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Are there exercises for finger dexterity/tech skill?

$haDy

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Messages
142
I know that video games were fast reaction time is necessary improves you reaction time. Years of FPS's have put my reactions on steriods. One thing that I've noticed though, is that after my reactions improved a lot from video games I now flinch at everything.
No wonder I flinch so much :urg:
 

ChronoPenguin

Smash Champion
Joined
May 26, 2007
Messages
2,971
Location
Brampton Ontario, Canada
3DS FC
4253-4494-4458
Yoshi and Link are the characters I am currently using (Go Play moar tier wars!).

General low level tech skills, I can do.
Once in awhile I'll fail at a b-reversal but thats not often, and something I can easily remedy.
However say DR and other techs of that nature Im screwed.
Then theres Link, who I am also finding annoying to get down to what I want.

I see responses of play melee, and im guessing your referring to Fox and Falco since Yoshi, Link and Ganondorf (The characters I played in melee and the characters I play now)....I didn't find them that much of a nuisance.
Wavedashing isn't hard, we all know that.
L-canceling isn't hard to get down, and for some reason I find SHFFL Easier to do than SHFF in brawl >.>
I didn't play Fox,Falco and whoever in melee, so I guess Iizdoinitwrong.

>.>
By Finger dexterity...emphasis on the thumb, im going to try that Analog ridges thing though.
Anything else?
 

Dark Sonic

Smash Hero
Joined
Jun 10, 2006
Messages
6,021
Location
Orlando Florida
How to Perform: Do a D-smash/D-air at the very beginning of your character's landing animation.
Effect: Character does a D-tilt instead of a D-smash or D-air. Timing is super-difficult, but it is possible.
*Note: On-land D-tilts can be performed without glitches by holding Down and pressing A/C-stick-Down during landings.*

In retrospect, I guess it doesn't have a practical application after all. Forget I said anything!
So buffering a d-tilt.

That's just a timing issue and you're just going to have to practice it. There is really no way to get around this. If you're having problems with a specific tech like this that is completely timing dependent, then you're best option is really just to practice it.


Now as for the original poster. I know a lot of people have been saying learn to play melee, but it really does help.

If you are having problems with right thumb movements, learn to play Fox and practice waveshining, drill shine infinites, short hop double lasers, shffl'd aerials out of a shine, you know, stuff like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZaEFTm1Yxs. You don't have to get 100% consistant with it, you just need to be able to actually do these actions when you really try and you'll see a noticable increase in tech skill.

If you're having problems with left thumb movements, go with Peach and learn to Floatcancel nair->land, repeat. When you do it right it should look something like this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arMpGUoDPh4&feature=related 0:48
It requires quick and precise movements with the control stick to be able to get the float, do the nair, and fast fall as soon as possible. It's a great exercise.


So to those of you complaining about the people just saying "play melee," please realize that it really does have some merit.
 

Deoxys

Smash Lord
Joined
Aug 28, 2008
Messages
1,118
Location
near Boston, MA
So buffering a d-tilt.

That's just a timing issue and you're just going to have to practice it. There is really no way to get around this. If you're having problems with a specific tech like this that is completely timing dependent, then you're best option is really just to practice it.
It's actually different than just buffering a d-tilt, but as I said, I realize now that it has no application so it doesn't matter. Thanks, though!
 

Nitrix

Smash Ace
Joined
Jul 1, 2008
Messages
867
Location
London, Ontario
If you pick the right character, tech skills barely matter. If you play a character well, tech skills don't matter much either.

I play Diddy with a sideways wii-mote and can barely glidetoss. Am I using my character to its fullest potential? No. Am I using him well? Yes. My point is that you should'nt be hitting a huge "wall" just because you don't have tech skills down. That wall is probably there because you just don't play well enough to get through it.
 

Skyshroud

Smash Ace
Joined
Aug 7, 2006
Messages
794
Location
PA
I agree with aeghrur here.

I play piano and I can type well over 110 WPM if I know what I'm going to write (lol of course, thinking about it makes it slower -__-).

But being able to press down and accurately with your index/middle/ring, heck, being able to control your pinky and move wrists is VERY different from being able to accurately position your thumbs.
I would just like to add that not only does typing skill =/= tech skill, but it has absolutely no relation to reaction time either. I type from 120-140 WPM and my reaction time is horrendous (according to the online test, I'm somewhere at around .28 seconds, which is about .07 above human average). I would also like to point out that reaction time has little correlation to Smash skill, as I believe M2K was right at the human average. So, basically, this post serves no point.
 

