I have a confession to make: I’m a scrub.  A scrub is term for a person who plays fighting games and brings their own set of rules (limitations) with them.  No turtling!  No fair, fireball spam! That combo is so cheesy, you suck for using it!  You disgrace your family with those cheap throws!  Here’s the deal: a computer game is a simulation of a system.  This system has rules in place (which includes any tournament rules, if they exist).  Anything else is just mental baggage that might help the scrub feel better about his losses, but won’t help him make it to the winner’s circle.

With the release of Street Fighter IV, I started digging into the game and the online community and realized how scrubbish my ways were.  I used to play a lot of Third Strike (3S for the hip kids) and although I was a decent player, a relatively good sport, a good loser, and all that, I still carried my own set of limitations with me into every match.  I thought various tactics were too cheesy, so I didn’t use them.  Even when they were working!  That’s just ridiculous if you are playing to win.

In this series of articles, I’m going to try and document my approach to banish my inner scrub.  If only so I can beat my friends into submission.

Howdouken?

First, I’ve made a commitment to compete in a local tournament.  I think that’s key.  You can play all the matches you want in your basement with your friends, but even if you do own their faces off on a regular basis, you’re probably just a big fish in a small pond.  So, like back in my Quake III tourney days, I decided to try and find a bigger pond.  The additional bonus of having a tournament on your calendar is that it gives you a date.  A target.  I’m not going to be crazy awesome by then, but at least it gives me something to prepare for.

Second, you gotta get in on the community.  Even if you think they’re a bunch of immature assholes (they’re not all like that).  When you’re talking about Street Fighter, you’re talking about shoryuken.com.  I’m mostly involved with the custom stick building forum, since that’s what I’m comfortable with, but read the rest.  There’s gold in them hills if you’re willing to dig for it.  Character match-ups, strategies, combos, and debates on all subjects are invaluable to build your knowledge.

Third, practice.  I try and get in at least a few rounds a day and I’ve started drilling my execution of moves in training mode.  If I can’t reliably throw a fireball or pull off a combo on command, I could lose a match because of it.  It’s just like any other sport.  Drill those fundamentals.

Fourth, watch pro-level matches on YouTube.  Scratch that, don’t just watch passively, actively watch these matches.  Try and put yourself in their shoes during the match.  This doesn’t mean to start calling out missed opportunities and apparent mistakes, that’s a one way ticket to scrubville.  Try and watch the match as a whole and see the motivations behind their actions.  Sometimes when a pro doesn’t throw out an obvious move, it’s for a damn good reason.  Sometimes it’s because his opponent is in his head and has baited the move and punished it before.  Really try and feel the flow of the match.  The more you can put yourself in their shoes, the better you’ll be able to feel out your competition.

Fifth, develop your Yomi.  Yomi is a seemingly psychic ability to read your opponent.  I hear the translation is something along the lines of “knowledge of the mind of your opponent.”

This guy would rule at Street Fighter!

This is a crucial skill that really can’t be taught.  I’ve started to work on it in my online matches.  The best part of this is that once you climb up in someone’s head, it’s like they aren’t even controlling their character anymore.  You’ve become a symbiotic entity.  Use that position to apply pressure, cause frustration, even bait out punishable mistakes.  This is the level the pros are on and once you get a taste of it, you realize that the game goes far beyond just being able to do special moves and combos.  This is where you are literally owning your opponent.

I’ll be back in a bit to post up some resources and links I’m finding useful in my journey out of scrubville.