• Welcome to Smashboards, the world's largest Super Smash Brothers community! Over 250,000 Smash Bros. fans from around the world have come to discuss these great games in over 19 million posts!

    You are currently viewing our boards as a visitor. Click here to sign up right now and start on your path in the Smash community!

Q&A -Fox Advice/Questions Topic-

Bones0

Smash Legend
Joined
Aug 31, 2005
Messages
11,153
Location
Jarrettsville, MD
Have you considered using ear plugs instead of headphones?

headphones can be distracting in their own way. Ear plugs to completely block sound would mean your entire focus of attention would be solely on one sensory modality (vision), directed at the game.
Idk, I feel like even the best ear plugs would still let sound in, and at least for me, sometimes having a little bit of sounds is almost MORE distracting than being able to hear perfectly. It's like my brain is working harder to figure out what's being said as well as comprehend it... I think I may just bring my splitter cable and plug my headphones into the TV (they have male and female, so my opponent could still hear).
 

Lovage

Smash Hero
Joined
Apr 15, 2007
Messages
6,746
Location
STANKONIA CA
How does one improve their ability to focus?
do you really, really have a desire to win the match? if the outcome of the game means a lot to you, there's a good chance your focus will come totally naturally. if you're talking about remaining focused in friendlies, a desire to improve will go a long way because you'll be much more interested in all of your little mistakes in every match and be quicker to improve them.
 

Jethrotex

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Feb 7, 2011
Messages
496
Location
Toronto, On
Bring it to the A&C at the tournament!
Enh, it's too big, plus I'd have to bring my laptop since it has the software on it, and I don't really want to carry all of that stuff. Maybe if I had a car, but even if I did I would be fined immediately for driving without a license.
 

Bones0

Smash Legend
Joined
Aug 31, 2005
Messages
11,153
Location
Jarrettsville, MD
I've been getting a lot better at focusing during friendlies. Just setting simple rules that you remind yourself before each game like "no talking" and "watch their character" go a long way to make you stay focused.
 

ShroudedOne

Smash Hero
Premium
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Messages
5,493
I'm completely unable to take friendlies seriously. Sometimes, I can pull it off, but then I think, "It's a friendly, why does it matter?" However, honing focus in them is quite important, so maybe I will. Though, I have little problems focusing in tournament/friendlies with people I've never played before.
 
G

genkaku

Guest
I can't stand it when people take friendlies too seriously. I'll try to be as aggro and flashy as possible and they just CC dsmash or something and treat the win as legit. So annoying.
 

Bones0

Smash Legend
Joined
Aug 31, 2005
Messages
11,153
Location
Jarrettsville, MD
I can't stand it when people take friendlies too seriously. I'll try to be as aggro and flashy as possible and they just CC dsmash or something and treat the win as legit. So annoying.
I hope you're trolling. And this is coming from the #1 victim of Peach dsmash BS (2:37).
 

ShroudedOne

Smash Hero
Premium
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Messages
5,493
OMG Bones get wrecked.

This is why I don't like playing Peach in friendlies unless it's a tournament. Most people tell me that she's no fun to fight, and as sad as it sounds, I try to do my part to help the community the best I can, and that is with my semi-aggro spacies (read: not playing Peach, lol). But I should be trying to analyze my serious play in friendlies, and hone it for tourney, which is why you can take them seriously sometimes, right?
 

Divinokage

Smash Legend
Joined
Aug 6, 2006
Messages
16,250
Location
Montreal, Quebec
All you gotta do is play the game and if something cool happens with stupidity.. then it does and you learned something new. You don't actually need a super mindset in friendlies or anything like that to learn.
 

weon - X

Smash Ace
Joined
Mar 9, 2009
Messages
528
Location
herpderpland
I like playing vs peach. Her punishes are so hard that they make me have to focus on simply being very carefull with my move selection. Drill isn't easy to hit either since there's not much range :(

:phone:
 

Strong Badam

Super Elite
Administrator
Premium
BRoomer
Joined
Feb 27, 2008
Messages
26,550
The only character I really won't fight in friendlies with DK is Jigglypuff. Jesus **** that is a boring matchup. Fox all day
 

ShroudedOne

Smash Hero
Premium
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Messages
5,493
I like playing vs peach. Her punishes are so hard that they make me have to focus on simply being very carefull with my move selection. Drill isn't easy to hit either since there's not much range :(

:phone:
You are probably one of...4 people (excluding Peach mains, cause most of us like the ditto).
 

