Myztek
Smash Ace
EDIT Here are some videos that I find to be very informative.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfBuAo_Bfvw <-- This is a tutorial by Lucien that talks about spacing in Smash. It's a good visual representation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBUe7HkRkNM&feature=channel_video_title <-- This video is from Street Fighter, but the lesson can be applied to Smash. Also a good visual representation of proper zoning and spacing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PTgQeSG1oA&feature=channel_video_title <-- This is the first video I ran across when looking for videos about spacing. It's also focused on Street Fighter, but it shows just how well pro-level players space when they're playing. Again, this can be applied to Smash to some degree.
Don't shrug off the two additional videos simply because they're Street Fighter related. The third one I really enjoyed, because he uses matches from tournaments to represent what he's talking about. Spacing is pretty much universal in the realm of the fighting game genre.
This thread is meant to inform new players, or those looking to improve, of tactics that are necessary to play at high levels. Specifically, I will be covering the importance of zoning/spacing. If something as simple as hitting someone with the tip of Marth's sword vs hitting someone with the inner part of Marth's sword is the extent of your knowledge on spacing, then a lot can be learned from reading this.
Before I begin with the discussion of spacing, I'm going to cover a few bits of information that I feel are important. If any of the preceding information seems redundant to you, then feel free to skip to the section that covers spacing.
1. Tech Skill - Contrary to the belief of some, focusing purely on becoming god-like with tech skill is not key to being a better player. In fact, as long as you have a grasp of L-cancelling, wavedashing, SHFFLing, DI [direction influence], and the basics, you don't really need to dig much deeper. Of course, there are character-specific techniques such as double jump cancelling, waveshining, and so-forth that are essential to getting the most out of your character; but if you've hit a plateau and you can't understand why you're not improving, then there's a very good chance it has nothing to do with your technical ability. It doesn't matter if you can waveshine perfectly, multishine, moonwalk, platform cancel, double stick DI, or whatever flashy technique you prefer; You can know every combo in the game, but unless you are able to defend and approach at the right times, you will never make an opening for your combo, and you will be punished repeatedly for trying to perform an action in a situation where it is not appropriate.
2. Tunnel Vision - Have you ever been playing, and you suddenly feel the urge to pull off a specific combo, fancy trick, or maybe you just really want to land a Falcon Punch or waveshine someone across Final Destination? Well, stop it. I'm calling it tunnel vision, because it's basically a case of narrowing your thinking down to one option. You have one goal in site, and that's it. The effect of tunnel vision is that you'll end up trying to force moves into situations where they aren't appropriate and probably far from the best option; the end result is being punished by your opponent. Play according to the situation, and you will have much higher success rates.
3. Auto-pilot - This can be just as deadly as tunnel vision, if not more so. Playing on auto-pilot is just as the name implies. Instead of strategizing against your opponent's play style, you're just going through a preset rhythm. You may have picked this rhythm up from practicing tech skill for hours against a CPU or possibly other means. But, either way, this is not how you want to be playing. Aimlessly running in at your opponent will get you punished; it's thoughtless, unreliable, and very predictable. Instead, stay conscious thinking during your match. Every human has different patterns, play styles, and habits. Your goal is to pay attention to your opponent and figure out how you can take advantage of their play style. Maintaining an active mind during play takes focus, and the best players are able to stay in that mindset.
4. Game Knowledge - Simply put, game knowledge consists of things like what moves beat what, what your character's advantages over your opponent's character are, what works on what stages, and so on. All of this information is gained from experience and is extremely important. Game knowledge is required to have a more successful spacing game.
5. Patience - I'll begin this segment with a post made by Mang0. (editted for readability) "Once there was a great man named Gimpyfish who told me something that changed my life =). He said 'You don't have to go to him if you don't want him.' Which means, like when someone is camping you, you don't have to go to them all the time. JUST BE PATIENT!!! And keep your spacing, people.". Now we're approaching the main topic of zoning/spacing. But let's go over patience first. Mang0 makes an excellent point here. You can stay in your safe zone and wait. You don't have to run at your opponent at every given moment to try and start a combo or get a grab. Wait for the opportunity! This is not to say that you should never approach. Depending on the matchup, approaching is sometimes a great option. But if your opponent is good at defense and being patient, running in will get you punished almost every time. If you're going to run in, run in with a plan. I'll steal something else from Mang0 here. In the Puff vs Marth matchup, Marth has the superior spacing game. However, one strategy, as Mang0 suggests, (as the puff player) is to run in and shield. This may bait the Marth into using an attack, which then gives you the opportunity to forward air out of shield safely. The point is to find a method of putting yourself at a distance from your opponent where you are safe but ready to punish.
SPACING / ZONING
Spacing is easily one of the most important aspects of Smash and fighting games in general. Everyone incorporates spacing into their game, whether it be intentional or instinctual. The difference between a great player and a good player is that a great player is constantly conscious of it. A good player may play safe to an extent, but when they end up being out-played by a superior opponent and every move they throw out gets punished, they may not be sure why it's happening or what to do about it. The solution is to space more effectively. The reason you're being out-played is because your opponent is reading your every move and taking advantage of it. Back off, be more defensive, and disallow your opponent from reading you. You need to observe your opponent, pick up on patterns, and take advantage of all of their flaws.
