How to use frame data to your advantage - Super Street Fighter 4 Question - sf4answers

Yes, frame data is essential to becoming a higher level player for a number of reasons.

Understanding your character

Undertanding the frame data for your character will allow you to figure out the most effective way to utilize your character.

Take Sagat's frame-data, for example to compare his cr.MP and cr.MK.  Looking at it, they both have the same active frames (3) the same damage (90) and the same stun (100).

However, the startup for the cr.MP is 5 frames vs. the 7 frames on startup for the cr.MK.  as well as the recovery frames beween the two (10 vs. 15, but that's not relevant, as you will see).

For the purposes of jumping in on an opponent with Sagat to execute a combo, because it is a de-facto link (the air attack to the ground attack), you have to execute the first active frame of your second attack before the opponent comes out of hit or block stun.

In this case, that move is the cr.MP, you have a full 2 frames more which translates to a 33% faster move.  Because it has the same damage and the same stun properties, it makes more sense to use it in a combo. 

The cr.MP even has a faster recovery time, but that is irrelevant, as you will more than likely cancel out of the attack for a special move.

Regardless, that 33% speed increase is essential, especially in a situation where you would use a j.LK with Sagat which has relatively low blockstun and want to cross up your opponent on knockdown (that is Sagat's only option to cross up with a normal attack).

(Note, there are benefits to using the cr.MK, as it moves Sagat forward, extending the reach of his attack in the event you feel you might not close the distance).

Because links are king in Street Fighter 4, understanding the frame data will allow you to find those link opportunities and block strings (which are also essential for building up meter when your opponent defends).

Understanding counterattack opportunities

You can also compare your frame data with other people's frame data in order to find out counters, areas that you can punish your opponent.

Let's use Abel as an example vs. Ryu.  As a Ryu player, if Abel performs a close HK on you, Abel's frame data indicates that it has a -4 frame-advantage (or disadvantage, rather) on block.

This means that as long as Ryu can perform a move that has 4 or less startup frames and hit Abel after blocking the close HK.

Looking at Ryu's frame data, you can see that his cr.HP has a startup of 4.  Remember, the first active frame of an attack is the last frame on startup.  This means that his first active frame is the fourth frame, the last frame of Abel's recovery.

This information helps you to capitalize on moves that your character makes at inopportune times as well as allow you to understand what not to do against certain characters.

Of course, there are more opportunities to utilize frame data (counter-hit opportunities, for example), but these are the essentials for understanding frame data to capitalize on your matchups.

Here's the best example of how I can show the importance of frames.  Let's say you are attacked by Guile's crouching hard kick, the nice little double kick sweep.  It takes 6 frames for the attack to hit the first time (it's "startup"), which then has 4 frames of "impact" time.  Between the first and second kick, there are 20 frames of no impact time.  These 20 frames are a wide open chance for you to get a hit in on him.  You just need to make sure what you counter with is an attack that has a "startup" speed of less than 20 frames...which is very easy to find.  High level play looks for these defenseless spots in character's attack animations to take advantage of.  Learning where these spaces are is normal for any high level play, and frame counts just act as a very presice way of measuring what moves to use in what situations.