Falcon Newb in Need of Tips

[LevesqueIsKing]

I'm not new to Smash Brothers and I'm not new to Falcon, I'm new to competetive play. I used to play SSB64 all the time (as Fox) and I've been addicted to Melee since its release (as a few people, but Falcon nowadays). However, only a few months ago have I realized that there is a world beyond charging smash attacks and spamming special attacks.
So, having been playing smash non-competetively for 5+ years, I've developed quite a few bad habits, and I dont quite know the ropes yet. Here's a few lists.

Bad Habits:
-Jumps with Control Stick (I SH with Y, but normal jump with CS)
-Probably more that I can't think of right now.

Abilities I can Perform:
-SH
-DD
-A few combos
-Juggling
-Finishing w/Knee
-Probably more that I'm overlooking

Abilities I NEED to Learn:
-SHFFL (I've never attempted learning it because it is too intimidating. I know that it is essential for Falcon, but I dont know where to start. Should I try to learn one step at a time, or what?)
-WaveDash (I've heard it isn't essential for Falcon, but would still like to learn. I can do it about half the time)
-Chain Throw (I can do this with other characters, but not Falcon for some reason...)
-Tons more that I can't think of

Any tips? How should I train? What should I start with?

Then again, should I just wait until Brawl comes out to start training? Surely most of these techniques will be in Brawl, but some of them may not be...

EDIT: I might be able to post a video if I get the time. However, the best person I play isn't good at all. He'll kill me once if he's lucky (in 5 stock).

 

[Sephiroth M]

Jump with anything BUT the joystick

Learn to L-cancel, it plays a major role in stringing together combos
When in doubt, Knee 'em
Learn to WD (for da mindgamez)

and pick the white and pink falcon everytime

 

[abit_rusty]

I would say, first learn the techs (exactly those that you mentioned). When you get those down, try it on the CPU set on a low level. Also it's really important to get out of the habit of jumping with the control stick because you'll cause unnecessary DI (directional influence) while performing your attacks.

For SHFFLing - yes, one step at a time. So you already know how to short hop and do a fast fall right after by hitting down on the control stick. Simple. Now add an aerial after the short hop but before the fast fall. Again easy. Now what could be tricky is the L cancel part. You just have to hit L right before your land after an attack, but don't hold it too long that you go into shield. Practice at first with Link's down air. If you pull the sword out of the ground the second you land, you just sucessfully L cancelled. The lag is pretty apparent if you don't. Once you get consistent with that, start using Falcon to practice using aerials until it becomes second nature. I should note that you have to vary the time to press L if your attack actually makes contact with something, you may have to delay it by a half a second. With practice I know you'll get the habit of it because I too was intimidated by it when I first tried SHFFLing (lol so n00by)

Wavedash - Not needed for Falcon but still can be useful, such as wavedash into a edgehog. You short hop very little and air dodge downwards (the very frame you leave the ground) at an angle to the ground, either a southeast or southwest direction. You'll see a puff of smoke around your feet and you should slide in the direction you dodged. Practice with Luigi and try multiple ones in sucession.

Chainthrow - Falcon isn't as much of a chain thrower (few exceptions like pikachu and G&W using down throw) as much as he is a chain grabber. At your level I wouldn't worry about this yet, but it basically involves predicting/chasing your opponent's tech (recovery off the ground) and predicting where they will stand up so you can grab them again. Tech chasing is sort of an advanced technique. Read up on it on the sticky.

If you want to see the whole mess of adv. techs read the stickies. They offer a lot of info, also look on youtube. After you learn the techs, read the guides on this board. You have the game, and you're not new to it like you said, so why wait till brawl to hone your skills? Since you can't find a good opponent then the best thing to try is a tournament. Be a good sport and you might find a new person to regularly play/teach you the ropes.

That's the second wall of text I wrote this week >.>

 

[DJ-DIBBS]

Back to the Basics. haha, learn shffl. its the key to playing a competitive falcon. take one step at a time.

 

[LevesqueIsKing]

Alright, so right now I'm trying to learn to SHFFL and I'm perfecting my Wavedash.

I've got the short hop [move] fast fall down pretty well, but getting the L-Cancel in there is hard...

Thanks to everyone, especially abit, and suggestions are definetly still welcome.

EDIT: Would it be good to practice SHFFLing in slow motion, or will that just throw off my timing?

 

[yinn_skitchy]

falcon's dont need wavedash. dont do it. >:|

 

[abit_rusty]

Would it be good to practice SHFFLing in slow motion, or will that just throw off my timing?

Um no I don't see any advantage in doing this instead of real time.

 

[The Phenom]

vinn skitchv is right about the wavedash-(not in shffl)- , if it were in his mind of opinion why , it is because he is thinking of its uses . Therefore its use is when an opponent if fairly apart from you and rolls towards you but ends up behind you and seemly wavedash at him . At this point execute any attack you would like or grab him .

_Think of it this way , wavedash not sexy , moonwalk very sexy . You would want to be sexy right ?

 

[LevesqueIsKing]

Well, Falcon is sexy regardless

I can SHFFL Nair's fairly consistently now. Haven't really tried anything else yet...

 

[DJ-DIBBS]

Ok first, not to be up in your grill or anything, but you answers can be solve. You see, on this sexy Falcon board, we have to guides to how to pla a competitve falcon. One by Angelo and the other by the one and only G-reg. Both who are good at what they do, and they wrote a little(big) guide that will surely help you. It will answer on how to approach, shffl useful? and such other questions. Go and read it. Now. And comeback and narrow down your specific question if you have any.

p.s the guides helped me alot.