To put it simply, depending on where you and your opponent are positioned on the screen, one of the players has the advantage. For an example, if Fox is on the opposite side of Final Destination, and you're playing a character that can't attack from that distance, then Fox has the advantage. He can laser you safely, because there is nothing you can do to retaliate. This forces you to approach, which instantly puts you at a disadvantage. The key to turning this specific situation around is to get close enough to Fox that he is unable to safely continue shooting lasers. And when I say close enough, I don't mean to run in and throw out an aimless aerial in frustration, because this is what Fox wants you to do. What you want to do is get close enough that you are still safe, but you impede Fox from continuing his onslaught of lasers. Once you get into this position, you can then look for openings or try to bait Fox into making a mistake that allows you to punish him.
Ideally, the only time you want to close the gap that you have created between yourself and your opponent, is when your opponent is in a vulnerable state; such as performing a laggy move, lying on the ground after a missed tech, or any other action that you can take advantage of. After your opponent has been punished and has escaped the pressure, go back to spacing properly until you can take advantage of the next one or force your opponent into an unfavorable position. Isai wasn't kidding when he said "Don't get hit." If you space effectively, learn your character's best positions on-screen, and quickly catch on to your opponent's habits, you will greatly reduce the amount of punishment/damage you receive and greatly increase the amount of punishment/damage that you can give.
For every matchup, the spacing game can differ due to varying ranges and speed that characters possess. Once you begin incorporating a good spacing game, your overall game is sure to improve.
Some Side Thoughts
If you look at the tier list for Melee, it's basically a direct reflection of the characters' spacing abilities. Fox is number one due to his extraordinary speed, lasers, and other tools that allow him to apply pressure and get in and out of other character's zones. As you go down the tier list, characters begin to have less priority, less range, less speed, and less ability to punish their opponents. I guess that's kind've an obvious statement in some regards, but it's a bit interesting.
I'm under the impression that some players are inherently better at games because ideas just "click" with them. Some players never even have to read about how to space properly. It all just makes sense to them. It's as if they have a level of understanding that surpasses a majority of other players. But who knows. Maybe that just train harder.
Also, keep a good, positive, confident mindset! It can make a world of difference.
Questions, feedback, and criticism are welcome. If anyone has anything they'd like to add that may help other players, please post!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfBuAo_Bfvw <-- This is a tutorial by Lucien that talks about spacing in Smash. It's a good visual representation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBUe7HkRkNM&feature=channel_video_title <-- This video is from Street Fighter, but the lesson can be applied to Smash. Also a good visual representation of proper zoning and spacing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PTgQeSG1oA&feature=channel_video_title <-- This is the first video I ran across when looking for videos about spacing. It's also focused on Street Fighter, but it shows just how well pro-level players space when they're playing. Again, this can be applied to Smash to some degree.
Don't shrug off the two additional videos simply because they're Street Fighter related. The third one I really enjoyed, because he uses matches from tournaments to represent what he's talking about. Spacing is pretty much universal in the realm of the fighting game genre.
This thread is meant to inform new players, or those looking to improve, of tactics that are necessary to play at high levels. Specifically, I will be covering the importance of zoning/spacing. If something as simple as hitting someone with the tip of Marth's sword vs hitting someone with the inner part of Marth's sword is the extent of your knowledge on spacing, then a lot can be learned from reading this.
Before I begin with the discussion of spacing, I'm going to cover a few bits of information that I feel are important. If any of the preceding information seems redundant to you, then feel free to skip to the section that covers spacing.
1. Tech Skill - Contrary to the belief of some, focusing purely on becoming god-like with tech skill is not key to being a better player. In fact, as long as you have a grasp of L-cancelling, wavedashing, SHFFLing, DI [direction influence], and the basics, you don't really need to dig much deeper. Of course, there are character-specific techniques such as double jump cancelling, waveshining, and so-forth that are essential to getting the most out of your character; but if you've hit a plateau and you can't understand why you're not improving, then there's a very good chance it has nothing to do with your technical ability. It doesn't matter if you can waveshine perfectly, multishine, moonwalk, platform cancel, double stick DI, or whatever flashy technique you prefer; You can know every combo in the game, but unless you are able to defend and approach at the right times, you will never make an opening for your combo, and you will be punished repeatedly for trying to perform an action in a situation where it is not appropriate.
2. Tunnel Vision - Have you ever been playing, and you suddenly feel the urge to pull off a specific combo, fancy trick, or maybe you just really want to land a Falcon Punch or waveshine someone across Final Destination? Well, stop it. I'm calling it tunnel vision, because it's basically a case of narrowing your thinking down to one option. You have one goal in site, and that's it. The effect of tunnel vision is that you'll end up trying to force moves into situations where they aren't appropriate and probably far from the best option; the end result is being punished by your opponent. Play according to the situation, and you will have much higher success rates.
