"Improving NZ - One scrub at a time" Article 2

[Lennysaurus]

"Play Less, Talk More"

Think back to the last game you had.  In fact, if you’re an
Aucklander, think back to the last Ranbat you played in.  Now think
about those games and ask yourself to remember why you lost.  And I
don’t mean, “oh his Ryu did a phat DP-FADC-Ultra LOLZORS”.  I don’t
even want you to tell me that you dropped the game winning combo.
Really think about why you lost that match.  Was it because your
mid-range was weak?  You got cornered a lot?  Missed some throw techs?
The reason I make a point of this is that most people talk a lot
about getting better and improving on their last game, but few rarely
do.

The first “Improving NZ” article talked about actually wanting to
improve, having the mindset and attitude to feel angry when you lose,
and wanting to do something about it; but all that is a waste if you
don’t actually stop long enough to consider your errors.

This is the next hurdle that cripples Kiwi street fighters - the
ability to think about what has happened after, or what is happening
during a match.  The ability to actually understand at a fundamental
level what went wrong, and to look past the excuses of missing a tech,
dropping a combo, or missing a punish.  The ability to add all the
different things together that happened in a round and understand how
they all contribute to an outcome.

The solution is simple, “Play less, Talk more.”

It’s a pretty open statement, and that's because its meaning can be
used to improve many aspects of the way our community understands the
deeper metagame.

The first part of the equation is to “Play less”.  Don’t buy into the
illusion that the more you play, the better you get.  It’s more about
the quality of the play you are getting and the actual thinking
involved while you are playing and how much you are actually thinking
about what is happening during and after a match.  After all, there is
no point in evaluating a match where people refuse to play properly.

The gains from smashing random XBOX LIVE scrubs are small.  Going to
Yifan's and laying down a 15 streak against a bunch of scrubs won’t
improve your performance greatly at tournaments.  Sitting at home on
your 42 inch LCD screen and practicing with 5+ frames of lag just
isn’t worth it.  Playing casuals with your friend’s 2 day old Blanka
that mashes up-ball and electricity isn’t good training.  We as a
community need to accept that when we are sitting down to practice, we
are playing each other properly with the intent of improving.

That's not to say that we can’t have fun, though.  Every now and then
I like to pick an odd character and have a bit of fun, but it's
counter-productive for us to pick random characters and play randomly
against each other without at least giving your opponent some warning
in advance.  Let your opponent know that you are going to be playing
“silly” so that they know not to waste their time if they are
interested in improving.  Likewise, if they want quality play, then
make sure you oblige.

“Playing Less” doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to spend less
time on the game.  What it tells us is that we should make the most
out of the time we have playing with each other, to strive for quality
over quantity, and to make sure that we play each other seriously as
much as possible.

“Talk more” is pretty basic.  Talk about the game more. Talk about why
you did something during a match.  Talk about a match that you are
watching, and whether you think the players are playing well, and why.
On the forums, comment when someone posts a video in a thread, and if
you don’t agree with something that someone else has said, put your
opinion across and explain why you think the way you do.

We need to stop and take a breather between games.  Take a break and
think about what happened in your last game.  Ask your opponent what
they thought worked and didn’t work, and think past the last 10
seconds of a round.  Too often you hear someone with the same excuses:
“I would have won that if I hadn’t dropped X combo/missed my tech.”  A
lot happens in a round, much more than your last throw attempt or
dropped combo.  We need to realize that the round was lost because of
more than just one mistake right at the end.

We also need to actually watch and talk about games as they are
happening.  I tend to find that both online and at Ranbats, I’m the
only person that ever stops to watch and talk about people playing as
they play.  When someone mentions something they see in a game, we
need to do more than just nod and agree.  We need to start engaging
each other and really discussing what we see is happening on the
screen.  Talk about the spacing, talk about the pressure, talk about
the meter management, just stand around and talk about the games as
they happen.

Stop being scared to talk about games for fear that you know less than
the guy standing next to you.  When you think about it, there are only
two outcomes to the situation: he will correct you, thus giving you
better knowledge about the situation you see, or you will bring
attention to something that they hadn’t seen themselves, and improve a
facet of their game.  Either way our community wins out and our level
of knowledge increases.  That’s the beauty of “Talk more”: if we adopt
this into our street fighter habits, over time our whole community
starts to understand the risks and rewards of certain onscreen
actions, and we all get better and better at understanding the
metagame of Street Fighter.

