Analyze your progress over the last year & how to improve in 2020

[Vslayer]

Happy new year everyone!

I wanted to make this thread to encourage people to look how far they've come last year skill-wise. I know not everyone saves their matches or even looks at them, but it's a really great exercise to do and what better time to start exercising than the new year right?

I looked in my own saved matches and the furthest I have is from 3 months back cause I'm dumb and deleted everything off my PS4 to make some space. To be honest, that's not far enough but you'll still see improvement either way. Here's the formula I propose, you don't have to follow this to a T, but it at least gives you something to go off of:

Look over games from July, then October and then your most recent match, and compare them. Takes notes and write down your strengths and weaknesses for every set of games you watch. You can even divide them by summer, fall and winter. And for the last one, add what you need work on and how you're going to practice it. I know it may seem like a lot of work, but you don't have to watch 15 games, just one or 2 every 3 months should be enough.

And if you're unsure what you need to work on, or how to go about it, then post some matches in spoiler tags (just so it doesn't clutter the thread) and I will gladly help you.

I'll post mine to give you an example, and you're welcome to post your own notes here as well and discuss with others.

Fall:

• Weaknesses: Was not paying attention to the opponent's meter and defensive options on knockdown so I would get hit by U2's and U3's a lot. Too much rushdown, not enough letting the opponent hang themselves. Did not punish a lot of negative strings and/or specials on block.
• Strengths: at least I didn't drop combos.

Winter:

• Weaknesses: still don't have the reaction time to tech throws constantly. Need to get better with secondaries. Throw more (yes, 8 months down the road I still don't use the best freaking moves in the game).
• Strengths: better spacing and whiff punishing, better space control, good corner pressure.

I have to work on focusing on what the opponent is doing and countering that, instead of just doing what I want to do, which will help my defence and being more patient. I'm gonna have to play matches where I will let the opponents lead and counter what they do, and really focus on reading them.

One last thing, play long sets with others that you know from here or on your friend's list. Seek players that are better than you and play sets until you can win constantly. Rinse and repeat.

 

[Braindead]

My matches in April:
Yolo slide

July:
Yolo slide

Yesterday:
Yolo slide


Plans for 2020:
Yolo slide

 

[Eh SnOwY]

ive learned that Jumpkicks and wakeup jumps are OP

 

[STB Sgt Reed]

I haven't leveled up at all

My jax used to be good, but it just never leveled up. All I do now is complain about Liu Kang while my opponent chooses random select and beats me.

 

[Vslayer]

I haven't leveled up at all

My jax used to be good, but it just never leveled up. All I do now is complain about Liu Kang while my opponent chooses random select and beats me.

I used to struggle to beat you, now I just fuck around with random characters.

 

[Eddy Wang]

I learned a lot more about the game but my general opinion that the game urgently needs a system overhaul hasn't changed. Otherwise the love/hate relationship with the game will continue or maybe i will drop it for good.

 

[Zviko]

My biggest improvement is I can finally react to throws now. At least much better than before. My issue was not really reacting to them but releasing block button so I could tech. I'm finally past that now and it just came naturally. This is huge because I was ducking way too much before. But now I hate throw KBs even more cause I can tech but it's still a guess. Remove them already....

 

[Vslayer]

My biggest improvement is I can finally react to throws now. At least much better than before. My issue was not really reacting to them but releasing block button so I could tech. I'm finally past that now and it just came naturally. This is huge because I was ducking way too much before. But now I hate throw KBs even more cause I can tech but it's still a guess. Remove them already....

Man I used to always duck, like it was my thing, people thought I was a maniac but I was just too hard-headed to learn to tech. But yeah, release the block button or teching the wrong way is the bane of my existence rn, but I'm gonna try to improve and react better to them every time I play.

 

[STB Sgt Reed]

just mash, no need to learn to tech if you mash. You'll be right 50% of the time.

 

[MeSoFoolish]

I can not learn myself to tech throws with 2 or 4. I think it is because the poke buttons are 1 and 3. And 90% throws forwards so i'm always screwed.

 

[Cobainevermind87]

I can not learn myself to tech throws with 2 or 4. I think it is because the poke buttons are 1 and 3. And 90% throws forwards so i'm always screwed.

It's 1 or 2, not 2 or 4.

 

[Zviko]

I find 3 and 4 the easiest for teching throws.

 

[MerlinsBeard]

The only replay I have saved to my PS4 is when I ran into Dragon online and in-game replays can't be viewed if there form an older version so I can't watch the really old ones. I have over 600 games played with Kung Lao and If I could go back and watch my matches from around the launch of the game I'd be like "what the hell was I thinking". I play z-hat variation and I've learned to mix up my approach of the standard F4 to enhanced z-hat combo ender. If they blocked it I would just D3 into a grab or just grab, but now I've been using short hop overhead and z-hat cancel more and I've been experimenting with following it up with a jump-in.

I general I need to restrain my self more when doing wake up attacks. I waste a lot of meters when I know their not in range but I do it anyway. I also don't use roll enough but that's mainly because I still can't get it consistently online.

 

[Vslayer]

The only replay I have saved to my PS4 is when I ran into Dragon online and in-game replays can't be viewed if there form an older version so I can't watch the really old ones. I have over 600 games played with Kung Lao and If I could go back and watch my matches from around the launch of the game I'd be like "what the hell was I thinking". I play z-hat variation and I've learned to mix up my approach of the standard F4 to enhanced z-hat combo ender. If they blocked it I would just D3 into a grab or just grab, but now I've been using short hop overhead and z-hat cancel more and I've been experimenting with following it up with a jump-in.

I general I need to restrain my self more when doing wake up attacks. I waste a lot of meters when I know their not in range but I do it anyway. I also don't use roll enough but that's mainly because I still can't get it consistently online.

Literally rolling is the first thing I learned to do cause it's good for people who don't throw on knockdown you can really punish a whole lotta strings that way. Hit the lab, the timing is really easy once you get used to it I don't even need to look at my character anymore. But to help you at first as soon as you see them start to get up, punch it.

 

[MeSoFoolish]

It's 1 or 2, not 2 or 4.

Look what i said. I always press 1 or 3 to tech, they both tech back throw.

 

[Cobainevermind87]

Look what i said. I always press 1 or 3 to tech, they both tech back throw.

I understand what you meant now. I literally thought you were trying to tech back with 2 and forward with 4. Most people settle on one dedicated button to tech back throws and 1 dedicated button to tech forward. You using both 1 and 3 at your own discretion to tech back throws threw me for a loop.

 

[MeSoFoolish]

Not on purpose, just because those are the poke buttons i tempt to press those on reaction. Maybe i should play Johnny so (down) 4 will be more of a habit ¯\(ツ)/¯ .