Pros vs Casuals

[Ares_Supreme]

With MK11 coming, I figured I'd try to take it pretty seriously between playing and my Youtube Channel. However, one thing is bugging me. Are all pro players just naturally gifted or do some of them learn through grueling labbing/matchups?

I am a decent "online player", but I am not approaching the level of pro players. I made this thread to discuss vital differences between "us" and "them", and how to potentially bridge that gap.

 

[ABACABB]

Most of them just play a lot , not only online but offline too , lab stuff and most important been playing fgs for years . Dont expect to get at pro lvl if its ur first fg . Ofc there are also ppl like sonic fox who have this "natural talent " but most get to pro lvl by hard work , just like with anything in life

 

[Rizz091]

Pro players may start with some semblance of talent, but you're not gonna get anywhere without the right mind set and time investment. Best players try to find the easiest ways to win. They're able to break games down to their working parts to optimize their gameplay. This comes with tons of time and experience. I don't care how good your execution and reactions are, you aren't getting anywhere if you don't do your homework and learn the match ups.

But it's not just amount of time invested, it's using your time wisely. Pros make the most of their time by not just playing matches, but watching and studying their replays, labbing different situations, grinding a match up they have trouble with with a friend, and constantly learning about and patching the holes in their game.

It also goes without saying that their mindset is also important, they think "I lost to that, what can I change to fix that?" Whereas your average casual may think "I lost to that. Well that was cheap, unfair, ect." A willingness to accept reality for what it is, and take the blame for your losses is a key to growth.

That's all I can think of as a mediocre player lol. I'm sure real pros will have more to add.

 

[ILuvFightGames]

Pro players, every single one of them lab/practice/play A LOT. You'll have to have a lot of time for this. What I've gathered from pro player interviews,twitch qa's,etc. is that they train an average of 6 hours a day. At least that's what I've heard from some of them.

 

[Sothpaw]

From what I've seen of their training, pro players have a very high tolerance for long hours of sitting down, staring at a screen and learning everything there is to know about a particular game. I think it takes a very specific type of person and the vast majority of people would lose interest in the game long before they reach a pro level.

 

[Archer]

This was written quite some time ago, but I think it's still a valuable read for anyone looking to up their competitive gameplay:

http://www.sirlin.net/ptw

 

[CrimsonShadow]

It's a grind. Most true professionals are obsessed with the games they play.

But most of the people this community calls 'pros' aren't pro players at all. There are only a few people that can legitimately claim to be professional players, and having placed at a tournament doesn't make you a pro.

There's a huge range in between 'pro' and 'casual'.

 

[trufenix]

Most of us drown in pools, man. You play cause you like the game. You turn pro if you're built for it.

 

[B. Shazzy]

i was born godlike bro

 

[JSF]

With MK11 coming, I figured I'd try to take it pretty seriously between playing and my Youtube Channel. However, one thing is bugging me. Are all pro players just naturally gifted or do some of them learn through grueling labbing/matchups?

I am a decent "online player", but I am not approaching the level of pro players. I made this thread to discuss vital differences between "us" and "them", and how to potentially bridge that gap.

Only way to bridge it is to play them or just play so much and grind out matchups so much that you start beating them and then they’ll want to play you. You could
Also go to tournaments and play them/play lots of casuals. They really just grind and play each other so if you aren’t as good it’s really hard to make the jump by yourself.

 

[Toodrunk2combo]

I just recently got a data-entry job. All I do is sit down and look at a screen.

 

[stokedAF]

People with excellent reflexes do better naturally. That’s why it’s always younger pros in NRS games. Where something like street fighter is a slower pace and plays more on strategy. You see more of the older veterans at the top. Or games like marvel where a solid strategy can beat reflexes. MK11 has probably changed the game for a lot of people, even the pros. Their experience is now more valuable than their motor skills.

I think they changed up Mortal Kombat for us older heads honestly lol. I have always played mk but it was more for the sp or local content so i don’t have a bone in that battle. I play whatever but if I can get to your “decent player online” status then I will consider mk11 a success personally lol.