Kraryo

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Nov 16, 2008
Messages
419
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Aftter beating Sonic Chronicles and going back to Brawl, I found out that I could Wave Zap with Lucas just as well as the last time I mained him which was a long time ago. Before I played that Sonic game (which was after I didn't play Lucas for a few months), I couldn't Wave Zap as easily.
 

Alus

Smash Champion
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Akorn(Akron) OH
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Starsauce
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Aftter beating Sonic Chronicles and going back to Brawl, I found out that I could Wave Zap with Lucas just as well as the last time I mained him which was a long time ago. Before I played that Sonic game (which was after I didn't play Lucas for a few months), I couldn't Wave Zap as easily.
Very good! Now play and beat megaman 5 without taking damage... then go play street fighter with a 360 controller.... and then play guilty gear...
 

Nintendude

Smash Hero
Joined
Feb 23, 2006
Messages
5,024
Location
San Francisco
Play Stadium (high score modes). EVERY stadium player pretty much EVER has great tech skill and is good at picking up many many characters. Some examples? pkmvodka (canada DK player), Isai, Cort, Joe Bushman, marth1, Darkrain, XIF, and myself. There would be more but few stadium players enter the competitive scene.

Also notice how good the players on that list are? Well, that's no coincidence. Playing Stadium gives you technical knowledge of the entire cast and gives you a huge edge when starting out competitively, making it a lot easier to work your way into the high ranks.
 

Hixxy

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Jul 18, 2008
Messages
102
Location
Florida
Play Stadium (high score modes). EVERY stadium player pretty much EVER has great tech skill and is good at picking up many many characters. Some examples? pkmvodka (canada DK player), Isai, Cort, Joe Bushman, marth1, Darkrain, XIF, and myself. There would be more but few stadium players enter the competitive scene.

Also notice how good the players on that list are? Well, that's no coincidence. Playing Stadium gives you technical knowledge of the entire cast and gives you a huge edge when starting out competitively, making it a lot easier to work your way into the high ranks.
M2K as well, if I recall. :laugh:
 

choknater

Smash Obsessed
Joined
Dec 25, 2002
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Location
Modesto, CA
NNID
choknater
For those of you who are good at melee, usually playing melee will help your input precision greatly. I happen to play IC's in Brawl and those CG's are much less of a challenge than consistent drillshines (no wavedashing.)
 

xian3000

Smash Rookie
Joined
Jan 7, 2009
Messages
4
The best thing would be to press eject on the Wii and put in Melee. Seriously, it'll improve you're techskill.


...What exactly do you have trouble with when it comes to techskill?
How would Melee help techskill?
 

POKE40

Smash Lord
Joined
Aug 27, 2008
Messages
1,083
Location
♥ My post count is my age. Deal with it.
How to pick a new character up:
-watch and find an awesomness video of the character you want to pick up
-find why this character is so great in competitive battling
-master the "combo" that made the character so great
-practice alot with this character
...
-profit

How to better tech skill

option 1
-learn a techincal instrument: piano or guitar or the ukelele
-ups your pressing faster (i think)
...
profit
...years later...
arthritis! arggg!

option 2
-pick up wii fit
...
profit

I mean come on! Check this picture out!
 

Dark Sonic

Smash Hero
Joined
Jun 10, 2006
Messages
6,021
Location
Orlando Florida
Umm....I really don't see how piano or even most musical instruments would help you with techskill. It does help with finger dexterity...but for the wrong fingers. You really need to focus on your thumbs (I can kind of understand guitar, but once again your thumb is not doing that much).
 

IrArby

Smash Ace
Joined
Nov 18, 2007
Messages
883
Location
Portsmouth VA
I can only see guitar helping (at all) if you can play very good even stacatto type picking. If you strum more often than you do chromatic picking exercises when you practice, your thumb won't really gain anymore strength for use in gaming techskillz. Strumming is mostly a wrist motion. Also, this assumes you are right-handed.
 

Drews0

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
84
Location
ACT
Where the instrument learning is concerned, I find that a few chromatic scales and a few extremely fast fast finger movement peices (read: grace note spam) help to wake my fingers up before I practice my melee (no wii). However, I see no way that it would actually improve the dexterity of my thumbs without the practice right afterwards. Although even after this strategy I still suck at shffl's, and no matter how much I practice, they are only improving extremely slowly. I guess the point of this post is to say that I can see the value of playing an instrument like the guitar or piano before training tech skill, but without it it seems unlikely to be much help.
 

