Reaction VS Thinking

[Greasy_SSBM]

Hey there!

So the other day, I was playing with my friend, and all was well. However, he said I have a very reaction-based playstyle. I know this is only PARTLY good, as reaction comes in handy at times. HOWEVER, as that is only half of the battle, it seems I don't think when I play (hence my reaction based playstyle). Are there any pointers on how to improve on being able to think the game out? Being a Marth player, I know this is CRUCIAL for me to learn, however I can't seem to grasp it. Does it just come over time?

Thanks a lot to whomever answers,
-Greasy

 

[ViVio]

Thinking about neutral helps your reaction time since you have a better idea of what to react to

 

[Greasy_SSBM]

Thinking about neutral helps your reaction time since you have a better idea of what to react to

Is there a way to....practice thinking in a match? I know this sounds silly, but I feel it is legitimate, as I never find myself thinking about anything.

 

[-ACE-]

Maintaining proper stage positioning helps a ton. Watch PPMD for that. Having good reactions makes every read somewhat softer. It can be mentally taxing, but it's best to give the neutral game just as much focus as a chaingrab situation. Not many people really react as quickly in neutral as they do in certain micro-situations, but that is a good goal to have. Less hard reads often yields more profit. You also have to know what to look for and be able to recognize it quickly so you can react more quickly and more appropriately. Edgeguarding is like another neutral game also. Between the edgeguarder and the one recovering, usually the first person to commit fails, unless they force a situation that drastically limits their opponent's options. Watch m2k for that. Try to notice when he reacts and when he goes for a read, and why (and notice when he misreads his opponent as well).

Think about the goals of your opponent's character first (what that character notoriously goes for vs marth, such as fox uthrow to uair). Once responding to the typical stuff becomes second nature, you can direct slightly more focus away from the character and more towards the player: recognizing habits and general style. And always try to make sound decisions on move choice. Ex: should I use the move most likely to win this exchange, even if it means no follow-up, or should I try this other move that may have a slightly less chance of winning the exchange, but if it does, the follow-up is basically guaranteed?

I like to ramble, lol. Good luck.

 

[Greasy_SSBM]

Maintaining proper stage positioning helps a ton. Watch PPMD for that. Having good reactions makes every read somewhat softer. It can be mentally taxing, but it's best to give the neutral game just as much focus as a chaingrab situation. Not many people really react as quickly in neutral as they do in certain micro-situations, but that is a good goal to have. Less hard reads often yields more profit. You also have to know what to look for and be able to recognize it quickly so you can react more quickly and more appropriately. Edgeguarding is like another neutral game also. Between the edgeguarder and the one recovering, usually the first person to commit fails, unless they force a situation that drastically limits their opponent's options. Watch m2k for that. Try to notice when he reacts and when he goes for a read, and why (and notice when he misreads his opponent as well).

Think about the goals of your opponent's character first (what that character notoriously goes for vs marth, such as fox uthrow to uair). Once responding to the typical stuff becomes second nature, you can direct slightly more focus away from the character and more towards the player: recognizing habits and general style. And always try to make sound decisions on move choice. Ex: should I use the move most likely to win this exchange, even if it means no follow-up, or should I try this other move that may have a slightly less chance of winning the exchange, but if it does, the follow-up is basically guaranteed?

I like to ramble, lol. Good luck.

Thanks a lot! I'll be sure to take what I can from this and apply it to my mindset. Really appreciate the help, man!

 

[ViVio]

Is there a way to....practice thinking in a match? I know this sounds silly, but I feel it is legitimate, as I never find myself thinking about anything.

Make a conscious effort to not autopilot whenever you play friendlies. As an exercise, you can start by trying to look for your opponent's tech patterns (do they always tech towards the edge?, do they tech right, then left?, etc) since this will give you something to actively look for and think about while playing.

Studying sets also helps.

 

[Greasy_SSBM]

Make a conscious effort to not autopilot whenever you play friendlies. As an exercise, you can start by trying to look for your opponent's tech patterns (do they always tech towards the edge?, do they tech right, then left?, etc) since this will give you something to actively look for and think about while playing.

Studying sets also helps.

Ahhhh. This clears up a lot. Thanks a lot for this, I'll be sure to make an effort to do that.