How to Improve at Smash Bros.

[HOO HAH]

I have often pondered over the thought of how to actually improve at Smash Bros. Many times I have asked people on how to improve and the most common answer was to simply play the game, which is true but not in detail. Of course if you want to get better at something you have to do it. However, the question is HOW do you do it. You can put hours and hours into playing the game, but that doesn't correlate to improving in the game. I have made this thread to communicate to everybody on how to improve at Smash Bros. and hopefully we all can give insight on what we have done to improve.

Going to Tournaments

This is probably one of the most practical ways to improve at the game that doesn't include multiple hours of grinding to become skilled. Going to tournaments allows you to not only play against high level players, but meet them and associate with them. By becoming friends both of you can improve and give information on how you think playing a match and the whole tournament experience. Even if you don't get the chance to meet high level players you are automatically more experienced then people who don't attend tournaments because you have experienced everything about the whole tournament.

Playing Online

Playing online is probably one the most common and underrated ways to improve at the game. People often ignore For Glory as a tool to get better at the game, but that is simply generalized. Depending on your skill level, For Glory is a great way to improve your game. In For Glory, your exposed to multiple players, styles, and characters meaning you have knowledge how to deal with certain styles and characters. You can even improve more by playing on smashladder.com. Not only does it give you the benefits of For Glory but you can connect with players in your area reducing communication errors. It also has more skilled players which give you even more experience. On smashladder.com you can definitely play against competent players and learn alot from them.

Match Breakdown

This is probably not as talked about of the above, but it is definitely a good way to improve. In Match Breakdown, you basically break down every single action of you and your opponent sizing up your options and theirs. By breaking down the Match it exposing you to mix-ups, conditioning, and reads that you or your opponent may have made. You also break down the stage pros and cons for each characters as well as the character MU. Breaking down your matches is definitely a good way to get better and is recommended. You can even post your matches on threads and see if others can critque your game play. Here is an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPwplk90u2U

So what do you guys do to improve? Please share anything that you have done below. I hope my tips can help!

 

[AnchorTea]

For Glory is an awful way to improve. Because all stages are flat, and all tourneys use more that just flat stages. Not only that, there are casual players that have scubby tactics (and they win once and act like they're god) and competitive players that have awful habits and start every battle with a D-throw combo. It also convinces newbies that Link and Ness are top tier when they aren't. Those two characters do well with a flat stage. Smash Ladder is an extremely better way to improve than For Glory, because it has more than just flat stages, and it even has good players without bad habits and without terrible strategy. Training Mode is good because you can find many things you'd never expected with your main if you just mess around in Training Mode.

For Glory can just die. Why was it even here in the first place?

 

[outfoxd]

For Glory is an awful way to improve. Because all stages are flat, and all tourneys use more that just flat stages. Not only that, there are casual players that have scubby tactics (and they win once and act like they're god) and competitive players that have awful habits and start every battle with a D-throw combo. It also convinces newbies that Link and Ness are top tier when they aren't. Those two characters do well with a flat stage. Smash Ladder is an extremely better way to improve than For Glory, because it has more than just flat stages, and it even has good players without bad habits and without terrible strategy. Training Mode is good because you can find many things you'd never expected with your main if you just mess around in Training Mode.

For Glory can just die. Why was it even here in the first place?

Cuz it takes two seconds to start. For when you dont have time to get something set up, whether with friends or on ladder.

 

[AnchorTea]

Cuz it takes two seconds to start. For when you dont have time to get something set up, whether with friends or on ladder.

Yes of course! Two minutes of setting things up is obviously a time-waster.

 

[NotAnAdmin]

I don't think Sakurai really cared about if it were a good tool to improve. He probably had some kind of quota he wanted to fill on game modes for online.
I think you are blowing it up a bit though. There are those few that give a pretty good match and do play pretty smartly.
For example, I played a pretty darn good Pikachu the other day. I learned a couple things about the match-up (like how it's possibly another one of Falco's worst match-ups on a flat stage) and the guy wasn't acting conceited.

