I can't Jab FJP anymore!

[elheber]

I've gotten so used to Jab Grabbing that I can no longer Jab FJP combo anymore! I'd stopped using it. Written it off as a combo to use only against novice players. Replaced it with a much more reliable Jab Grab. And then forgotten all about it.

Then a short while ago I started playing against some good Luigi players from this forum, and what did they follow up a Jab with? Yes, a FJP. And I FELL FOR IT time and time again! chic, I'm looking in your direction. <_< My Luigi has never been great against other Luigis, but this was insane.

I was reminded how much the payoff is worth the risk, because I kept getting KO'd by a move I used to make people fear. So after the reminder I was given, I tried to use it again against non-Luigis... and my fingers would not do it! We all know most of the combos we use are muscle memory. I had used/spammed the Jab Grab for so long, that if I tried to Jab FJP it would Jab Grab instead. WTH!! It's even worse with my SHFF Jab Grab... I can't SHFF Jab FJP for the life of me! The more complex the string, the less able I am at pulling it off. Sometimes, the closest I get is a Jab uSmash. Crazy!

All I can do now, I know, is practice to get my Jab FJP back. But my question is... if I get it back, will I lose some ability to Jab Grab to some extent? Is the time frame to decide if I want to Jab Grab or Jab FJP so short that I have to decide ahead of time, or is there enough time after the Jab that a quick decision can be made? Does anyone here have it down cold, able to do either at a moment's notice?

 

[ALiAsVee]

You have to know what you want to do before you do basically, because if you wait to think about which move to do, your enemy could get away. Jab grab and Jab UpB are similar in execution time I think, with Jab Grab being a little slower. Its compensated because you end up shield grabbing most of the time anyway. Its just something you have to break, which is entirely possible. When I started using Marth, i had to learn to time my aerials differently than with Luigi to autocancel. I'm able to do it, without sacrafice of my aerial Luigi game. Sounds cheesy, but i suggest you just take a control and practice the movement over and over again. It eventually gets ingrained in your memory; however, you should strike a balance between Jab Grab and Jab UpB.

 

[elheber]

If deciding which to use DURING the Jab is not feasable, I've decided to stop Jab Grabbing and start Jab FJPing at around 60-90% depending on the opponent's weight. I just really have to start practicing.

Double Jabbing might give me more time to decide... but similarly, it'd give the opponent time to react. So I guess that would be out of the question. Besides, the range on Luigi's Grab is almost the same as the FJP so a decision based on my distance to the opponent might not matter much anyway.

EDIT: What the hell am I saying. At the moment I can't even Jab FJP and I'm already talking about what I'm gonna do like I've already got it down pat. I practice first, then I talk. =)

 

[ALiAsVee]

Double jabbing is not good for firepunch approaches usually, at best it works as a mindgame to catch your opponent. Its a bad mindgame however, because you opponent doesn't get punished for powershielding or shielding your second jab while expecting an UpB. Jab set ups have to be spur of the moment, if you give your opponent even a moment to realize whats about to happen, you will easily be outdone. But if you fake them out with a jab grab, that can also throw them off. Thats the beauty of the Jab Grab, it will almost always work because your opponent will be so cautious about your UpB that he will set himself up to get grabbed everytime.