Breaking bad habits

[Eureka]

So I've been trying to improve lately, and for the most part I have been. However I've caught myself doing some dumb things, mostly out of habit. I'm assuming they're from my years as a scrub plying Brawl, but I'm at a loss as to how to get past them. To start, acting out of shield is something I seem to forget to do. I've even dropped my shield and then up smashed on a few occasions. Secondly, I throw out moves that are really risky to much. A lot of the time this pops up as me falcon kicking in neutral when I don't know what to do. Finally, projectiles are throwing me for a loop. I'm not running into them like in idiot, rather I respect them way to much. This leads to situations like shielding when Robin arcfires at close-mid range instead of dashing in and grabbing as Falcon when Robins in startup. I know getting past these habits are ultimately up to me, but does anyone have some advice that can help out?

 

[GhostUrsa]

Have you popped any of these specific questions to your Character's Advice threads? There are some general stuff that applies to all characters that you may get here, but each character has a different set of tools to potentially (or not) get around different tactics and you'll find more specific info on those threads than asking in one of the general forums.

As for some immediate advice on breaking habits, there is no one trick since people learn different. One thing that does help quite a few people is to set a goal during a training match and make that your 'victory condition' instead of just taking the stock. "I'll use OoS U-smash 3 times this match", or "I'll Shield-Grab 4 times this match" and try to look for those opportunities. You'll most likely lose the match, but since 'winning' isn't the condition but performing the tech you wanted is, it will help train your brain to make improvement an priority. Because you make that specific goal your focus, you will be training your brain to look for openings to use the option in question.

I'm not talking just throwing out OoS U-smash to get your quota in, but actually taking the time to experiment and see when to use it and how it works against your opponent. You want your body to have the motion in memory to minimize your own personal input lag. You want your mind able to see things with clarity and deductive reasoning so that when you need to use your option there is no hesitation or second guessing, which will speed up your 'reaction' time.

Don't focus on the same goal every match, but have a list of 2-5 goals you rotate through as you play. Think of this like exercise reps, which you don't want to do all of them at once but take a little break in between to let your body recover and prevent it getting used to your routine. (plus it doesn't let your opponent know your are doing heavy training, and have them capitalize on your practice to throw off your focus.)

Eventually you'll see that you are more aware of what your character can do and will be able to focus more on your opponent and MU specifics than on how to use your character. I find a lot of risky actions are usually chosen due to a lack of understanding, either of your opponent or yourself. Knowing yourself inside and out will take away half the hardship in a fight and allow you to really shine.

Hope this helps. It doesn't answer all the smaller questions, but hopefully it will get you started down the path to see your full potential.

 

[Eureka]

Thanks, that sounds like excellent advice. The reason I didn't ask in the charecter specific forums was that my issues seemed more player dependent and I wanted to fix my problems as opposed to using a charecter to cover them up.

 

[GhostUrsa]

@ E Eureka Some of what you asked is character specific, like how to approach Robin's thunder coverage as Falcon. Asking in the Cap section in the Advice or MU threads could give you some options to improve your fighting style that you may not be aware of, and add to your 'exercise' list.

 

[DeliciousDarren]

The method I am about to mention is probably not applicable for the impatient.

Whenever I realize that I have a bad habit, I take time away from online play and transition to training mode. From there, I imagine the scenario that induces the habit (such as the opponent running toward me) and practice how I will react to it.

For instance, when someone would run towards me, my subconscious would be expecting a dash attack or a grab. My instinct is to roll into them to avoid the attack, but this move can be read and would be punished accordingly. To combat the habit, I imagined an opponent running toward me and conditioned myself to jump rather than roll.

Eventually, one can get to the point where they are able to react in multiple ways to stay unpredictable. Therefore, my advice is to condition your mind outside of competitive play, and get to the point where you are making correct decisions against the CPUs before real players. Good luck my friend.

 

[Dream Cancel]

With regards to risky moves... I have the opposite problem. I can't finish stocks with a Smash, I typically get my stocks from my off-stage game.

I suggest you play a few games with safe moves only. So with Captain this would take out all of his smashes and his Falcon Punch for sure. His tilts and Falcon Kick are a little risky on shield, and so is his Dair.

Character specifics aside, find what moves are safe and which ones are not. (The ones that can't be grabbed out of shield, DI'd out of, and have high shield stun)

As for projectiles, you should spend some time learning basic defense. Shielding, spot dodges, rolls, short hopping + fast falling, spacing, air dodging, grabbing mid-air projectiles, grabbing items on the ground, etc.