 

[RayNoire]

For Glory's not useless. You'd be surprised how many otherwise-decent players struggle against simple For-Glory strats. They overthink and try to read options that their opponent isn't even aware exist. At the least, it teaches you how to tailor your mindset to different playstyles and skill levels.

 

[AnchorTea]

For Glory's not useless. You'd be surprised how many otherwise-decent players struggle against simple For-Glory strats. They overthink and try to read options that their opponent isn't even aware exist. At the least, it teaches you how to tailor your mindset to different playstyles and skill levels.

On a flat, platform-less stage. When your in tourney's, what if your on BF or SV? You don't have much experience on those stages or train strategies on them when you just only use For Glory...

 

[RayNoire]

On a flat, platform-less stage. When your in tourney's, what if your on BF or SV? You don't have much experience on those stages or train strategies on them when you just only use For Glory...

You don't have to do For Glory exclusively. It's probably best to practice in as many ways as possible.

 

[ZephyrZ]

For Glory has certainly helped me get better. If a player is significantly worse then me, I generally drop out and find a player closer to my level.

You'd be surprised how skilled some of the players can be. I've fought players capable of mix ups, hard reads, difficult and practical use of tech, and great combo or air game. People often say it just teaches you bad habits like roll spamming, but it actually helped me get over my roll spamming problem. I kept getting punished for it by more skilled players, so I started practicing alternatives like short hopping more.

Let's also remember matchups in For Glory are based on skill. We don't know exactly how the system works, but I know that the more I play For Glory, the better my opponents become. If you're a new and still improving player like me, For Glory will get harder as you get better. I've found the matchup system to be accurate enough; my win rate is hovering at around 48%.

I know I'm not at tournament level yet, but I'm certainly getting closer. I also make sure to practice with stages outside of For Glory on a regular basis, to.

 

[outfoxd]

Yes of course! Two minutes of setting things up is obviously a time-waster.

Well, I only have access to mobile or a tablet that runs ladder slowly when I play, so its way longer than two minutes. Sometimes people have different situations.

 

[AnchorTea]

You don't have to do For Glory exclusively. It's probably best to practice in as many ways as possible.

You don't have to use FG at all. Smash Ladder and Nintendojo allow FD. So you don't even need FG with those two.

Well, I only have access to mobile or a tablet that runs ladder slowly when I play, so its way longer than two minutes. Sometimes people have different situations.

Being lazy doesn't get you far in competitive Smash.

 

[SphericalCrusher]

I practice a lot of different strategies in Training Mode and against CPU/Amiibos (when facing Amiibos, I practice creating new combos and am careful about bad habits). I also play online a lot (Smash Ladder and my friends) as well as do a lot of random viewer battles on my Twitch channel. Oh, and hosting/participating in a lot of online Smash tournaments helps as well.

 

[ZephyrZ]

Okay, I have used Smash Ladder yet, and I'm a bit shy, so I'm a tad bit reluctant to try it out. But let me ask a question.

When you connect with someone on that, you have to add their friend code every single time, right? It may not be a lot of time once, but you'll be doing it again, and again, and again. That's a lot of time you could spend practicing Smash instead.

The way I see it, "Smash Ladder or For Glory" is a question of "quality or quantity", and I personally prefer quantity.

 

[Kurri ★]

Okay, I have used Smash Ladder yet, and I'm a bit shy, so I'm a tad bit reluctant to try it out. But let me ask a question.

When you connect with someone on that, you have to add their friend code every single time, right? It may not be a lot of time once, but you'll be doing it again, and again, and again. That's a lot of time you could spend practicing Smash instead.

The way I see it, "Smash Ladder or For Glory" is a question of "quality or quantity", and I personally prefer quantity.

