How do i become conscience of what is going on?

[OG Zen]

BACKGROUND:

I have recently been going ham on reading anything i can get my eyes on, studying my own videos, theorycrafting options and situations, memorizing matchups to its very core. All of this is so fascinating to me to the point that my drive to become one of the most knowledgeble players in my community and in the long term the whole community. It makes me love this game insanely.

Then i play.

SITUATION:
I love playing dont get me wrong. Best game in the world. But i try to comprehend stuff high level players like PPMD are saying and i have to pause, take notes and study it for awhile before i resume the video. And its difficult for me to translate that into my gameplay. I hear about making a gameplan and how to succesfully accomplish it then adapting when it fails. But i cant translate what ive learned to the controller.

Example:

Me as sheik vs a falco that is offstage.

I cant tell when to immediatly jump nair or to drop off the ledge a little into jump nair. Cover side b option. Then they jump out up b.

They ledgedash. I ftilt. Whiffs. So i close them into their corner with a nair enough to cover platform. But i somehow trade hits. Falco might get a hit on me. Laser. Idk.

Covering all the options is hard.

 

[タオー]

Melee is hard. Mental game is only one slice of the pie, execution is what you need in order to apply your knowledge. I love theory, but you also need to take the time and just grind out tech, and really hone that muscle memory, and I mean that. MUSCLE MEMORY. I wanted to play this game and not use muscle memory as a "crutch", but now I know that was a bad mindset, I need take what advantages I can where I can get them. Muscle memory will help with consistency, and actualizing what theory can help you conceptualize. I was at this point not too long ago, and learning to apply these technical skills seems like a monument of a task, but so far my only solution is to just tackle that mountain.

specifically in the situation you're talking about, you can improve your results by focusing on two factors:

Spacing your nair to not trade

Work on reacting faster (what I've heard is to read the instant Side B back with a nair, FF back to stage to then regrab ledge/cover ledge recovery)

All I can say about feeling comfortable in match ups is that you really just need to grind out the practice. Find people in your area who play certain characters, or if you can find a training partner to work on certain situations. 20XX Hack Pack has a lot of tools to help with situational practice as well.

Hope some of that helps.

 

[OG Zen]

Just to make sure im getting this.

Your stating that theory and game plans are a good source of info, and i can start applying it by practicing my movement. Etc.. So i can execute it?
I mean it makes sense. If you cant move then theory is useless. But if i can move then theory is super importent.
Is that right?

 

[Scroll]

Not just movement. You need general control. If you're thinking of technical execution while playing that's tunnel vision, which is bad. You need to become one with your character via muscle memory.
Grind grind grind.
And grind specific stuff - this will net you better results faster than doing it all at once

 

[タオー]

Just to make sure im getting this.

Your stating that theory and game plans are a good source of info, and i can start applying it by practicing my movement. Etc.. So i can execute it?
I mean it makes sense. If you cant move then theory is useless. But if i can move then theory is super importent.
Is that right?

Kinda, like Trip said, muscle memory is something you need to develop, its so you don't HAVE to be thinking about execution, and can focus your mind on the theory and directing your character. Movement is important, but overall you need to focus on "control". I'm still working on this, as Falcon is WILD. Work on deliberate movement, to the point where you can execute everything you want without needing to focus super hard on your hands, controller, etc. The idea is to "free your mind" from the execution, and let it focus on the match.

 

[OG Zen]

Ok thanks guys

 

[タオー]

Just a note on how to practice tech skill. I started learning the in's and out's of the game mechanics from the start so I could familiarize myself with just how far I could push every input. I wanted to discover the physics of melee for myself, and it remains to be a great learning experience; however, this is not how you practice tech, this is how you familiarize yourself with the limitations enforced by the games physics. When it comes to practicing consistent tech skill, the best way to practice the muscle memory is to literally input the inputs as fast as you can.

In other games, like Street Fighter, you can buffer inputs into combos. This means there is not a strict timing for these combos (though there are definitely frame tight links into other moves). For Melee, you have to hit every input at the EXACT moment that you can transition out of one animation into the other. While studying frame data helps (I did a ton of that at the beginning) what you really should do to improve a certain tech execution is to practice doing it over and over and over and over until you can do it mindlessly. Start as fast as you can, and slow things down as necessary for you to link the animations together. Then practice executing the tech out of another state (stand, crouch, in air, out of jump, out of ftilt, out of WD, etc.), and linking other movement options as well as other advanced tech and follow ups, both linking into the tech skill you are practicing and out of that tech. This is the stuff that will beef up your fingers, and I recommend trying to make a regiment to just practice tech skill like this at least 20-30 min a day, as keeping at it will help you improve immensely over a short amount of time.

