Is there a way to improve without it taking 6 Months?

[LordAizen]

Alright so I've been lurking around and I noticed that everyone says that the best way to improve is to constantly go to tournaments or get destroyed by the best players and in around six months you'll see an improvement but it is actually possible to improve by yourself? For example in my scenario I know a person who is a good Brawl Player that goes to Tourneys alot but the problem is I only see him like once a week so I'll usually have to wait a week to play him and he says that Tourneys are once a month so I think it will take me a really long time to learn so is there a way to get good without going to tourneys/facing good people yet?

 

[AlMoStLeGeNdArY]

Alright so I've been lurking around and I noticed that everyone says that the best way to improve is to constantly go to tournaments or get destroyed by the best players and in around six months you'll see an improvement but it is actually possible to improve by yourself? For example in my scenario I know a person who is a good Brawl Player that goes to Tourneys alot but the problem is I only see him like once a week so I'll usually have to wait a week to play him and he says that Tourneys are once a month so I think it will take me a really long time to learn so is there a way to get good without going to tourneys/facing good people yet?

Watch video's play him as often as you can and *gasp* play online. There's no easy way or short cut to get good =/.

 

[Kitamerby]

Go to tournaments.

There is no shortcut to greatness.

Spoiler

Unless you main MK

 

[LordAizen]

Ok so the only way to get good is to go to tourneys then. Is there a place that tells you the location and dates to them?

Will you at least improve slightly if you battle CPUs?

 

[Kitamerby]

If you're just starting out CPUs might be a good way to get a grasp of the controls if you're playing by yourself. Eventually though, once your movements become fluid, playing the CPUs will give you bad habits that can be easily spotted and punished by seasoned players.

For example, you might get used to fthrow/bthrowing a CPU offstage, then jumping out and spiking them out of their double jump. Most players use an aerial while recovering to stop this, or may even spike you first.

Also, most tournament organizers post their tournaments on Allisbrawl.com
You'll have to search around a bit to find one in your area, probably.

Or you could just, yanno, ask your tournament-going friend where he goes....

 

[LordAizen]

If you're just starting out CPUs might be a good way to get a grasp of the controls if you're playing by yourself. Eventually though, once your movements become fluid, playing the CPUs will give you bad habits that can be easily spotted and punished by seasoned players.

For example, you might get used to fthrow/bthrowing a CPU offstage, then jumping out and spiking them out of their double jump. Most players use an aerial while recovering to stop this, or may even spike you first.

Also, most tournament organizers post their tournaments on Allisbrawl.com
You'll have to search around a bit to find one in your area, probably.

Or you could just, yanno, ask your tournament-going friend where he goes....

I can tell I already developed the bad habits because when I play my friend I usually see myself doing something that misses completely like a forward smash lol.

What would be a good way to get rid of them.

 

[AlMoStLeGeNdArY]

I can tell I already developed the bad habits because when I play my friend I usually see myself doing something that misses completely like a forward smash lol.

What would be a good way to get rid of them.

If you're noticing your bad habits that's good. You need to be able to just stop it. YOu can play wifi to play more players and stuff it's not bad you will improve from wifi. Also you can read guides watch videos and talk to other players. Have you decided on a main yeT?

 

[LordAizen]

If you're noticing your bad habits that's good. You need to be able to just stop it. YOu can play wifi to play more players and stuff it's not bad you will improve from wifi. Also you can read guides watch videos and talk to other players. Have you decided on a main yeT?

The only problem I have with Wifi is that it lags alot and they pick non Neutral stages

It's kinda hard to stop the habits because when I'm nervous and am about to lose or am losing I don't think clearly and just let my bad habits take over

Yeah I decided that I would try to main Marth which is problably a really bad idea because Marth is a complicated character for a beginner to try and main. I'm still trying to master short hops lol

 

[Kitamerby]

Just need experience. Eventually, you'll get used to the pressure.

For short hops, just remember to tap the button lightly. It'll become second nature in time.

I actually find it harder to full jump some times now...

 

[Kofu]

Wi-fi with Friend Codes.
Problem solved.