Well the problem here then is you're practicing longer for less result. Smash Ladder may take a longer time to set up, but the time you spend, which is shorter, is much more valuable because it translates better in competitive circles.

 

[Nate22Hill]

For Glory is an awful way to improve. Because all stages are flat, and all tourneys use more that just flat stages. Not only that, there are casual players that have scubby tactics (and they win once and act like they're god) and competitive players that have awful habits and start every battle with a D-throw combo. It also convinces newbies that Link and Ness are top tier when they aren't. Those two characters do well with a flat stage. Smash Ladder is an extremely better way to improve than For Glory, because it has more than just flat stages, and it even has good players without bad habits and without terrible strategy. Training Mode is good because you can find many things you'd never expected with your main if you just mess around in Training Mode.

For Glory can just die. Why was it even here in the first place?

Ness is top tier, and starting a combo with down throw is how almost all characters in this game start their combos. Everything else i agree with.

 

[AnchorTea]

Ness is top tier, and starting a combo with down throw is how almost all characters in this game start their combos. Everything else i agree with.

May I ask why you think Ness is top tier fine sir?

 

[Nate22Hill]

May I ask why you think Ness is top tier fine sir?

number one zero said he is and hes the best player in the world. Number two some off the top players in the world use ness such as nakat and fow. He has so many combos, pk thunder has can edguard really good, also tricking you into an airdodge read with a pkthunder into himself can kill at like 30 percent. he has a really strong up air, along with a really strong foward air which has a ton of priority, and one of the best neutral airs because its a great out of shield option. And a really good kill throw. im pretty sure all his aerials are autocancell. And pk fire is almost a gurranteed down throw to so many combos. Most people think ness is top tier. Hes probably top 5 or 6

 

[Kurri ★]

number one zero said he is and hes the best player in the world.

I know you have more in your post, but really, that's not a reason. Mew2King once thought Mewtwo was the best (go figure).

 

[AnchorTea]

number one zero said he is and hes the best player in the world.

Oh really? The same guy who said customs are bad (when they're not) and that Diddy should've been banned in the beginning. Which he said literally in the first week of 3DS Sm4sh. Going by your logic. If ZeRo says Lucina or Mii Swordfighter is top tier, would you actually believe him? When there is evidence that both of them are miles away from being top tier.

Number two some off the top players in the world use ness such as nakat and fow.

NinjaLink is one of the top players out there, he uses Zelda. That TOTALLY makes Zelda a top tier. (When she is nowhere near high B tier)

He has so many combos, pk thunder has can edguard really good, also tricking you into an airdodge read with a pkthunder into himself can kill at like 30 percent.

1. So many? I think you should be telling that to Marth, or Villager on Battlefield.
2.Yea PK Thunder can edgeguard, very poorly. When you hit someone with a PK Thunder, it pushes them upwards. Which makes it a very bad edgeguarding tactic.
3. Your opponent has to be a complete idiot to fall for that.

he has a really strong up air, along with a really strong foward air which has a ton of priority, and one of the best neutral airs because its a great out of shield option. And a really good kill throw. im pretty sure all his aerials are autocancell.

1. Yes it's good. Unless your opponent is smart enough to not be above Ness....
2. Ness's F-air isn't strong. It's good for low percents that's for sure, but it's not that great since it is a lingering move.
3. All characters gotta have good moves and bad moves.
4. Unless your opponent is blind, B-throw will kill at only 125%. And getting to that percentage is not easy with Ness...
5. His aerials don't autocancel. How did you come up with that conclusion?

And pk fire is almost a gurranteed down throw to so many combos.

That doesn't make someone a top tier, and PK Fire can be escaped so easily!

Most people think ness is top tier.

Those people play For Glory.

Hes probably top 5 or 6

Sonic, Yoshi, Fox, Villager, Pikachu say no, and Villager isn't even top tier.

 

[Nate22Hill]

aight whatever my opinion dude.

