Technical Striking tips from a Top 100 player
I've been having a lot of fun in the standup by keeping things very technical. So i thought i'd share some mental tips that i've been using to have success.
I'm not the best in the game but i have been able to stay in the top 100 on ps4 just by staying technical and precise. My grappling could use a lot of work so that's an area of my game that i hope to improve eventually. But yeah, for those who like to be technical i just wanted to share some things that have helped me
1) Mix up your strike pattern and timing - Most people in ranked will throw a combo and then back off. Or they will wait until you finish your combo and fire off shots immediately after you finish. It looks like a game of tag with each player taking turns. You don't wanna fall into this
Instead, throw a 2 strike combo...back off. Mix in a 3 strike combo. Then throw a 2 strike combo, pause and fire off another combo. When you mix up your timing and combo lengths, you become less predictable. If your opponent always attacks after you end your strikes, then pick up on that and catch them during their strikes. Example of this is below:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/inQjl_3W1V4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
2) Use Evades - When i say evades im mainly talking about the back and side lunges. Sways and ducks can be useful too, but def don't spam them because of how vulnerable they are now. The back lunge can be a modified form of the pull counter.
You wanna use the back lunge if your opponent is throwing a lot of forward moving strikes since it evades a larger range. If you're opponent is using stationary(planted) strikes, you can just use the right stick to pull back. Evades are great because they cause your opponent to drain stamina plus sets up your own counter shots.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pq1YuCiH_rw" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
3) Strike adjustment - What i mean by this is adjusting your strikes based on what your opponent is doing. So if you read that your opponent is ducking a lot, add more uppercuts into your combos. If he's swaying a lot then use more hooks. You will increase the probability of catching them.
You should never go into a fight with a stubborn mentality planning to use the same combos. For this reason you wanna have a variety of combos/strikes that you can go to for all situations. Practice different strike combos in practice mode and then pull them out when the proper circumstance calls for it. Its all about gathering info on your opponent and then making constant adjustments based on what he's doing throughout the whole fight. You are facing little problem solving battles throughout the whole match. If he's doing something that is working, then you have to solve that problem and stop it from working. In the video, my opp starting ducking more and at the end really started to attack my body. So i added more uppercuts to my strikes to increase the probability of catching him
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uni8L0notVM" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
4) Fighting Head Movement Spammers - This pretty much ties into the point above on strike adjustment. If your opponent is spamming sways or ducks, then adjust your strikes to increase the probably of catching them.
Try not to use a lot of moving strikes and instead use planted strikes because they are faster. Another way to punish these guys is to use evades to make them miss their sway strike. This will kill their stamina because of the extra stamina penalty on a sway whiff. I didn't have any video of me vs a side to side sway spammer but the video shows me working in another uppercut to catch a ducker.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bckqYOK7B8E" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
5)Fighting vs a pressure fighter - There are still lots of guys in this game that like to coming forward and apply a lot of aggressive pressure. You don't have to fall into a brawl with these guys....you can still beat them by being technical.
Use your jab to maintain distance and use the backstep to create counter opportunities. When i say the backstep, i don't mean the back lunge. The backstep is literally just a flick of the left stick in a backwards direction. This is great against guys coming forward throwing planted strikes because it takes just out of one strike range.....but leaves you in range to counter. Whereas the back lunge can often take you too far out of range and not allow you to counter. I like the backstep because it takes very little stamina too
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yyxXVk05nGs" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
A few more little mental notes that i try to keep in mind while fighting:
-Focus on the opponent's character on screen or focus on the middle of the screen instead of looking at your character while playing. This allows you to see things better and pick up on his tendencies faster. You don't need to look at your character if you know the buttons you are pressing to strike
- Study range and distance management. Know how much range certain strikes cover and manage or manipulate your range so that you can hit your opponent but he has trouble hitting you.
- Know the amount of stamina each strike/sway combo costs. If you know this by heart, your stamina management will be better. Study it in practice mode.
Hopefully this helps someone to improve their striking. You don't have to brawl to be successful. Staying technical is fun and rewarding and makes for a lot of good fights. The way Thug Rose outclassed Joanna is really what inspired me to make this post. Wanted to spread some positive light around the game since it has gotten so much negativity for the last couple months.