Bones0

Smash Legend
Joined
Aug 31, 2005
Messages
11,153
Location
Jarrettsville, MD
The only character I really won't fight in friendlies with DK is Jigglypuff. Jesus **** that is a boring matchup. Fox all day
I'm fine playing almost every character. Even floaties like Peach/Samus/Jiggs who can't be comboed much and have annoying OoS stuff. Ironically, the only character I would say I hate playing is DK... Half the match is uncontested (DK's sorry excuse for a) shield thrashing, and the other half is uncontested, boring cargo uthrow uair BS.
 

Fortress | Sveet

▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Messages
16,256
Location
Northern IL
I think I just need to remaster self discipline. I think focusing is just a type of self discipline, and I have noticed a lack of ability in that field recently.

Lovage, how do I get more desire to win? I try my hardest to win every single game, friendly or not. I find thinking about the consequences of winning or losing negatively affects my ability to focus on the match itself. Do you ever give yourself self improsed consequences for losing friendlies in order to simulate tournament stress?

:phone:
 

Jethrotex

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Feb 7, 2011
Messages
496
Location
Toronto, On
I like playing vs peach. Her punishes are so hard that they make me have to focus on simply being very carefull with my move selection. Drill isn't easy to hit either since there's not much range :(

:phone:
We should play some more at the monthlies, next time I won't need you to sd twice to come close ;)
 

Bing

Smash Master
Joined
Nov 8, 2010
Messages
4,885
Location
St.Catharines, Ontario, Canada
I'm completely unable to take friendlies seriously. Sometimes, I can pull it off, but then I think, "It's a friendly, why does it matter?" However, honing focus in them is quite important, so maybe I will. Though, I have little problems focusing in tournament/friendlies with people I've never played before.
Lol sounds like me. All low tiers and falcon for me

:phone:
 

Sinji

Smash Master
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Messages
3,370
Location
Brooklyn New York
NNID
Sinjis
3DS FC
0361-6602-9839
I find that people who take friendlies seriously doesn't play melee that often. IMO

I like playing peach in friendly's. Its fun especially when you don't the match up that well.
 

Fortress | Sveet

▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Messages
16,256
Location
Northern IL
why are you playing if you aren't playing at least semi seriously? If you don't want to think about strategy or try to win, go play mario party
 

Sinji

Smash Master
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Messages
3,370
Location
Brooklyn New York
NNID
Sinjis
3DS FC
0361-6602-9839
why are you playing if you aren't playing at least semi seriously? If you don't want to think about strategy or try to win, go play mario party
I didn't mean play like your not serious. I meant take things as a learning experience. A number of people have been saying that they hate playing peach in friendly's because it gets them frustrated when fox clearly destroys peach in the match up. Take friendlies as a learning experience and have fun with the match up so you will be better adapted and comfortable in the future.

I found a new player in my region and he uses ganondorf and he has been playing for a couple of years. I don't know the fox vs Ganondorf match up that well so I play him every week. During those weeks I started to learn quickly, not by playing serious or over thinking things, but by just having fun and telling myself that its just casuals and if you do this then you know why you did it wrong.

Everyone has their way of learning the game. Having fun is just my way.:)
 
G

genkaku

Guest
It's not losing that's annoying, it's the other person being an *** when they win, lol.
So basically I am annoyed by ***holes, not friendlies. Hopefully that clears things up, haha.
 