NinjaFoxX

Banned via Warnings
Joined
Nov 16, 2005
Messages
6,035
Location
Small hole, looks nice though~
Play Touhou.
Play StepMania(although i play KB onehanded its made my handspeed uneven and my left is now slower than my right)
Play Melee(serious stuff here, Fox was used to increase the skill of many ppl who didint even main him)
Play a good FPS(helps with reaction times)
Somthinig else fast paced.
 

MilleniumFalco

Smash Rookie
Joined
Jan 7, 2009
Messages
11
Location
Another dimension..
I guess just keep working on having faster movement with all your fingers from button to button?? This might sound dumb but maybe you could just practice having your thumb and each finger you use speed back and forth between every possible button combination until you master it.


or just do SSBM tech stuff like everyone said.
 

IrArby

Smash Ace
Joined
Nov 18, 2007
Messages
883
Location
Portsmouth VA
Yea really learning Melee Fox is your best bet. You can start with Falco if Fox is immidiately to hard at first. Then just do Fox stuff making sure you get the motions right even if your not doing it exactly right timing wise at first. Like, learn to SHDL with Fox (pretty difficult) by sliding your thumb from "X" to "B" and tapping "B" twice. If your full hopping at first, its ok as long as you're not hitting anything other than those two buttons. Fox's SH is very difficult.

This is where the same "approach" you use on an instrument applies. Do it correctly slow first. Then work your thumb slide up to speed. Be efficent. "Slow is smooth smooth is fast". Hitting B very hard wastes energy. You should not however raise or lower the speed as what you're really aiming for in the end is a timing.

For waveshining, you probably won't be able to consistently do it perfect if the spring on your R/L button is almost completely worn in (sad to say). I find hitting the B (to shine) with the middle part of your thumb and then rotating your thumb clockwise to X and hitting that closer to the tip of your thumb is the most effecient way rather than hitting both buttons with the tip of your thumb. This way, you only rotate your thumb rather than adjusting your hand positioning. Even if its a slight adjustment, it wastes time and energy.

Mastering those two will really get your thumb working. Doing SHFFLs with Fox is also a really good idea. For more ideas go to the Melee Fox boards as I'm not a Fox main but as mc-killa said learning Fox makes everyone easier to learn.
 

Nintendude

Smash Hero
Joined
Feb 23, 2006
Messages
5,024
Location
San Francisco
I still say Stadium is better than any other solution offered so far. Not only will it help you master the movements of all characters in the game, but you get a high variety of technical applications you won't find in training mode and it is offered at a gradual rate, rather than going from nothing to learning short-hop double lasers.
 

meta master

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Messages
336
Location
Lewis Center, OH
Umm....I really don't see how piano or even most musical instruments would help you with techskill. It does help with finger dexterity...but for the wrong fingers. You really need to focus on your thumbs (I can kind of understand guitar, but once again your thumb is not doing that much).
well your index finger is used to shield. that could help
 

Foufy

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
115
U can try goin to hyrule temple with 300% at the bottom part against a CPU.
Or luigi b-side into a wall.
 

Nintendude

Smash Hero
Joined
Feb 23, 2006
Messages
5,024
Location
San Francisco
Umm, I'm guessing you can perform DragonicReversals, Super Ganon Jumps, and True Pivots with 100% consistency? :rolleyes:
It's not that hard >_>
Doing most technical things in Melee consistently is harder than that. btw, for some reason, pivots in Brawl are EXTREMELY easy, like as easy as SSB64 pivots. They just always seem to work.
 

Deoxys

Smash Lord
Joined
Aug 28, 2008
Messages
1,118
Location
near Boston, MA
It's not that hard >_>
Doing most technical things in Melee consistently is harder than that. btw, for some reason, pivots in Brawl are EXTREMELY easy, like as easy as SSB64 pivots. They just always seem to work.
Do you even know what a True Pivot is? It's harder than a 64 pivot. Also, I was under the impression that the Super Ganon Jump is rather hard. I doubt Egg Lay Footstool Jump is easy, as well. Heck, I can even see why the M2K combo would take practice for some people.

Edit: Ivy League in the hizzouse! Lol. I go to the other one in NY.
 
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