Smash theory and practice - Habits

[Zodiac]

Well everyone I've been pondering for a while now what I could do to help the community get better, being a low level smasher myself I don't have all that much insightful wisdom to offer you guys. But then I got thinking, what should I be doing to get better? And there came my answer, as I help myself get better I will help you get better. I will eventually start up a lesson plan, but thats another thread and another time. As for now Im going to list what im doing to get better.

Currently Working on....DI'ing out of combo's

DI'ing out of combo's
I somewhat explained how to practice spacing on your own. You cant practice DI very well by yourself. So the best way to do this is try to play people that are masters of the combo and work on DI patterns to get our of their combo's. For instance I find di'ing Up and away from falcons Uair prevents him from chaining them on you like crazy. People will instinctively di the opposite of a hit of them so they don't fly off the stage. this is horrible when di'ing a combo. For this week, I(we) are working on how to DI out of combo's.

Spacing (OLD)
for spacing what I do is go into vs mode and fight a computer, or a blank controller, it works better when they stand still. And practice the spacing on my attacks and then go vs a level 1-4 cpu and test out my spacing. I practice it until it become second nature to space correctly. Still working on the second nature part.

 

[Wenbobular]

I don't think spacing vs stationary targets is very helpful o.O

 

[Zodiac]

I don't think spacing vs stationary targets is very helpful o.O

Its to get a feel FOR your spacing, then you put it into practice in a real match,

 

[Violence]

On spacing practice:

I've always found it hard to space the same move over and over, but that's really I feel like I really need to get good at it.

So I came up with a nice method to space for as long as you want: Freeze Glitch.

I freeze the opponent in place, then move him to where I want on the stage, and practice spacing several different attacks on that area. Spaced ftilt, spaced jab, spaced utilt, incorporating more dancing, mixing it up more and more, and the great thing is that the opponent doesn't move, so if I mess up, I can keep going until I get it right.

FYI if you ever do this, be sure to have a human as the target for the freeze glitch. Believe it or not, you can apparently still smash DI while frozen, so if I hit frozen AI lv 1 bowser with Samus's up B, it'll move a considerable amount.

But I've found it a fun little practice tool. Currently using it to practice bomb wavelands.

 

[INSANE CARZY GUY]

Really notice how they react to what you do and just know why they do thinngs. also What do you mean by spacing? movement or attack or what?

like whne I have someone cornered near the edge as marth i'll fair wall them so in there face with me nearly getting tipper to just get more damage till I knock them off and so they don't fly off to far I may want to finish with f-smash. and keep them in front not above.

As pichu my movement spacing seriously adapts without me noticeing really like I have many apptterns my brother started abusing falco's dash attack because i'd be at like .5 laser range and if he did any other move i'll avoid it and punish easily. so he started abusing that however I quickly adapted to make it bait his dash attack like i'd go close DDs/WDs till I come near f-smash range then i'd retreat uber fast so he couldn't hit me and i'd up-smash him into combos.

 

[Zodiac]

Really notice how they react to what you do and just know why they do thinngs. also What do you mean by spacing? movement or attack or what?

When someone says spacing they are 100% of the time referring to hitting opponents with the very edge of your attacks range, unless otherwise specified

 

[DippnDots]

When someone says spacing they are 100% of the time referring to hitting opponents with the very edge of your attacks range, unless otherwise specified

That's only one aspect of spacing. What you mean by spacing others might say as, spacing your attacks.

 

[Zodiac]

That's only one aspect of spacing. What you mean by spacing others might say as, spacing your attacks.

Yes, it is one aspect of spacing, and I can promise you thats what people are talking about unless they specify otherwise.

 

[INSANE CARZY GUY]

Ok because when I think of spacing I think of 100% total control over where your hotbox is going, knowing where/what your oppenet is doing/going, stage placement, projectiles(very different than normal attacks normally) , and movement.

I don't know i've never had problems with hitbox spacing I can get those dairs as marth and barely slip in and outrange some people with pichu's d-tilt.

 

[TLMarth]

http://www.youtube.com/user/UsurperKingZant#p/c/0C364AB640FC1124/16/RfBuAo_Bfvw

Video about spacing... it's hard to get a feel of, for me...

at the moment...

It's not just that you hit with the edge of your attack, but that when you commit yourself to an attack, you immediately limit the potential areas you can affect. When standing still, you have the most options for movement.
If you shield, you limit yourself because you can't run out of shield or use many Special moves. If you run, you can't immediately change direction. If you wavedash, for the shortest time you can't do much, so if you happen to wavedash within range that's bad...
And by range one doesn't just mean 'Fox's nair has this hitbox' but 'Fox can run and use nair and be right in your face'.

 

[Zodiac]

This is JUST spacing attacks right now. There is no need to over analyze stuff, 90% of the time thats why people get confused and screw up. You disect the game to much and have to much to remember while fighting and end up remembering nothing. Im not saying these concepts are wrong. Im saying dont over analyze this stuff.

However that said, that is a good video and everyone should watch it. Just dont take in to much at a time.

But anyway Im updating this. Cause I've practiced spacing this week and it improved my game rather a lot. My one stocks began turning into two stocks. I'll share the experience that prompted me to my next practice. I was playing and doing rather well, when we practice we do both brawl and melee, in brawl in which we go even by improving my spacing, my one stocks began turning into two stocks and so many more options became open to me once I started spacing. In melee the same thing happened, he won two games that night from melee. One was more or less me sand bagging and the other... Well while I was applying spacing and three stocking him with marth he began to apply read's and freaking ***** my marth on one match. up air combo's galore (Mario), as the match went on I got pissed and didnt space for crap. Lost that one, went salty and went back same match up same stage. This time I spaced and the one other thing I did that screwed me over was I di'd all the small hits.

Which a lot of people don't think about these small hits. When I played with deklphiki all the time that was something I was constantly thinking about. Well Its been forever since I played someone on a constant basis who made me di like that. Tonight My opponent finally reached the level where I was forced to think about smaller hit DI. With that said Im just practicing DI'ing small hits from now on.

I wish I had vids from this last smashfest cause there were some really good examples of how spacing can be used in it. Also, in case you skipped to the bottom just read the middle section for things relevant to the op.