Strategy How do YOU read your opponents?

[Axel_Redd]

Only YOU can prevent forest fires O:

 

[Faded Dreams V]

In all seriousness, reading opponents depends entirely on understanding MUs, as well as your spacing and character. If you know your matchups, you'll naturally know the options your opponent's characters have where ever they are on the screen, or on wakeup. Using the knowledge of your own character, you can punish and react accordingly.

Example: Smoke telepunches you, and you know he can teleport next to you while you're knocked down, so you tech roll and jump away.

Example #2: You knocked down Scorpion, and you know he might do one of two things: EX teleport or Takedown. If you play as Smoke, you can bait out a takedown by approaching him as he is knocked down, and Smoke Away to whiff punish. Likewise, if he does EX teleport, you'll recover on time to D1 punish.

Example #3: You're midscreen against Sonya. You know Sonya players love to D4, so you properly space yourself to whiff punish any attempted ones.

Example #4: You're fighting against Cage as Smoke, he does his EX forceball shit, and you know he will want to stuff your EX Shake with D3, so you block low and counterpoke.

Example #5: Kung Lao jumps. This retarded character now has three options: jump in punch, dive kick, or teleport. You expect teleport, so you risk it and let go of block to punish.

Case in point, understand your MUs, know your options, and you'll be able to make reads at any given situation. Of course, this also depends on who you are playing; the top players play at a very, very quick pace, so it's hard to make good reads on them. As in life, some people are just "quicker" than others.

 

[LesMore]

Its all about them Wakeup reads....

 

[Gurpwnder]

You can always try putting yourself in the opponent's position and imagine the most likely action they would logically take, and then try and counter that.

 

[Konqrr]

Before you can make a good read on your opponent, you have to know all of their options.

 

[Juggs]

Not telling.

 

[Bildslash]

My stand on reading the opponent is that of a talent you either come by naturally or not.

Sure, everyone can work and train to a degree to improve their opponent reading skills by studying and grinding the major aspects of the game, their character, and the matchups. However, there are certainly players who do this effortesly on a level not many can. Which in my opinion is what sets apart the great players (those placing top 8/16 consistently at tournaments) and the rest of us who only do well on occasion.

I've come to the sad conclusion that all this time my reading has been very poor, mostly reacting and throwing things to see if they stick; whenever I "stop" to try to read my opponent I get done for. This ties with my lack of patience during a match; I just can't seem to find that right spot between waiting for my opponent to act and acting too abruptly.