Is it bad to listen to music in a set?

[KirinKQP]

To start off, for the first few weekly tournaments I went to, I always put on headphones and just listen to a song that got me amped up and played. Only recently have I started to react to that "CHING" sound Fox and Falco make when they use side-B. Listening to music makes it so I can't hear and react to their recovery and miss an edge guard. Should I just not listen to music during tournaments sets, or only against all other characters?

 

[nyansylveon]

I would think not because I know what your talking about because I feel like I play better when i'm hyped listening to music and playing. It helps me get "In the zone" and usually when I do listen to music I start popping off and I start getting insane combos. The downside for me (maybe others I don't know) if i'm listening to very hype music and I get "In the zone" I sometimes get overly aggressive and when that happens I don't shield and or dodge so I usually don't listen to music but it's usually just preference. But it might also help focus if you're at a tournament (I haven't been to one yet so I maybe wrong) it might help you focus.

 

[HMWYBS]

some lofi when im tryna chill out with falco is good stuff my dude.

Honestly, though, music helps me keep me on... rhythm (no pun intended). I have a tendency to match the gameplay up with the tmpo of my music and it helps me feel synchronized.

 

[XenoFalcon95]

Sometimes the beat of a song can help you keep your combos going. When I play Marth against spacies music can actually help me time stuff better. Of course it's very subjective; some people respond to music differently.

 

[Knitkap]

I usually listen to rock (Black Keys) and early 90's rap

 

[KirinKQP]

some lofi when im tryna chill out with falco is good stuff my dude.

Honestly, though, music helps me keep me on... rhythm (no pun intended). I have a tendency to match the gameplay up with the tmpo of my music and it helps me feel synchronized.

I have a huge playlist of lofi hiphop on my phone that I just listen through.

 

[iAmMatt]

Music during friendlies is really helpful for warming up, but during a set its good to have as many useful senses readily available to help your gameplay

 

[Cassper]

To start off, for the first few weekly tournaments I went to, I always put on headphones and just listen to a song that got me amped up and played. Only recently have I started to react to that "ching" sound Fox and Falco make when they do side-B, but never has it occurred to me that listening to music makes it so you have to visually react to the animation, not the sound. I am debating whether or not to even have on headphones at tournaments anymore.

So the question: is it bad to listen to music during a tournament set in general? Or is it only bad against Fox and Falco and doesn't matter for every other character?

The only thing that I mess up while listening to music is my shortens. Never listen to music during tournament but wanted to try it, and that was the main issue. Other than that the music did get me pumped but I feel like I couldn't focus had to take my headphones off. Just not for me

 

[Pauer]

It's definitely different for everyone. I would just try playing with and without music a couple of times in tournament and see which works better for you.
I tend to go on auto-pilot more quickly when I'm all fired up from a song, so I tend to play a little worse as a consequence.

I think listening to music can really help to tune out a crowd. If that's a concern for you, I would consider listening to music. In this case it makes sense to listen to something very familiar so that you're not distracted by the song or the crowd and you can fully concentrate on the match.

 

[AnkleShanker]

I always listen to Chillin's diss track on Leffen every morning. Helps me get energized. Before sets aswell

 

[Scribe]

It really depends on the music. Like, Death Grips is great for getting into the zone while playing high APM characters, but with something softer like The Mountain Goats, I'd advise either listening to something else or not listening to any music at all, unless you plan on floundering like an idiot while spending the next six hours thinking about how ****ty your parents are and much they've ****ed up in raising you.

 

[DeNikSSB]

I always listen to Chillin's diss track on Leffen every morning. Helps me get energized. Before sets aswell

I can't tell whether you're memeing or not

 

[Sdhy]

Try listening to amp-up music in one ear, and listening to Smash Bros with the other ear. Best of both worlds!


Note: humans react to sound quicker than visual cues. How does this work even though light travels faster than sound? My guess is our brains just like being that way lol.

Source: one of them Core-A Gaming videos.



But also note that it’s not always about the most logical option. Maybe that extra amp-up from music is worth whatever disadvantages come with it!

In the end, go with what works! Good luck!