What's the proper training to learn a new character?
I'm a Rufus/Ryu player. I want to change my main to Ibuki or Juri. I know that I would naturally start out in Training Mode but what sort of drills should attempt in what succession? Should I even do drills at all?
I don't want to be ineffective because my time is limited (I understand everything generally takes time). I don't want to practice the least effective things first and the most effective last.
Should I master the normals first and then move on to the specials? Or should I worry about the specials first, etc? I understand that I may need to know one before I know the other (ex. normals in order to do combos or normals AND specials for combos, etc.)
What do the pros usually do to train? Of course, you don't need to be a pro to reply suggestions. :-)
Responses (1 total)
There are already a number of questions on what the best approach to learning a new character is, most of them spurned on by the ten new characters introduced in Super Street Fighter 4.
Based on the reples to those questions, here is what I consider a good approach to learning a new character, in the order you should approach it (with references and links to the original material):
- Trials - The trials for the character are going to showcase the most elementary moves and characters that the character has, all the way up to the intricate/difficult/high-reward combos that they can perform. You will also get an introduction to the bread-and-butter (BNB) combos that a character has which serves as the building blocks for most of the maximum-opportunity-combos that a character can perform, based on situation, of course.
- Training Mode - Knowing how to perform a move/combo is one thing, being able to execute it consistently is another. After finding out what the basics are for a character through their trials, go into training mode and make sure you can execute them consistently (especially the higher numbered/higher ones). While many find training mode to be boring, it is essential in achieving high-level play.
- Arcade Mode - Start to play the computer to see how your character interacts with other characters in a live environment, start to take note of the situations where your character's advantages and disadvantages lie. Then make sure you learn how to capitalize on those advantages or minimize the risk to you when at a disadvantage.
- Interact with others - At this point, you should have a basic, but solid understanding of how your new character works. It's time to take that character into the real world. You should be playing against others, either real people, or online (remember, RL > OL when practicing or competing in almost any fighting game, but online play is more readily accesible). You should also be communicating with people who play the character and talking to them about what your game is missing, and then working to integrate that back into your game (which means hitting Training Mode again at the least). Remember, the communication doesn't have to be direct. You can consume one-way forms of communication and still learn about your character. This means watching match/tournament videos involving your character, reading what other top-players have to say about your character, reading other people's notes, asking questions, etc, etc. You should always be consuming information about your character.
Also, there are two important things to be said about the mindset of approaching a new character and also equally important to achieving higher-level play in Super Street Fighter 4 in general:
- Learn from your losses - It's difficult to swallow a loss, and when learning a new character, you are going to lose often. One of the key elements in becoming better in Super Street Fighter 4 is to lean to swallow your pride in a loss, and have the abilty to go back and ask the question "why did I lose?" In being able to do that, you actually open up the possibility of evolving your game; if you can answer the question "why did I lose" you will be less likely to fall for the same situations the next time they arise. With the ability to store your online matches in Super Street Fighter 4, this process is even easier, as you can go back and look to see where exactly you went wrong in an online match.
- Endless Battle - No, I'm not referring to the new online mode in Super Street Fighter 4, but to the fact that you are never done learning about your character. Over time, the rate at which you learn new things will diminish, but there will be new things to learn. When you do, make sure you remember that information. At high-level play, that iota of information is going to mean the difference between winning and losing, which in the end, is the most important metric being measured when determining how good you are in Super Street Fighter 4.