Sinji

Smash Master
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Messages
3,370
Location
Brooklyn New York
NNID
Sinjis
3DS FC
0361-6602-9839
It's not losing that's annoying, it's the other person being an *** when they win, lol.
So basically I am annoyed by ***holes, not friendlies. Hopefully that clears things up, haha.
Iv'e never had a situation when I was playing an *******, so I can't relate to that lol. Newbs will be newbs. Even at the past apex, I played people that had the desire to learn or even had fun doing it. Javi for one was a player I had fun playing. I learned a lot in fox dittos and hope I can play him again.
 

Lovage

Smash Hero
Joined
Apr 15, 2007
Messages
6,746
Location
STANKONIA CA
Lovage, how do I get more desire to win? I try my hardest to win every single game, friendly or not. I find thinking about the consequences of winning or losing negatively affects my ability to focus on the match itself. Do you ever give yourself self improsed consequences for losing friendlies in order to simulate tournament stress?

:phone:

not really what i was talking about. in tournament, you should naturally have the pressure to win, you shouldn't have any problem finding focus if you already really care about how the set ends up. in friendlies, you don't need the killer instinct (in fact i think it's BAD to have this in friendlies,) just care about learning and exploring the game - that's all you need and you'll naturally have more focus.
 

Fortress | Sveet

▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Messages
16,256
Location
Northern IL
I want to win, but .the money doesn't really matter to me. To me its just ultra seriouslies, and when i try to put pressure of "i have to win this!!" i just get nervous and make lots of technical mistakes (not to mention mental mistakes).

A good example of this can be seen in my set vs phatgamer last year. Watch the first game or just a stock or two. Notice I am making fairly good decisions my tech skill is not bad. There is no real pressure, this is just me showing my improvement to phatgamer who beat me a year before in pools at POE.

Fast forward to 8:44 and you see a man who can't even drillshine. The pressure and thoughts of winning flood my head and I can't even make my hands work right. My strategy is nothing; i just fullhop and doublejump a lot hoping he does a rookie mistake and i can drillshine usmash him. My skill level devolves to that of a noob.



god i used to have such better stress control and mental discipline when i smoked weed. When im high i can be aware of the stress but not have it affect me. Its also a good way to stay positive and be creative... maybe ill pick up smoking again while i train for FC
 
Joined
Jun 27, 2005
Messages
10,463
Location
the west
i dont think youve found your focus sveet. i wasnt able to control my focus until like a year ago. idk what to say other than stare at the screen and concentrate as hard as you can on what youre doing. if you do it hard enough you wont think about anything but melee and thoughts like "if i win this ill get this" wont fill your mind if you are truly focused. if youre still getting nervous you just need more experience with it.
 

Fortress | Sveet

▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Messages
16,256
Location
Northern IL
SW your post reminds me of a truth i've learned: The only way to do certain things is to be able do it. You don't have to practice or wean into it, you just have to do it.
 

JPOBS

Smash Hero
Joined
Jun 26, 2007
Messages
5,821
Location
Mos Eisley
why are you playing if you aren't playing at least semi seriously? If you don't want to think about strategy or try to win, go play mario party
Because its fun and there are literally 0 consequences or reward, regarless of the outcome?

I don't get the idea that every single match has to be serious/trying to win/mentally focused. There are times to play seriously and try to learn and improve at the game, and there are times when that isn't necessary. I fail to see how they can't co-exist.
 

omgwtfToph

Smash Master
Joined
May 28, 2008
Messages
4,486
Location
San Jose
I sometimes think that people who don't have fun in friendlies or can't focus in friendlies aren't creative enough in their gameplay. me n otto go hard in the paint in friendlies lol
 

Bing

Smash Master
Joined
Nov 8, 2010
Messages
4,885
Location
St.Catharines, Ontario, Canada
I still try during friendlies, I just wont always be fox. It's the perfect chance to try new characters and stuff.

And especially in teams friendlies, its so hard to take those seriously

:phone:
 
Top Bottom