I need help

[Grunk]

I am SO bad at melee. I don't know why I am or how I can get better. I can wavedash consistently and know basic tech skill, but I can't beat people, I have trouble even getting stocks off people. I think it's because I have so many habits for approaching people and even habits in general. I need more than tips I need to learn how to approach and when to do what.

tl;dr - IM **** AT SMASH

 

[Xyzz]

You mostly need help at coming up with descriptive titles for your threads.

If you realize you have issues with being too predictable, that's great. Stop doing what you're doing and mix it up then, I guess? I mean, it's not like anybody around here could magically figure out WHAT you're overusing.
Also work on your punish game. You can beat a ton of people while doing completely predictable things, but punishing much harder whenever they make a mistake than what they do to you in return.

 

[AirFair]

Play against people locally and ask them. If you are being too predictable, then you are kind of answering your own question. Just take a moment to observe yourself playing. If you play Fox, just learn about his punishing options and what you can use in different situations. There is no cookie cutter way to take a stock. Melee is a free form fighter. Learn how to use all of it.

 

[Spak]

Also, don't practice against lvl 9's. Those things get you in a LOT of trouble when trying to figure out how to combo a character, how to approach, etc. because they DI and react the same way to the same thing every time where a person would adapt and punish properly. I got so accustomed to the CPU shenanigans while playing with Falco that I found it very hard to actually do anything to approach other than Dair (I wasn't shining, I wasn't lasering, I was playing like a 2006 Falco). It got so bad that it was easier for me to switch mains than mend how badly I was playing with Falco (so now I play Falcon).

 

[StokeTheForge]

I am usually in your boat, OP: unless I practice reliably against real players, it's a nightmare when, after I fight Lv. 9 CPUs, I go up against the real thing. In fact, I've found that it's important to NOT practice against Lv. 9s, as stated above by Spak. In addition, smash is a game in which you must find players that are stronger than you are to train with. If you don't force yourself into a position where you have to think critically and defeat your opponent by means , you won't learn effectively how to fight strangers.

 

[gmBottles]

Practice makes perfect.
Once you've played long enough you'll get the hang of it.

 

[EarthCrash]

I would recommend researching quite a bit regarding your mains and mechanics.

When it comes to games with difficulty curves like these, it's generally better to dive in head first against people with quite considerable skill, since you'll learn and improve better than simply practicing against CPUs or with friends and family with the same skill level.