The most recent epiphany I've had with this game was realizing I go for reads in situations where if I instead just wait and react, I can get a punish every time.
The best example of this is tech chasing. A lot of people try to read where the person will go before they actually can react and see the opponents tech choice (tech left, tech right, tech stand, no tech).
Try to wait and punish as you see their tech choice (tech stand being the fastest so be ready for that first). When trying to read them, if they tech away, they may get away depending on your character and the character who is teching (barring no ledge stops them short, making them easier to reach). Nonetheless it is still better to wait and react because teching away puts them in a bad position anyways (being closer to the ledge than they once were, giving them less space to retreat/dash dance).
Oh and you'll want to be near them when they land so if they don't tech you can jab (making them stand up, invincible at first but then can be hit before they can move later, called a "jab reset") or tilt them. You'll want to jab reset for a grab if your character can (Zard can't, cause his jab is a launcher and some can't cause their jab is too high), or you can tilt if it has a guaranteed followup or will cause a knockdown, leading to another tech chase.
The other example I have is when you hit someone and they DI right, and you can't hit them, don't necessarily still try to do the same combo anyways. Think about their options... if you waiting or re-positioning yourself puts them in a worse position, do that. If using a disjointed attack from a safe distance gives them no or bad options, do that.
