the game too seriously, take a deep breath, as have fun. Strategies and techs can only get you so far- just like anything- you have to be creative and be "yourself" in order to be a master.