 

[AlMoStLeGeNdArY]

The only problem I have with Wifi is that it lags alot and they pick non Neutral stages

It's kinda hard to stop the habits because when I'm nervous and am about to lose or am losing I don't think clearly and just let my bad habits take over

Yeah I decided that I would try to main Marth which is problably a really bad idea because Marth is a complicated character for a beginner to try and main. I'm still trying to master short hops lol

I wouldn't pick up Marth if I was you. Just try to stay calm and if you play people in your region it shouldn't lag as much. You should try and get matches on AiB and stuff.

 

[Zankoku]

If you have trouble short-hopping. Don't pick Marth. Pick Bowser, because then you will instead have trouble full-hopping.

 

[LordAizen]

The problem with what I mean by Short hopping is that I'm having trouble short hopping using him.

I can't just drop Marth cuz

1.) He's my favorite character
2.) Despite how much I suck i'm better with him than anybody

 

[Kewkky]

Just keep pressing the button lightly. You'll probably lose some matches because you're concentrating on getting the hang of pressing the buttons lightly, but you don't have to worry anout that, because it's completely normal to lose a lot when you're changing something in your playstyle drastically.

And just to point it out even more... If there was an easier way to getting 'good' without having to get to tourneys, lots of people would be 'good' by now.

 

[LordAizen]

Just keep pressing the button lightly. You'll probably lose some matches because you're concentrating on getting the hang of pressing the buttons lightly, but you don't have to worry anout that, because it's completely normal to lose a lot when you're changing something in your playstyle drastically.

And just to point it out even more... If there was an easier way to getting 'good' without having to get to tourneys, lots of people would be 'good' by now.

it sure is really frustrating though because you have to press so many different buttons like in a second to do some amazing combos, not just with Marth but with every character.

 

[Dekar173]

Guys, stop giving bad advice.

You don't press the button LIGHTLY in order to shorthop, you press it as fast as you possibly can (before your jumpsquat frames end... but I'm assuming you don't know what jumpsquat or frames are )

Keep practicing. For now, practice against computers until you master your character's moves, and know how long each one reaches and such.

Good Marths to watch include

Mikehaze, Chaz, Roy R, Havok, and maybe NEO if he has any videos up (last time I checked, he doesn't ><)

Good luck and welcome to competitive Smash

 

[Kewkky]

Guys, stop giving bad advice.

You don't press the button LIGHTLY in order to shorthop, you press it as fast as you possibly can (before your jumpsquat frames end...

Well, if I read what you're saying the way you read what we're saying, that's STILL bad advice. The correct way to say it then, would be "press and let go of the jump button as fast as you can, or if you have tap jump ON, then tilt up and let go of the control stick as fast as you can", am I right?

Anyway, LordAizen, after enough practice the feeling of pressing "too many buttons" will fade away, and you'll find out that this game is actually pretty easy to grasp. When you get to a high enough level with the right characters (this includes Marth), you'll notice that your button presses will always be faster than the majority of the cast's, so it's more of a character thing. Give it time, keep practicing, and it'll all be second nature before you know it.

 

[rPSIvysaur]

When starting out Smash it is always great to go to tournaments. However not everyone can do this. If you have friends that play Smash, play against them. Although they won't be the best training, they're not as bad as computers (unless they really suck at Smash).
Also watch a lot of videos and pick up exactly what they do. I usually try to watch videos and pause and predict what each player will do. If you can do that, that is great.

Welcome to SWF.

 

[BSP]

The only problem I have with Wifi is that it lags alot and they pick non Neutral stages

It takes a while, but you can get used to the lag a little. You should try to train with people that are close to you, and with good connections.

You should try the Friend Finder site here. There are plenty of people on there that will take matches seriously and pick legal stages to play on.

It's kinda hard to stop the habits because when I'm nervous and am about to lose or am losing I don't think clearly and just let my bad habits take over

Two things:
1. Keep a cool head no matter what: It'll take time to develop this skill, but it really helps. When you can think clearly through the whole match, you are less likely to do stupid things and screw yourself.

2. Practice: If you keep practicing while focusing on getting away from the bad habits, you will start to get away from them soon enough. Once you are not doing them frequently, you can work on other parts of your game.