 

[dribirut]

They definitely are more talented imo.. ontop of putting in the hours obviously

 

[Jynks]

With MK11 coming, I figured I'd try to take it pretty seriously between playing and my Youtube Channel. However, one thing is bugging me. Are all pro players just naturally gifted or do some of them learn through grueling labbing/matchups?

To parrot phrase my singing coach...

"Talent Trumps practice, but dedication trumps all."

Basically she was saying that you can hone your skills to be come one of the best, no matter who you are. You only need aptitude but to be truly great you also need natural talent but even the naturaly talented can be surpassed by the less talented if they are dedicated. The only true path to be the very best, is Talent and Dedication.

 

[KiD INsAnitY]

As a pro myself it just takes time and experience like everything else. Lab Lab Lab.
You play a few sets and got that ass whopped? Watch the footage what you coulda/shoulda done. The mistakes the opponent made that you might not have caught or reacted to in time . Setups that seemed hard to get out of. Frame traps etc etc all that comes down the knowing what to look for and practicing to up your game. Just the meat and potatoes of the game really.

 

[Jynks]

@KiD INsAnitY that could be the coolest avatar I have seen on TYM in ages

 

[Under_The_Mayo]

There's definitely a natural element to it. I've tried to train people and they literally spend 5 hours trying to do Down1 special and they can't.

 

[Evil Canadian]

Its nothing but busting your balls and practice. Some people have more innate proficiency in certain aspects of games than others. IE one person might be more suited to mixups, another to defense, but nothing gets done without you putting in the time and effort.

5 hours is a raindrop in an ocean. You just gotta keep at it. Occasionally there is a true prodigy, like SonicFox, and to lesser extent Nuckledu but for everyone else, you gotta grind.

To paraphrase Dogura(one of the greatest of all time, period) You don't need talent when instead you can put in hard work and effort. He states he didn't have an ounce of talent in his body, but he did have a will to get better and that is what took him to where he is today.

 

[Evil Canadian]

Also there is a bit of a mystique to "pro" players that's mildly undeserved, but not in a bad way. They are people just like you and me. I have taken down my fair share of pro and sponsored players both online and offline in my time including a few Evo Top 8'rs. As long as you put in the effort nobody is beyond you, don't place them on some unassailable mental mountain top you can never reach, because at that point you are defeating yourself.

 

[mastermalone]

I just recently got a data-entry job. All I do is sit down and look at a screen.

You are on your way to becoming an IT professional. Still a pro.

 

[GLoRToR]

Are all pro players just naturally gifted or do some of them learn through grueling labbing/matchups?

There is no such thing as a natural gift that gets you far without trying.
No matter what it is, a craft or a game, people who are good at it, have experience.
In this game the mileage means two things.

1. Playing the best opponents.
You can develop a lot of bad habits fighting bad opponents which will then be increasingly difficult to overcome. Fighting the best off the bat means you can't get away with nonsense: you get bopped, so you have to adapt and do it fast.

2. Time spent on comprehending the various nuances
Labbing, discussing it with said best opponents, working towards the betterment of your gameplan is just as important as getting in the matches. You can be fairly certain that a pro player plays very few other games than the one they compete in, if at all. While a casual such as myself will have a game list of ten or more games we jump between based on mood.

I am a decent "online player", but I am not approaching the level of pro players. I made this thread to discuss vital differences between "us" and "them", and how to potentially bridge that gap.

You have to play offline and preferably fight good players to do so. Online is the next best thing and in this day and age you no longer necessarily need offline casuals to improve considerably, but it matters quite a bit if you do have day-to-day practice partners.
This was proven by Team Yomi in the near past who lived together in the same house and played MK and Injustice each day.

 

[Cassie Cyrus]

I think both are annoying.

Pro's think they are jesus and casuals ask for Scorpion when they show a Jade or Noob Saibot trailer.

I prefer people like myself, people that know some lore, play the game a lot, but don't get cocky or just care about one character.

 

[Syd Barrett Lives]

It's like playing guitar. There's talent and there's techinque.

Talent is something you're born with, an innate gift for the task at hand. Technique is something you learn through time and dedication, anyone willing can learn it.

Your worth as a player is the sum of the two.