How does one punish missed aerials when it seems like many characters have such low lag after their attacks and can back right up after attacking? One theory I had about this goes like this: after doing an aerial that doesn't hit with the opponent relatively nearby, the whiffer must obviously make a commitment to not get hit (if he just stood there after whiffing, he could be punished in any way the opponent wanted). While on the ground in this situation, you obviously also have a limited amount of things you can do and will probably have to make a decision immediately. Since you have to choose something quickly after whiffing an aerial, you're already at a disadvantage because your opponent can just watch what you do after whiffing. If they get the right guess after you whiff another aerial, then they can punish you. A situation might be a Marth always dashes backwards after whiffing a retreating fair. If they end up whiffing a fair and you have chosen a spot where you're still really close to him, you can dash grab him or overshoot a nair or do something else that would beat a Marth that you anticipated to dash backwards. So if this is a good theory, then whiff punishing in Melee is about anticipating an opponent's offense, precisely spacing yourself away from it through a combination of anticipating and reacting to it, and taking note of/punishing how they defend themselves afterwards.
If this is actually what people end up doing in Melee, then obvious mind games can follow with mixing up what you do after aerials, anticipating their punish and choosing an option that beats that (whiffing an aerial and then spotdodging if you ran away a few times), taking space if your opponent is continuously positioning themselves as if you'll attack, etc.
Another part I didn't account for in terms of precisely spacing yourself away from an anticipated aerial is that in Melee, you and your opponent are constantly moving. I'm not sure how dash dancing would affect what I've said so far. One possibility is that dash dancing itself is more complicated than newer players think and that it's actually closely related to constantly positioning yourself in a place where you can close the space between you and your opponent or in a place where you're in a place to whiff punish them, a more simpler one is that dash dancing is simply going in and out of your opponent's range to bait out something dumb, etc.
I'd love for an experienced and good player to answer my questions and tell me why I'm right or wrong. The main questions are:
Do you punish whiffed aerials in Melee by spacing yourself just outside of the jump -> aerial range and predicting and reacting to what they do after landing and knowing what you have that beats what they tend to do?
At higher levels, is this expanded upon by after whiffing aerials conditioning your opponent to react in a certain way and then choosing a different option after whiffing an aerial to counter punish them?
If these are correct, is dash dancing related to this in that it's about constantly repositioning yourself so that you're either in a place to close the space between you and your opponent or you're in a place to whiff punish your opponent all while trying to avoid getting cornered because of how that cuts off a lot of your defensive options?
(Also, it just occurred to me that you may have enough time to punish a whiffed aerial if you're in a great spot. BUT, I'm still curious about whether or not predicting what the opponent will do after an aerial that misses can also lead to punishes if perhaps your spacing is off or it's a heat of the moment type thing)
If this is actually what people end up doing in Melee, then obvious mind games can follow with mixing up what you do after aerials, anticipating their punish and choosing an option that beats that (whiffing an aerial and then spotdodging if you ran away a few times), taking space if your opponent is continuously positioning themselves as if you'll attack, etc.
Another part I didn't account for in terms of precisely spacing yourself away from an anticipated aerial is that in Melee, you and your opponent are constantly moving. I'm not sure how dash dancing would affect what I've said so far. One possibility is that dash dancing itself is more complicated than newer players think and that it's actually closely related to constantly positioning yourself in a place where you can close the space between you and your opponent or in a place where you're in a place to whiff punish them, a more simpler one is that dash dancing is simply going in and out of your opponent's range to bait out something dumb, etc.
I'd love for an experienced and good player to answer my questions and tell me why I'm right or wrong. The main questions are:
Do you punish whiffed aerials in Melee by spacing yourself just outside of the jump -> aerial range and predicting and reacting to what they do after landing and knowing what you have that beats what they tend to do?
At higher levels, is this expanded upon by after whiffing aerials conditioning your opponent to react in a certain way and then choosing a different option after whiffing an aerial to counter punish them?
If these are correct, is dash dancing related to this in that it's about constantly repositioning yourself so that you're either in a place to close the space between you and your opponent or you're in a place to whiff punish your opponent all while trying to avoid getting cornered because of how that cuts off a lot of your defensive options?
(Also, it just occurred to me that you may have enough time to punish a whiffed aerial if you're in a great spot. BUT, I'm still curious about whether or not predicting what the opponent will do after an aerial that misses can also lead to punishes if perhaps your spacing is off or it's a heat of the moment type thing)