Sorry for the wall of text, hope that gave you some more insight.

 

[Scroll]

I have to correct you on that statement. Doing everything as fast as possible is not what you want.
Rather find the timings being as fast as they need to be or as slow.
A very standard example, for Sheik, is linking Dash Attack into SH Fair.
If you do the SH Fair as fast as you can you will surely get an Fsmash or even nothing after the Dash Attack.
So apart from learning how SH Fair feels you need to learn how long the animation of Dash Attack is and jump at the right timing.
This might even feel almost like waiting for a second after DA connects.

Another example is Wave Dash. The timing for inputting Air Dodge varies between characters. Wave Dashing with Sheik and Wave Dashing with Bowser are two completely different timings.

When practicing tech skill if you run into any kind of trouble let me know. I love talking about tech skill, timings and techniques

 

[タオー]

I have to correct you on that statement. Doing everything as fast as possible is not what you want.
Rather find the timings being as fast as they need to be or as slow.
A very standard example, for Sheik, is linking Dash Attack into SH Fair.
If you do the SH Fair as fast as you can you will surely get an Fsmash or even nothing after the Dash Attack.
So apart from learning how SH Fair feels you need to learn how long the animation of Dash Attack is and jump at the right timing.
This might even feel almost like waiting for a second after DA connects.

Another example is Wave Dash. The timing for inputting Air Dodge varies between characters. Wave Dashing with Sheik and Wave Dashing with Bowser are two completely different timings.

When practicing tech skill if you run into any kind of trouble let me know. I love talking about tech skill, timings and techniques

I agree with everything you said Trip, but when I said "fast as possible" I was referring to how to condition your MUSCLE MEMORY. When I said "fast as possible" I should have mentioned that means as fast as the game will allow you. Obviously when you are learning, you should try and just get the inputs down at the appropriate speed to execute the move as quickly as the game will allow you; however, to practice very frame tight tech, it's important to also develop your speed, which is where the actual "fast as possible" practice applies. For example, when practicing hax dashes, there is a point after you get the inputs down that you just need to start grinding out the sequence. When it comes to learning tech skill I think of it in a few stages. I'll use wave dashing for this example:

1. Learn the inputs

In this example, you would practice air dodging diagonally into the ground after Jump. Another step you can do before this to get the timing is to simply WD in place.

2. Practice executing them until you get the tech as intended
This part of the practice focuses on being frame tight with this specific tech. This is to make sure you're getting the most out of the tech when you execute it. For WD, you're aiming to air dodge immediately after your jumpsquat frames.

3. Practice consistency (try to get 10/25/50/100 WD without a mistake)
A good way to practice this is to WD both forward and backwards across FD focusing on perfect execution. To simulate mental pressure in a match, also practice exerting mental stresses on yourself so you can condition yourself to work well in the thick of battle. (note: Mental pressure practice is not universally beneficial, as it has been known to cripple mental game as a whole. Remember that this pressure should not be something you carry with you. The overall goal is to be as comfortable as you can, even under pressure.)

4. Practice executing the tech out of other options
Try executing a WD in and out of other options such as: Stand, Dash, Run, Crouch, Shield, ftilt, etc. Try to always make the links as seamless as possible as to not waste frames

 

[OG Zen]

Makes sense. It really sucks because i dont have a setup i can practice from in my house as of now. My parents saw i became to addicted to becoming better and practicing and took smash away. So now im stuck to studying matchups and theory. I would literally practice 4 hours a day. I had slight issues. XD so practicing is hard for me because i rarely play. Due to this ive seen my performance slightly drop. I recently went to my friends house and played probably worst then i ever have. That was this last saturday. i cant tell who to main and ive been playing this competively for 2 years now. Almost all my characters have the basics down now xD.

Like when i say marth. Then i think about my falco. Then how good fox is. Then sheik i have better plays with. O but jiggs is way to fun. RPS character strats.

 

[Scroll]

Your parents took away your smash? BibleThump
That's really unfortunate, but an opportinuty for you as well
Lemme ellaborate.
Note: I might be judgemental here. If I am, please bare with me ok?

Your parents, as the loving good people they are, may still have a scewed look on video games. Biased even.
They stopped you from playing video games too much becuse they deem it unhealthy for you.
The fact that you sit infront on your tv set 4 hours in a row pushing buttons have to take up time for other activities that they might think are better for you.

What do you think would happen if you practiced playing the violin for 4 hours a day? Would they take that away from you too?
Studying mathematics for 4 hours? You get what I am saying.

All you're doing is being passionate about a social activity where you need to use your brain alot! Eye to hand coordination. Dexterity.
And knowledge.