“Play less, Talk more” is a dead easy philosophy to buy into.  Anyone
can do it, and the benefits it will have to our community are so huge,
that it seems criminal that we haven’t been doing it more in the past.
It tells us to play and evaluate the way we play in a serious manner.
To put that “I want to win and get better” attitude in action while
playing and watching.

So, next time we’re at Ranbats and I comment on why I think X player
should have done Y, tell me I’m wrong if you think so.  Tell me what
you think they should be doing and why.  Better to be loud and wrong,
than quiet and scrubby.

Thanks again to Fluxcore for your help

[CptMunta]

Stop being scared to talk about games for fear that you know less than the guy standing next to you.  When you think about it, there are only two outcomes to the situation;  He will correct you, thus giving you better knowledge about the situation you see, or you will bring attention to something that they hadn’t seen themselves, and improve a facet of their game.  Either way our community wins out as our level of knowledge increases.  That’s the beauty of “Talk more”, if we adopt this into our street fighter habits, slowly over time our whole community starts to understand the risks and rewards of certain onscreen actions, and we all get better and better at understanding the  metagame of Street Fighter

I completely agree.

In England those guys were mad crazy good. After you lost people you could chat to you and tell you how they bet you. I heard Ryan Hart at the Winner Stays On ranbats doing this all the time. He even heard someone whine about the shortcomings of Fuerte in the Guile matchup and say that it's bullshit and give a list of opitions for Fuerte in that situation. The Guile player would agree and say what he had trouble snuffing in the match and another Fuerte came in and chatted about it too. Ryan would go on to say that it's hard but that's the hurdle you have to deal with and there is an answer.

Maybe this is an arcade thing, me and Propafanda would talk about what beats what for ages back when we were in the CvS2 scene, we'd also talk about other players we both battled, discussing their strengths in weaknesses.

Sometimes I'll say "All you have to do in this matchup is "this" and it gives me a world of trouble". I would even stop myself and say "I shouldn't be telling you how to beat me." But I think I should.

If you are winning, even making the game harder for yourself might be a good thing.

Also don't hate on random select that shit is awesome!  I feel like I'm in a slump with a character and want to mix things up Random is awesome. I find things from other characters that I can apply back to Rose and I get a wider understanding of what tools people use and like to abuse. Sure I don't know if I'll win with random and I get a bit pissed for having a rubbish adon. But for me at least, when it's random select it's still on. I'm not playing silly buggers.

Awesome articles Lenny. You guys should front page this shit. 

[Squares]

I've got these articles printed out, as I feel it doesn't purely apply to only Street Fighter, but fighters in general. I've been reading over both articles now and using it to my advantage in BlazBlue.

Thanks for the time and effort spent writing these, they are doing a whole lot of good!

[Lennysaurus]

Thanks for the kind comments guys.  The idea is to get people to thinking about our scene and the "scrubbier" elements in it.  It gives us something to make reference to, and to call each other out on, to make sure that we get stronger.

Also don't hate on random select that shit is awesome!  I feel like I'm in a slump with a character and want to mix things up Random is awesome. I find things from other characters that I can apply back to Rose and I get a wider understanding of what tools people use and like to abuse. Sure I don't know if I'll win with random and I get a bit pissed for having a rubbish adon. But for me at least, when it's random select it's still on. I'm not playing silly buggers.

I'm not sure what you mean by random TBH Marc.  Random can mean different things I suppose.  Like random select, Playing Random (eg: shoryuken loads and jumping in all the time), playing a character you don't use often.

Its fine to have secondary characters as long as you play them properly and in a serious-competitive mindset, but if you are playing random select and attempting to create an environment where you and your opponent are learning then its pretty hit and miss.  I can't play C. Viper at all, if I get her in a random select battle neither me nor my opponent are going to learn anything regardless of how serious I play with her.

Like I say in the article though, it's fine to have fun.  If you or your opponent agree to have loltimes then that's entirely up to you, but this article is about highlighting the fact that if you want to get better, you need to understand that just playing is not enough and that you have to "flip the switch" into serious mode if you want value for the time you are putting in.

[Squares]

What about the environment you're playing in? I always thought this was something to consider in this topic of discussion. First and foremost, not everyone grew up in a busy arcade setting and the difference between playing at home with friends and playing with people in an arcade, tournament or casuals can also have a big mental impact. How we are affected and deal with this is different for everybody.

Just something I thought worth considering, as playing with a lot of people around can be a big social scare for some people and ultimately will affect the way they play.
Out of all of the points mentioned, this would have to be my biggest challenge.

