Ben Zed
Smash Apprentice
So I've really been trying in every way possible (short of actually going to tournaments because I'm still in school/don't have time) to improve at the game for the past few months. Of course, a common method that people will refer to in various guides or just as general advice is to watch and attempt to analyze video. That said, it is a predominant issue that a lot of people (Especially said new players) aren't taking very much from the videos they watch. And this is understandable, as it really is hard not only to know what to look for, but also to know what is not worth examining. Thus, my dilemma pertains to what I really need to look for. And I figure it's an important discussion to have considering how many new players there are such as myself.
As of recently, I have begun to analyze videos by downloading them as mp4 files and viewing them in a video analysis program (Found Here for reference). From there, I can watch videos frame by frame as well as write annotations where/when ever I see something noteworthy or interesting. With those tools I try to make a general step by step analysis simply of what is going on. From there, I go back and try to see exactly why it is that a player is doing what they are. Then I move on to what options they had in the given situation, why/why not what they did was optimal, the possible reasoning behind a certain decision, which available options (if any) would have been better/worse in their given situation based on their presumed reasoning and why/why not, etc. And all of this can go into something as basic as the following:
"In this situation, player "x" was trapped near the ledge by player "y", and player "y" used an F-Tilt to knock "x" off-stage. This is possibly because, if one examines the situation, F-Tilt eliminates all of player "x" 's options to escape, and because given factors "l" "n" and "m", F-tilt is a better option for player "y" to cover "x" 's options than are options "a" "b" and "c" from "y'."
I also try to see what various factors and decisions will put a player in a good or bad situation (For example, good/poor DI, a hard punish on a certain technical error or a baited move, etc.) and in turn, what could have been done to prevent them from ending up in a bad situation.
In general, I want to extract as much useful information from players of all skill levels as possible. Does anyone have any advice as to what I may be doing wrong, what I should be looking into more, or what I may be overlooking? Thanks in advance
As of recently, I have begun to analyze videos by downloading them as mp4 files and viewing them in a video analysis program (Found Here for reference). From there, I can watch videos frame by frame as well as write annotations where/when ever I see something noteworthy or interesting. With those tools I try to make a general step by step analysis simply of what is going on. From there, I go back and try to see exactly why it is that a player is doing what they are. Then I move on to what options they had in the given situation, why/why not what they did was optimal, the possible reasoning behind a certain decision, which available options (if any) would have been better/worse in their given situation based on their presumed reasoning and why/why not, etc. And all of this can go into something as basic as the following:
"In this situation, player "x" was trapped near the ledge by player "y", and player "y" used an F-Tilt to knock "x" off-stage. This is possibly because, if one examines the situation, F-Tilt eliminates all of player "x" 's options to escape, and because given factors "l" "n" and "m", F-tilt is a better option for player "y" to cover "x" 's options than are options "a" "b" and "c" from "y'."
In general, I want to extract as much useful information from players of all skill levels as possible. Does anyone have any advice as to what I may be doing wrong, what I should be looking into more, or what I may be overlooking? Thanks in advance