 

[Blue Warrior]

I'd say the short end of it is, as far as not being predictable goes, to remember that your character can do a lot of different things in any one scenario. You don't always have to approach someone with the same attack, and you don't always have to do the same thing before landing. Sometimes even briefly doing nothing can be strategic. Explore your options and rotate through them.

This goes for character movesets AND basic mechanics. Teching, recovery options, tilts/jabs/smashes, shielding and dodging, jumping and short hopping... Know everything that you can do, learn what they're good for and find out what your opponent is going to do so you can utilize the right tools for the situation.

With regards to risky moves... I have the opposite problem. I can't finish stocks with a Smash, I typically get my stocks from my off-stage game.

This is a pitfall I've been falling into lately as well. TBH I never liked that it's so hard to kill in this game, so lately I've settled on Fox, and now I know that I can always upsmash if I just find the right opportunity.

 

[Knux27]

I played Link exclusively in every version before Smash 4, (with him being my main in Brawl while I still played it, but switching to my secondary Snake after playing PM Link and not being able to go back), and I don't like going off stage because as most Link's will say in previous games, you go offstage, you will most likely die.

 

[Dream Cancel]

This is a pitfall I've been falling into lately as well. TBH I never liked that it's so hard to kill in this game, so lately I've settled on Fox, and now I know that I can always upsmash if I just find the right opportunity.

That's one of the reasons I'm playing RosaLuma right now. Her grabs lead into kills, gimps, and spikes, and her smashes are quick and hit hard with her D-Smash being more for damage and off-stage set-ups rather than kills.

As for Fox I don't really like how he only has one early kill move. (Maybe his Up air too) I'd rather shield all day and get grabbed by Fox than risk being Up Smashed (at high percents). That and his overall shield pressure is low.

I played Link exclusively in every version before Smash 4, (with him being my main in Brawl while I still played it, but switching to my secondary Snake after playing PM Link and not being able to go back), and I don't like going off stage because as most Link's will say in previous games, you go offstage, you will most likely die.

Link has a completely different play-style than others in the cast that often depend on off-stage shenanigans for kills. I'm jealous that Link has almost 5 kills moves at 110%. (His 3 smashes, Dash attack, and maybe a good Up special on the ground)

I think that with regards to habits, some habits are better suited for certain characters than others. For example, using smashes often, perfect pivoting, and foxtrotting is much more useful on characters like Little Mac than characters like Bowser. Different playstyles require different habits.

 

[Blue Warrior]

That's one of the reasons I'm playing RosaLuma right now. Her grabs lead into kills, gimps, and spikes, and her smashes are quick and hit hard with her D-Smash being more for damage and off-stage set-ups rather than kills.

As for Fox I don't really like how he only has one early kill move. (Maybe his Up air too) I'd rather shield all day and get grabbed by Fox than risk being Up Smashed (at high percents). That and his overall shield pressure is low.

I'm pretty used to playing harassment-style with Megaman -- who HAS early kill moves, but they're fairly strict on positioning and easily punishable. So, I guess I don't mind it too much. Perhaps I would if I was playing against better opponents, but I tend to find at least one opening that I can exploit with upsmash. Jab lock can also lead into it if the opponent isn't expecting it.

I think that with regards to habits, some habits are better suited for certain characters than others. For example, using smashes often, perfect pivoting, and foxtrotting is much more useful on characters like Little Mac than characters like Bowser. Different playstyles require different habits.

That's also why I've gotten into the habit of playing a variety of different characters. Keeps you well-rounded and opens you up to new ideas.

 

[Dr.Megaman]

Being too Obvious when I throw my Metal Blades.

 

[DavemanCozy]

I really like @ GhostUrsa 's advice, sometimes you have to play to learn so you can play to win in the future.

What I have done in the past and continue to do is, at tournaments, I ask high level players for money matches (or serious 1v1 matches, some of them don't want to take my money). I'm talking an affordable amount, like $5. I don't do this because I think I'm going to win, but because I want to do my best against them while they do their best. I ask them for advice or things they picked up on after the match is over: generally I have received helpful comments like "you should try dash attack instead of this in that situation" or "you were in my head already, you should've done this instead." This not only points out my bad habits, but it also tells me of the other options available to me that I'm not recognizing or seeing.