I'm not the best in the game but i have been able to stay in the top 100 on ps4 just by staying technical and precise. My grappling could use a lot of work so that's an area of my game that i hope to improve eventually. But yeah, for those who like to be technical i just wanted to share some things that have helped me
1) Mix up your strike pattern and timing - Most people in ranked will throw a combo and then back off. Or they will wait until you finish your combo and fire off shots immediately after you finish. It looks like a game of tag with each player taking turns. You don't wanna fall into this
Instead, throw a 2 strike combo...back off. Mix in a 3 strike combo. Then throw a 2 strike combo, pause and fire off another combo. When you mix up your timing and combo lengths, you become less predictable. If your opponent always attacks after you end your strikes, then pick up on that and catch them during their strikes. Example of this is below:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/inQjl_3W1V4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
2) Use Evades - When i say evades im mainly talking about the back and side lunges. Sways and ducks can be useful too, but def don't spam them because of how vulnerable they are now. The back lunge can be a modified form of the pull counter.
You wanna use the back lunge if your opponent is throwing a lot of forward moving strikes since it evades a larger range. If you're opponent is using stationary(planted) strikes, you can just use the right stick to pull back. Evades are great because they cause your opponent to drain stamina plus sets up your own counter shots.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pq1YuCiH_rw" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
3) Strike adjustment - What i mean by this is adjusting your strikes based on what your opponent is doing. So if you read that your opponent is ducking a lot, add more uppercuts into your combos. If he's swaying a lot then use more hooks. You will increase the probability of catching them.
You should never go into a fight with a stubborn mentality planning to use the same combos. For this reason you wanna have a variety of combos/strikes that you can go to for all situations. Practice different strike combos in practice mode and then pull them out when the proper circumstance calls for it. Its all about gathering info on your opponent and then making constant adjustments based on what he's doing throughout the whole fight. You are facing little problem solving battles throughout the whole match. If he's doing something that is working, then you have to solve that problem and stop it from working. In the video, my opp starting ducking more and at the end really started to attack my body. So i added more uppercuts to my strikes to increase the probability of catching him
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uni8L0notVM" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
4) Fighting Head Movement Spammers - This pretty much ties into the point above on strike adjustment. If your opponent is spamming sways or ducks, then adjust your strikes to increase the probably of catching them.
Try not to use a lot of moving strikes and instead use planted strikes because they are faster. Another way to punish these guys is to use evades to make them miss their sway strike. This will kill their stamina because of the extra stamina penalty on a sway whiff. I didn't have any video of me vs a side to side sway spammer but the video shows me working in another uppercut to catch a ducker.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bckqYOK7B8E" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
5)Fighting vs a pressure fighter - There are still lots of guys in this game that like to coming forward and apply a lot of aggressive pressure. You don't have to fall into a brawl with these guys....you can still beat them by being technical.
Use your jab to maintain distance and use the backstep to create counter opportunities. When i say the backstep, i don't mean the back lunge. The backstep is literally just a flick of the left stick in a backwards direction. This is great against guys coming forward throwing planted strikes because it takes just out of one strike range.....but leaves you in range to counter. Whereas the back lunge can often take you too far out of range and not allow you to counter. I like the backstep because it takes very little stamina too
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yyxXVk05nGs" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
A few more little mental notes that i try to keep in mind while fighting:
-Focus on the opponent's character on screen or focus on the middle of the screen instead of looking at your character while playing. This allows you to see things better and pick up on his tendencies faster. You don't need to look at your character if you know the buttons you are pressing to strike
- Study range and distance management. Know how much range certain strikes cover and manage or manipulate your range so that you can hit your opponent but he has trouble hitting you.
- Know the amount of stamina each strike/sway combo costs. If you know this by heart, your stamina management will be better. Study it in practice mode.
Hopefully this helps someone to improve their striking. You don't have to brawl to be successful. Staying technical is fun and rewarding and makes for a lot of good fights. The way Thug Rose outclassed Joanna is really what inspired me to make this post. Wanted to spread some positive light around the game since it has gotten so much negativity for the last couple months.
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