 

[Nate22Hill]

aight whatever my opinion dude.

most top players will agree that yoshi sonic pikachu and ness are top tiers. Are you trolling?? but if thats your opinion il respect that

 

[AnchorTea]

most top players will agree that yoshi sonic pikachu and ness are top tiers. Are you trolling?? but if thats your opinion il respect that

Just because a top player said so doesn't mean it's true, and what they say about a characters tier placing is mostly opinionated. And following everything a Top Player does is what makes a Smasher do poorly and not make it far in competitive Smash in general.

If you still don't believe me. Ask @Earthbound360 . He pretty much knows everything you need to know about Ness. And he has evidence that Ness isn't top tier.

 

[Kurri ★]

aight whatever my opinion dude.

There are situations where saying this is okay, this is not one of those situations.

 

[xTheAscendedOnex]

I like to For Glory a lot because despite it being only FD, the skill level on 1v1s is definitely there. I don't think For Glory is impractical at all. People who are skilled enough can just adjust to stages like BF, SmashVille, Lylat Cruise etc. Though I find the best way to improve is with Amiibos. I try to raise my Amiibos to teach me discipline. Like my Link Amiibo has two chance to critical and over 150 attack. I did that to lessen my aggressiveness and force me to out think my opponent. If I get stupid or overly aggressive I die. Other amiibos that I have specialize in different styles of battle to teach me different possible scenarios. So, if you have amiibos try raising them to better teach you how to handle different situations.

Had I not done so I'd probably still be spam rolling and doing other such foolishness.

 

[wedl!!]

aight whatever my opinion dude.

your opinion is barely based in reality, you're just listing off strengths while entirely ignoring all of his (glaring) weaknesses. that's not how you judge a character. if we didn't consider flaws (especially at a top level) and just listed off what makes a character powerful you could say are top tier. (hint; they're not.)

 

[Nate22Hill]

am i going crazy or is ness and pikachu not top tier. Maybe ive been living under a rock but im pretty sure ness is top tier as well as pikachu

 

[Nate22Hill]

I like to For Glory a lot because despite it being only FD, the skill level on 1v1s is definitely there. I don't think For Glory is impractical at all. People who are skilled enough can just adjust to stages like BF, SmashVille, Lylat Cruise etc. Though I find the best way to improve is with Amiibos. I try to raise my Amiibos to teach me discipline. Like my Link Amiibo has two chance to critical and over 150 attack. I did that to lessen my aggressiveness and force me to out think my opponent. If I get stupid or overly aggressive I die. Other amiibos that I have specialize in different styles of battle to teach me different possible scenarios. So, if you have amiibos try raising them to better teach you how to handle different situations.

Had I not done so I'd probably still be spam rolling and doing other such foolishness.

Number one if you want to get good get off of for glory because it will teach you terrible habbits, trust me ive been their, and dont fight amiibos the best way to get better is to go to tournaments

 

[L9999]

Another topic devoted to discussion of Ness being overrated? Good, because I think he is.

 

[AnchorTea]

am i going crazy or is ness and pikachu not top tier. Maybe ive been living under a rock but im pretty sure ness is top tier as well as pikachu

I just told you why he isn't.

 

[xTheAscendedOnex]

Number one if you want to get good get off of for glory because it will teach you terrible habbits, trust me ive been their, and dont fight amiibos the best way to get better is to go to tournaments

I am a tournament player. lol. For Glory is just what I do when I am bored. If a person is picking up bad habits from playing For Glory then they have a lot left to learn. Also, don't knock the Amiibo training. It worked wonders for me. Definitely improved my game.

 

[Nate22Hill]

I am a tournament player. lol. For Glory is just what I do when I am bored. If a person is picking up bad habits from playing For Glory then they have a lot left to learn. Also, don't knock the Amiibo training. It worked wonders for me. Definitely improved my game.

ok lol

 

[xTheAscendedOnex]

Oh, another thing that helps improve your game is Replays! Save lots and lots of replays! Review your fights whether you won or lost. Break them down and find out what more you could have done and what you need to lay off of. I often find myself critiquing my fights and insulting myself when I should have followed up with A but I went with B, or I need to stop rolling so damn much.