3. Auto-pilot - This can be just as deadly as tunnel vision, if not more so. Playing on auto-pilot is just as the name implies. Instead of strategizing against your opponent's play style, you're just going through a preset rhythm. You may have picked this rhythm up from practicing tech skill for hours against a CPU or possibly other means. But, either way, this is not how you want to be playing. Aimlessly running in at your opponent will get you punished; it's thoughtless, unreliable, and very predictable. Instead, stay conscious thinking during your match. Every human has different patterns, play styles, and habits. Your goal is to pay attention to your opponent and figure out how you can take advantage of their play style. Maintaining an active mind during play takes focus, and the best players are able to stay in that mindset.
4. Game Knowledge - Simply put, game knowledge consists of things like what moves beat what, what your character's advantages over your opponent's character are, what works on what stages, and so on. All of this information is gained from experience and is extremely important. Game knowledge is required to have a more successful spacing game.
5. Patience - I'll begin this segment with a post made by Mang0. (editted for readability) "Once there was a great man named Gimpyfish who told me something that changed my life =). He said 'You don't have to go to him if you don't want him.' Which means, like when someone is camping you, you don't have to go to them all the time. JUST BE PATIENT!!! And keep your spacing, people.". Now we're approaching the main topic of zoning/spacing. But let's go over patience first. Mang0 makes an excellent point here. You can stay in your safe zone and wait. You don't have to run at your opponent at every given moment to try and start a combo or get a grab. Wait for the opportunity! This is not to say that you should never approach. Depending on the matchup, approaching is sometimes a great option. But if your opponent is good at defense and being patient, running in will get you punished almost every time. If you're going to run in, run in with a plan. I'll steal something else from Mang0 here. In the Puff vs Marth matchup, Marth has the superior spacing game. However, one strategy, as Mang0 suggests, (as the puff player) is to run in and shield. This may bait the Marth into using an attack, which then gives you the opportunity to forward air out of shield safely. The point is to find a method of putting yourself at a distance from your opponent where you are safe but ready to punish.
SPACING / ZONING
Spacing is easily one of the most important aspects of Smash and fighting games in general. Everyone incorporates spacing into their game, whether it be intentional or instinctual. The difference between a great player and a good player is that a great player is constantly conscious of it. A good player may play safe to an extent, but when they end up being out-played by a superior opponent and every move they throw out gets punished, they may not be sure why it's happening or what to do about it. The solution is to space more effectively. The reason you're being out-played is because your opponent is reading your every move and taking advantage of it. Back off, be more defensive, and disallow your opponent from reading you. You need to observe your opponent, pick up on patterns, and take advantage of all of their flaws.
To put it simply, depending on where you and your opponent are positioned on the screen, one of the players has the advantage. For an example, if Fox is on the opposite side of Final Destination, and you're playing a character that can't attack from that distance, then Fox has the advantage. He can laser you safely, because there is nothing you can do to retaliate. This forces you to approach, which instantly puts you at a disadvantage. The key to turning this specific situation around is to get close enough to Fox that he is unable to safely continue shooting lasers. And when I say close enough, I don't mean to run in and throw out an aimless aerial in frustration, because this is what Fox wants you to do. What you want to do is get close enough that you are still safe, but you impede Fox from continuing his onslaught of lasers. Once you get into this position, you can then look for openings or try to bait Fox into making a mistake that allows you to punish him.
Ideally, the only time you want to close the gap that you have created between yourself and your opponent, is when your opponent is in a vulnerable state; such as performing a laggy move, lying on the ground after a missed tech, or any other action that you can take advantage of. After your opponent has been punished and has escaped the pressure, go back to spacing properly until you can take advantage of the next one or force your opponent into an unfavorable position. Isai wasn't kidding when he said "Don't get hit." If you space effectively, learn your character's best positions on-screen, and quickly catch on to your opponent's habits, you will greatly reduce the amount of punishment/damage you receive and greatly increase the amount of punishment/damage that you can give.
For every matchup, the spacing game can differ due to varying ranges and speed that characters possess. Once you begin incorporating a good spacing game, your overall game is sure to improve.
Some Side Thoughts
If you look at the tier list for Melee, it's basically a direct reflection of the characters' spacing abilities. Fox is number one due to his extraordinary speed, lasers, and other tools that allow him to apply pressure and get in and out of other character's zones. As you go down the tier list, characters begin to have less priority, less range, less speed, and less ability to punish their opponents. I guess that's kind've an obvious statement in some regards, but it's a bit interesting.
I'm under the impression that some players are inherently better at games because ideas just "click" with them. Some players never even have to read about how to space properly. It all just makes sense to them. It's as if they have a level of understanding that surpasses a majority of other players. But who knows. Maybe that just train harder.

Also, keep a good, positive, confident mindset! It can make a world of difference.
Questions, feedback, and criticism are welcome. If anyone has anything they'd like to add that may help other players, please post!