 

[DJ-DIBBS]

Aplogize for double post but, were all fellow players here if you need nay help. Then abitrusty wouldnt have to give one of his long speeches anymore

 

[LevesqueIsKing]

^No disrespect, but I already addressed that topic in my op. I've read both of those guides and many other threads.

I was just posting to see if there was anything that could specifically help me. What I should practice first, how I should go about practicing it, how I should go about getting rid of my bad habits, etc.

 

[max32090]

against most characters dair+knee always works

 

[Afro_Ninja]

I find dair best for practicing shffl, it has the longest lag afterwards of falcon's moves. nair is good too, try to keep a chain of them going from one side of FD to the other without stopping. eventually you just get in the habit of shffling just about everything anyway

 

[LevesqueIsKing]

^Thanks

I might be the stupidest person alive. Do you SHFFL moves by hitting L and Down at the same time? I was just trying to work on it and it seems to be working for my Nairs.

I always kept trying to fast fall and then L cancel real quickly afterwards, and it never worked. Is it seriously as easy as pressing the two buttons at the same time?

 

[Afro_Ninja]

^Thanks

I might be the stupidest person alive. Do you SHFFL moves by hitting L and Down at the same time? I was just trying to work on it and it seems to be working for my Nairs.

I always kept trying to fast fall and then L cancel real quickly afterwards, and it never worked. Is it seriously as easy as pressing the two buttons at the same time?

no. I used to have this exact same problem. you hit L when you land. So when you shffl aerials that don't hit anyone.. for the most part yes, you're hitting down and L at about the same time. But when your aerial hits someone it causes some hitlag, so you don't hit the ground quite as fast. you have to delay your timing a bit

 

[LevesqueIsKing]

^Alright, so it varies from move to move. On a SH'd Nair that hits someone, pressing L and down (at the same time) right after the second kick seems to be working, but I havent tried any other moves yet.

The only other aerial that I use w/ SH's is Dair, which is a bit tricky to fast fall after. I'm hoping that Uairs and Knees come easy, because I'll either be full jumping or double jumping when I use those.

Thanks again for all the help, bro.

 

[Afro_Ninja]

^Alright, so it varies from move to move. On a SH'd Nair that hits someone, pressing L and down (at the same time) right after the second kick seems to be working, but I havent tried any other moves yet.

The only other aerial that I use w/ SH's is Dair, which is a bit tricky to fast fall after. I'm hoping that Uairs and Knees come easy, because I'll either be full jumping or double jumping when I use those.

Thanks again for all the help, bro.

if you're doing full-jumps for uair and fair(knee) then you might not have to cancel, depending on when you do the move. cause if the move is done before you hit the ground there wont be any lag. Also, I find it much easier to cstick uairs

 

[LevesqueIsKing]

^Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Because if I'm done with the move before I hit the ground, theres no lag. So the only thing I need to SHFFL are SH's, and I've already got the Nairs down, just not the Dairs. I only use the C-Stick for Meteor Smashing with Dair, so I dont fast fall.

No Rep System here? Thanks AGAIN, lol.

EDIT: Should I learn to SH Uairs? It's tough, plus it seems like it isn't very helpful as a combo starter...

 

[abit_rusty]

EDIT: Should I learn to SH Uairs? It's tough, plus it seems like it isn't very helpful as a combo starter...

It is so integral to aerial combos that once you've learned to shffl uairs to knee you'll never know how you lived without it. Take a look at Falcon combo vids...there isn't a single [good] one without a juggled uair to knee combo.

 

[LevesqueIsKing]

^At high percentages? It seems as though a Uair --> Knee wouldn't work unless they were around 100...?

And I'm assuming I should use the C-Stick for this?

EDIT: I've noticed that quite a few big time names are here on SmashBoards. Would DarkRain happen to have an account? I would love to talk to the guy. Thats right, I like DarkRain more than Isai *ducks and covers*

 

[abit_rusty]

^At high percentages? It seems as though a Uair --> Knee wouldn't work unless they were around 100...?

And I'm assuming I should use the C-Stick for this?

EDIT: I've noticed that quite a few big time names are here on SmashBoards. Would DarkRain happen to have an account? I would love to talk to the guy. Thats right, I like DarkRain more than Isai *ducks and covers*

Ok I'll pretend I didn't hear that about Isai... >.>...

But seriously, It's only good at high %'s vs floaties (aka Peach/Luigi/Jiggz) as a KO move because it has good range so use it to try and hit them as they fall. And it doesn't work on fast fallers that well. For those guys a good stomp/throw to knee will do. On midweights...or semi floaties...Marth for example...this ***** them. You just have to find the exact % at which you can start a nair/uair to knee combo.

C-sticking is easier because the control stick might give you DI you don't want.

And um...a up/down throw to knee will work on just about anyone, just find the right %. For non-fast fallers they shouldn't live too long past 100%

 

[Rang Flash]

no. I used to have this exact same problem. you hit L when you land

Actually you should hit L a split second before you land.

 

[LevesqueIsKing]

Is it possible to SHFFL SH'd Dairs? I find it incredibly difficult to FF after a SH'd Dair (that hits). I can L-Cancel it, but I can't FF after it...

 

[Taalcon]

Fast Fall when you hit the peak of your jump. It isn't really needed when you're short hopping dairs, because if you fast fall it, you might not always have the hitbox come out.