Tis helped me in plenty fights. I'm in the middle of a match and all of a sudden a similar scenario occurs and I'm reminded of the replay and it turns the tide to my favor. Also, I wasn't kidding about the rolling. I don't overly-roll anymore because I saw how much of it I was doing and I'm like "Sthap rollin' T_T" Now short hops are the way to go ^_^

 

[Jrzfine]

Guys tho, lay off Nate a little, you're hounding him.
And I don't think he's crazy for thinking Ness is good. I don't think Ness is Top 5 but I do think that he is B+ tier at worst. As we have mentioned his Dthrow sets up nicely for Fair strings, which has extreme priority and is a long-range disjoint. His Nair is an excellent OOS option as well as combo breaker. His Bthrow kills earlier than some smash attacks, at around 100%, and his sideB is difficult to escape before the Ness can punish if you get caught in it.
With that being said, Ness isn't perfect. He's light, floaty, has a gimpable/difficult to use recovery ( though it has been buffed since previous Smash iterations), he's slow and his smash attacks are pretty bad. I still think that Ness has the tools necessary to be a great zoner, but can also hold his own in close combat.
Now perhaps I'm a little biased since our #1 player out here in Arizona mains Ness, but I definitely think he's got what it takes to hang with the best, even if he isn't actually in the top tier penthouse known as the A tier.

 

[LightLV]

For Glory is a noob trap, better than CPU training but much worse than human players. The rules are lame, it includes no platforms, the netcode is terrible, and it encourages habits that do not work on competent people offline.

As long as you're aware of this, you can use it to maybe practice combos and stuff i guess

And I don't think he's crazy for thinking Ness is good. I don't think Ness is Top 5 but I do think that he is B+ tier at worst.

Ness is easily high-tier, i myself would place him in a solid A, possibly higher. His combo game is solid, his projectiles are decent, amazing Fair, full frame nair, upB is stupid now and he has a ridiculous killthrow.

 

[TheGameCrewNerds]

For Glory can just die. Why was it even here in the first place?

would you rather it was like brawls online

 

[Big-Cat]

Here are some things I've done recently to help my game.

Execution Tips.
Configure your control scheme to anything that is comfortable for you. This can be anything from having thick fingers, slow hands, or whatever and accommodating for it. For me, what I did was that I used a bit of an arcade stick approach when it came to jumping. My main, Bowser, has "strict" windows when you can input a SH FAir or BAir and still auto cancel. My fingers were initially not fast enough to go from X/Y to A and do it efficiently.

So that's when I made R my jump button. R was already using a separate finger from A so this was perfect. I also tend to have a strong input when doing tilts, so I switched C-Stick from Smash to Tilts. This also gets rid of the notorious momentum "glitch" (I think it's a mechanical byproduct.).

Learning Matchups At The Fundamental Level
From my experience, most characters in fighting games are good at only two out of three ranges: close, mid, and long. If you can identify the good ranges for your opponent, you can exploit their bad range. Here's a list I compiled recently. It may not be completely accurate though.

Here's my explanation on these.

Close-Mid: Characters that are generally not known for their projectiles, but may have one anyway. Probably the easiest to figure out.

Mid-Long: Characters that have very good range, but are awful at close ranged fighting. Best way to beat these characters is to simply not let them breathe.

Close-Long: These characters don't have a much range on their attacks, but this is compensated by a variety of projectiles or mobility that allows them to close the space. Biggest weakness with these characters is that there is a blind spot right in between their best ranges. Projectiles may take too long to start up at mid-range, and their attacks are too short to where they get outspaced.

This does not go into the specifics of learning how to fight each character, but it's a great foundation.