Yeah I decided that I would try to main Marth which is problably a really bad idea because Marth is a complicated character for a beginner to try and main. I'm still trying to master short hops lol

Practice, practice, practice. You'll get it. You should check out the marth boards for the basics. I'd recommend wifi if you have it, but don't have tournament access, since it will give you experience with your character in a *possible* serious match.

And welcome to SWF.

 

[mosesrko24]

think about the game alot. the more you think the better a thinker you'll be.

 

[LordAizen]

Well I just added my FC to my profile so if anybody wants to play me so that I can gauge exactly where my skill is at.

 

[Orion*]

play a lot against people. good and bad and even with you. go to tournaments. play wifi. watch videos. do everything you can. read. study. memorize frame data. get a harder drive to win.

 

[codefelp]

Wi-fi with Friend Codes.
Problem solved.

The delay lag is horrendous. Playing online does the opposite if you're looking to improve.

 

[AvaricePanda]

The delay lag is horrendous. Playing online does the opposite if you're looking to improve.

No, not really.

Once you get a good grasp of the basic controls, playing online helps simply because you're playing lots of other people. Human opponents teach you much more than computers can. Granted, there's going to be lag, but you should do your best to alleviate it on your end and then play other people who don't lag as much.

If you live in an active region or close to other players, you can go to smashfests and tournaments often and improve better because of it. However, online still gives good match-up and player experience. You have to take it with a grain of salt; some players will do things that only work well because of the lag, and you have to not fall into that trap and know if what you're doing will work offline. It still helps though.

 

[codefelp]

I suppose it's not such a bad option, especially when you don't have very many others. But just speaking from my experience, playing a lot of Wi-Fi matches and then transitioning to tournaments isn't exactly the best idea ever.

 

[LordAizen]

so what exactly is the farthest that you can play someone without it lagging? Another state right next to you?

 

[codefelp]

If you mean less lag, then the same region would be about the maximum distance you should play. But you can't have no lag. There'll be a delay lag even if you play someone in the same neighborhood.

 

[LordAizen]

How far exactly is a region?

 

[codefelp]

Your state and surrounding states about.

 

[Blacknight99923]

why isn't this locked? We get one of these threads a week. I am all for new players but this isn't the general discussion.

guys don't even bother responding to this. he asked this in the marth boards and even after I provide him with a link to SCOTU's thread he still feels the need to make this.......

that being said the advice here is generally correct IMO just actually READ what people tell you, its frustrating to give you a link to EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEEDED TO READ and for you to ignore it and create a thread that doesn't exactly give new information

 

[<π]

short answer? No. you have to play good people to become good. find strong rivals and play with them frequently you'll make each other better.

 

[LordAizen]

why isn't this locked? We get one of these threads a week. I am all for new players but this isn't the general discussion.

guys don't even bother responding to this. he asked this in the marth boards and even after I provide him with a link to SCOTU's thread he still feels the need to make this.......

that being said the advice here is generally correct IMO just actually READ what people tell you, its frustrating to give you a link to EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEEDED TO READ and for you to ignore it and create a thread that doesn't exactly give new information

This was actually my very first thread that i posted on these forums before I went to the Marth Section. And I actually read the article that you wrote for me and I even jotted down notes of what I thouht were the most important things from the article.

 

[Wingless]

Probably not. Even if you were to 'get better' - tourneys help you face 'the best' people in your region.
So really, to actually get better and do well, you have to constantly play people that are diverse and better than you so you can set your own playstyle.

 

[2-DJeff]

Alright so I've been lurking around and I noticed that everyone says that the best way to improve is to constantly go to tournaments or get destroyed by the best players and in around six months you'll see an improvement but it is actually possible to improve by yourself? For example in my scenario I know a person who is a good Brawl Player that goes to Tourneys alot but the problem is I only see him like once a week so I'll usually have to wait a week to play him and he says that Tourneys are once a month so I think it will take me a really long time to learn so is there a way to get good without going to tourneys/facing good people yet?

its really your choice on how fast u wanna get good u just have to train and who u play with its all up 2 u