[CrazyMobius]

What about the environment you're playing in? I always thought this was something to consider in this topic of discussion. First and foremost, not everyone grew up in a busy arcade setting and the difference between playing at home with friends and playing with people in an arcade, tournament or casuals can also have a big mental impact. How we are affected and deal with this is different for everybody.

Just something I thought worth considering, as playing with a lot of people around can be a big social scare for some people and ultimately will affect the way they play.
Out of all of the points mentioned, this would have to be my biggest challenge.

This is a big challenge but it is also one of the easiest to overcome because it is so easy to practice. For the older school I think it is easier. I grew up around arcade games long before I ever owned a Sega Master system. Up until Sega whenever I played a game it was in public. This was the default. Now with home gaming you get people who if they want to play competitively need to condition themselves to a public environment. Without regular options to do this it can be a challenge. About the only way I can think of that will have an effect is if you have access to Yifans use it.
Another big thing is confidence. When you are waiting for your game you should be waiting for your opportunity to destroy your opponent. Or at the very least prove to yourself and your opponent you are not afraid of fighting them. Players can smell fear a mile away and if they sense you are scared they will use that to their advantage and either rush you down because they know you are too scared to retaliate or try to mindfuck you with psychological tactics.

[[NIUE] BIRRY WONG]

Fuck Lenny this article sucks. I talk all the time and im still a scrub.

[karizzma]

Ya i really need to talk more. But I always have the problem where I don't want to say something wrong to the person. I will try better next time.

[CaptainHook]

I think one of the problems is that people still think the way they've been learning the whole time is working.
It was evident in the last thread when i came on and stirred the hornets nest and everyone started telling me
all the usual stuff. I didn't see anyone say "hey.. i guess if the old way worked, this thread that Lenny started
wouldn't be here so maybe we should consider this isn't the best way for things to be".

I actually wrote that as a reply but then edited it straight after to say "over it"..
Cause i was over trying to convince people to see this a different way.

I know i'm a newb at street fighter, but there's one thing i take pride in; learning. There's a smarter way to
learn in general than the way the street fighter community seems to. But everyone seems too reluctant/lazy
to change or just doesn't want to hear it. Especially from a "new guy" like me.

[Lennysaurus]

I'm not sure what you're saying tbh Hook.  These articles aren't about learning or styles of learning yet.  The first article was about attitude, and the second article is about how to use the time you have with the game better.

Learning styles is a completely different debate altogether, and different people are going to learn in different ways.

What do you think it is that the SF community does so badly around learning anyway?

[CaptainHook]

Well, i can't see how you can improve at something without learning. So to me, it's the same topic. I'm not talking about
learning "styles" either. But the last time i STARTED (i only just touched on the subject IMO) to get into this, i just offended
people so i've decided to go my own path on this, see if it works out.

And maybe if it works out for me and people notice, they might actually consider what i'm saying. And if not, no harm to
anyone else so it doesn't matter.

[[8-----D] Toots]

What do you suggest then hook?

Its not really that clear as to what you think is wrong with the we way teach (which we don't really we just offer advice) and pass on information. If you think the information is hard to get a hold of then your just wrong no offence. If you have trouble understanding it then yeah I agree it could be done better but its not easy to explain some things in street fighter over the internet.

What lenny is talking about isn't necessarily about learning. It is more about self awareness as a fighting game player. I guess this info should be easier to access for new players but tbh its only been in the last year that people have even bothered to go in depth about such topics. The information is so new that you cant even validate how useful some of it is.

There are few definite answers in fighting games and many points in the game where you have to fill in the gaps with your own knowledge. It is so important to learn how to play according to your own strengths.

[Lennysaurus]

I'm not saying you cant improve without learning.  That's a give in.  What I am saying is that getting better is more than just one or two things.  Its about how to learn, and attitude, and using your time wisely, etc etc.

I don't think you offended people, and if someone is offended by a suggestion on a forum then they are pretty much a tard.  But that's the whole point of a forum I guess.  People say stuff, and you agree or not and say why, I wouldn't take it too personally.

[CrazyMobius]

so i've decided to go my own path on this, see if it works out.

That's the best choice. If you are blaming others for your lack of improvement it will lead nowhere.

[IR U IM B IL E]

Shot Lenny for the article. Another good read.

A big thing is that if you dont know something, like during ranbats for instance, just ask. Im pretty sure just about anyone, unless they have a carrot stuck up their hoho, will be more than happy to divulge their points of view and knowledge about the game and how they approach it to you.

Talk is good.

P.s. Lenny, I still think Guile's main goal vs Sim is to try and get in his face and backed into the corner. But that's just me. We need to have a proper set to prove this otherwise