How can I improve my air game?

[Oatkeeper]

I've been struggling at getting better at Smash 4 and one of the main reasons (I think) is because I can't connect my hits in the air. I get too scared of running off and not being able to get back on that I very rarely try to edgeguard. When I do my attacks either miss or I jump at the wrong time and I end up nowhere near my opponent. Any tips on how I can get better?

 

[mountain_tiger]

This varies enormously on a character-by-character basis.

There really aren't many generic tips that can be applied to everyone...

 

[ppale]

One tip is that many people will air dodge when you get close to them in the air, especially if they're falling back down. If you can bait them into air-dodging without actually going through them, you can potentially punish them after their air dodge.

 

[GdspdUblkprzdnt]

Here's some generic advice.

The best way to improve your edge game overall is to play really stupidly in friendlies. Throw caution to the wind and over commit. You don't even have to know what you're doing, just run of the ledge and do whatever your instincts tell you to do. Edge guarding experience grows slower than all the other strata of the game since the opportunities to do so present themselves less often so try to make the most out of every chance.

Over time, you'll start to get a feel for what works and what doesn't and you'll find yourself playing a lot more intelligently off stage. The trick here is to play risky in friendlies, get a feel for the off stage.

 

[JGR]

What Gdspd said. Just practice.

 

[<π]

experience. Push yourself to the limits every time (especially in matches that are of no consequence) so you understand exactly how far you can go when it does count.

 

[ZephyrZ]

Just in case, don't double-jump off an edge. Only jump once. Save your second jump for recovery.

When I first tried to master my air-game, I found myself dying a lot. But after I trained myself not to double jump to early, I noticed a significant improvement.

 

[CE_TheLord]

Well, you need to practice. That's the simple answer. Now if you want the long answer... Listen well (Or read in this case)

If you want to master the aerial game, first you have to master the ground game, because through the ground you're going to rise up to the sky. The best way to achieve this is to experiment with your main/secondary character. For example Zero Suit Samus' Dgrab can help you to follow-up with either a Fair or a UpB; Yoshi can start punishing on the ground and then your opponent will rise in the air and you can: A. Finish him with a Meteor Smash B.Use any other aerial to rise his % even more. The point is, you will get better in the aerial game when you get to understand your character's aerial game, because it's different for every character.