What tricks do you use to concentrate in a match?

[Keeshu]

I'm just looking for some new ways to concentrate in matches. So what are your tricks?


My problem with concentrating in spoiler if you're curious

Spoiler

Lately I've been having a hard time focusing at all in matches (usually from lack of sleep 'cause always busy). Lucario has turned out to be one of my best characters right now because his Aura mechanic requires me to pay attention no matter what % I'm at because at low % he won't deal much damage, and at high % he is likely to die. So while that helps me focus while playing Lucario, I don't want to use that as a crutch to focus in games especially since I feel like eventually it won't work as I get too familiar with Lucario overtime. A lot of the time when I play other characters and the opponent starts to falter really bad, I start to play worse because they are just too underwhelming. Safe to say DK is the character I "struggle" against the most because he just never feels like a threat, boring to fight, and it never feels like I lose even when I do lose and it's not fun to win against him either so the more matches I play against DK the worse I will play for the rest of the day.



Now this problem wasn't that bad in Smash 4 and I did well in that game, but in Ultimate I just can't focus at all. So I feel like I'm stabbing friends in the guts when I play horribly in Ultimate like someone who hasn't touched a controller in their life, when they saw how awesome I played in Smash 4 and helped them get significantly better at that time because of the tips I gave them. I'm just bringing this up now because last night I was having problems against the scrubbiest Marth you ever did see. I accidentally died in some dumb way when playing Meta Knight, and he teabagged, but since I was super sleepy at the moment, I got a bit annoyed by that and decided to kick his butt. So he only did 19% damage to me for the rest of the match while I just went through his stocks. Then in the rematch against him I decided to play with him by using only Jab attack on the first stock, Drill Rush on the second stock, and tornado on the last stock and I didn't lose any stocks. So just even a tiny little bit of concentration goes a long way. When I've gotten plenty of sleep, getting irritated will make me play worse so obviously getting annoyed is not best the way to concentrate. So I figured I'd ask here to see what healthy ways people have thought of to concentrate.

 

[Mogisthelioma]

The best way I concentrate is to memorize the best ways to respond to attacks or punishes so my actions in some areas become partially muscle memory. I recently began playing online more often and tried Wolf out. His best out of shield options I found were forward tilt and jab, so whenever I exit shield I instinctively use one of those 2 moves from muscle memory and 95% of the time it works. That way I can focus more on my opponent's position

It's always good to routinely check your and your opponent's damage every 10 seconds or so to update yourself on what moves will KO. For example, if I'm at 40% and playing against Charizard, I need to be wary of the fact that Flare Blitz will probably KO. Similarly, if I'm playing Roy and my opponent is at 80%, I should keep in mind that f-smash or Double Edged Dance will probably KO as well.

 

[Gamer Cube]

My method of concentration is to try to make patchwork combos to keep my brain entertained. It is also rewarding because if you successsfully make a good one they are almost out of a stock.

 

[pupNapoleon]

I bite my tongue.

I don't know why, but I've always done this while focusing, particularly in video games.

 

[OnyanRings]

I bite (well, more like chew) on my lower lip.

I'll sometimes make myself bleed a little after a really intense game so i try to avoid long sessions.

 

[Kankato]

I watch my opponent like a hawk and go for openings I know I can exploit. If you ever ask yourself "what should I be doing in this situation?" then match videos are your best aid. Most concentration goes on adjusting to your opponent and looking execute your game plan.

Also, get some sleep. It's the best way to improve your concentration.