How can I DI when I play

[I.G.]

Title may seem a bit vague but what I mean by it is how can I implement my DI while playing to the point where DI'ing becomes muscle memory. Whenever I play I can never really DI when I should, and when I get smashed or whatever its like DI'ing is the last thing in my mind.

I don't really have anything to practice such as 20XX training mod pack since my PC is an actual toaster but I do play with friends at school.

Thanks for any of the help.

 

[Pauer]

At first, you're gonna have to make a conscious effort to DI. Before your next play session, think about certain situations and think about what DI you need to utilize. Then during the session, pick the best player and try to focus on just DI-ing their moves correctly and focus less on the rest of the gameplay. It's best to play against a strong opponent where you're caught in long combos a lot, giving you a lot of opportunity to practice.
When I was just starting out, my DI vastly improved after staying at a good Falco player's house for a day who would combo me all night. It took much longer to get decent at DI but it's just a matter of time, once certain reactions are ingrained in your head.

 

[Bones0]

Try to improve your awareness of what your opponent is doing. When you're first starting out this can be difficult because you're focused on performing tech skill, but as your movement becomes second nature, you will be able to spend more time focusing on your opponent's point of view. This will let you react more quickly to things like a Fox running usmash or Marth wavedash fsmash. The quicker you can react to your opponent, the more often you will be able to DI before their attack connects.

Another thing to try is practicing doing the proper DI angle so when you're in the heat of the moment you don't have to think. Some moves like Fox's usmash and Falco's shine are easy because you just DI horizontally away, but for other attacks you will need to DI up and in (usually between the top notch and upper 45 degree notches). If you know exactly what angle to press your stick and have practiced doing it, you will drastically lower the time it takes to implement the DI after reacting to the attack.

 

[MookieRah]

Another tip is to get used to inputting di during the winddown lag of an attack. That way even if you are caught offguard you still have some base di input for survival.