These are some of the key words you wanna use when you explain to them why it is wrong of them to take away your pass time activity.
Any why playing and practicing smash is at least as or more beneficial then most other, widely accepted hobbies.

 

[Stride]

Your parents took away your smash? BibleThump
That's really unfortunate, but an opportinuty for you as well
Lemme ellaborate.
Note: I might be judgemental here. If I am, please bare with me ok?

Your parents, as the loving good people they are, may still have a scewed look on video games. Biased even.
They stopped you from playing video games too much becuse they deem it unhealthy for you.
The fact that you sit infront on your tv set 4 hours in a row pushing buttons have to take up time for other activities that they might think are better for you.

What do you think would happen if you practiced playing the violin for 4 hours a day? Would they take that away from you too?
Studying mathematics for 4 hours? You get what I am saying.

All you're doing is being passionate about a social activity where you need to use your brain alot! Eye to hand coordination. Dexterity.
And knowledge.

These are some of the key words you wanna use when you explain to them why it is wrong of them to take away your pass time activity.
Any why playing and practicing smash is at least as or more beneficial then most other, widely accepted hobbies.

That's a very good way to look at it.

OG Zen , have you explained to your parents why you feel and do what you do, and the motivations behind your playing? Have you gone to tournaments or things like that? I think that in particular, socialiation/community, self-expression/self-exploration, and personal improvement are some of the things that can be the most universally relatable and appealing when explaining something like this (with lots of comparisons to sports, or really anything that's clearly taken very seriously while also being fun and fulfilling).

The social element can be difficult to get across when the only experience with Smash someone has is seeing you play alone a lot, so going to events, or even better, bringing new friends home to play Smash will help considerably. Remind them that this is a multiplayer game; in many ways the ultimate goal of practicing alone is to better be able to play with others. Practicing and watching Smash alone is no different from practicing and watching a sport on your own between meeting up with your friends to play. Actually, now that I think about it, as far as I know even in sports you don't have people who let groups of (as-of-then) strangers stay in their home so they're able to travel for hours or days to play together (not even necessarily to compete); that's commonplace with Smash.

 

[OG Zen]

Yeah those are both good points.


So my parents have a legitimate reason as to why they took it away and i choose to be mature and see eye to eye with them. Only reason i complie is because im going to college in 5 months and will be traveling to all the majors this upcoming summer. And im building my gaming pc so netplay galore coming. And when i graduate i have free will to go to tournaments and bebas active as i want within the community.

 

[タオー]

Sometimes it's just best to CC, Amsah tech, and SDI in the parent MU. Good luck in your battle of attrition.

 

[ThatLittleFatGirl]

If you just mean to be conscious of what your opponent might or will do at all times then just watch other peoples matches on YouTube. It may seem kind of weird but if you say the names of the moves they do as they do them then your mind kinda just bookmarks them. If you do it enough then you can eventually tell what option they will most likely go for based on their past performances. You can do this during a match in real time to but it is a bit harder to figure it out that quickly.
It's always nice to have data on people you play.

Sorry if this isn't what you were asking about, but oh well. XD

 

[Nishifue]

aaaaaaaaaa

 

[Astherath]

Theory crafting can only get you so far, but you're lucky that you play Sheik, she doesn't need to practice stuff like multishines OoS. As for how to get better, I would recommend watching videos in half speed of the gods against each other, and then pausing every time the opponent gets hit. Then, just think about what you would do in that scenario, and press play. Did the Sheik player in the video do what you thought? Or did he just do something less/more optimal?

The super fast and on-the-spot decision making also comes from very long exposure to the game; if you've been through a scenario a million times you know exactly what to do. E.g you just threw Falco offstage at 80%, you know that if he DI'd down and away he can only do some things to recover: jump to sweetspot, try to jump and Phantasm, or do firebird. In that moment, you have to make up your mind as to what can cover the most amount of options (you'll very rarely find a move that covers all of your opponent's options). So if you do drop down nair, you cover all of the options except something like a shinestall jump.

This might not be easy to practice since you don't have a setup, but through watching videos you can learn a lot, especially if you take time to analyze them, and break them down.

Good luck!

 

[OG Zen]

Update:

So my aspiration to get better continues on. I started playing ALOT more. I am going out to the best players in my region and playing them because im friends with my local community. As i played i took mental notes if thins i got punished for and things i did correctly. Opponents habits. And my habits. All that theorycrafting started coming into play when i played alot more because my execution increased. The match up knowledge i have i can actually use now. If i have an idea mid game i can try it. I can feel myself leveling up as i used to have issues beating alot of mid level people that im now 2 or 3 stocking.

In short. Combining theory craft amd long hours of play equals results.