Lucien
just remember
(14:28:28): you dont have to hit them to punish them
(14:28:31): just getting out is a punish

Pre Good Shit German

Alot has happened since my last entry.
I've been doing decently well at tournaments.
My fox match up has improved leaps and bounds since losing to KFC.
I have the distance down now and my chain grabbing is worlds better.

Right now I feel my Falco matchup could use a clean up. Calming down under pressure and getting more consistent with power shielding

My falcon matchup is great at seeing as I was able to trump Silent spectre and I' loving the doc match up after beating Shroomed as well.

Losing to Justins (Falcomist) marth really gave me a wae up call on how much I need to work on the marth match up.
Couple things I need t0 start doing
-Play simple
-Dash dance to avoid stuff
-Stand my ground
-Play faster

Bio 4 is next weekend, and although I don;t think I'll be able to enter I'd love to get some friendlies with M2k.

BAM!

So yeah, The work and research payed off on learning how to play vs Doc. I was able to beat HMW that tourny and did pretty well overall beating Scar as well. Placing 3rd overall, I need some work on the fox match up..I'll write more later about it but I'm too lazy right now. I don't feel like writing during the school year much because writing take up lot of my mental resource.

Fighting Doc

-More Later
Lucien ran through a clinic of how to play vs Doc

Walk forward
Play close wit F-air
F-AIR ALOT , Nair is easy to get under
Once your close you can work a dash dancing game
Be aggressive, Doc needs to work harder
Make a wall

Hmm

"I wonder what causes this, and if it could be changed," shows a much deeper thought process than, "Is it laziness or incompetence that prevents my desires from being fulfilled?" ~ floon

Old school Videos

I got very caught up in the "Watching my opponents movement" thing that I forgot to be patient and let opportunities come to me.
Watching KDJ's Marth reminded me that waiting is how to play some matchups.
Now there is a time to just run up grab etc but it's not all the time. I definetly need to bait more. Even Watching Amsah vs M2k. M2k wouldn't just pressure Amsah with guarenteed stuff. He would bait jumps (waiting) even on offense.

A couple of notes
-React to rolls better
-Use more mind game pressure
-Use Shield better
-Fsmash otherway
-Have a gameplan for every match up
-Tipper f-air vs Shiek
-Use platforms and move around more.
-Rolling is okay in guarenteed situations
I got really used to Lucien punishing extraneious movement in my game that I kinda removed alot of it from my game. Movement is good but doing it out of impulse is a bad idea against some players. Then some players won't even get near you if spam f-air. Smash is wierd like that.
I think my biggest problem is having multiple mind-sets through out my match. Maybe that's a practice thing, where I am trying to concioussly improve a facet in my game.
For example- Punishing Dash dashes.
Some time I get carried away and that's all I look for.
Sometimes I feel like reacting puts me in ''losing situation'' where if I don't react then I lost because of that. Thing is though, great players blend every aspect in there game and no one is perfect. Where one player saw a run up grab another player sees an opportunity to bait a jump.
Safe movement isn't really safe because someone could be baiting that movement. That's what is crazy about smash, nothing is black and white.

Gannon

Play Gannon like a floaty
Grab approaching.
play match ups close
More reaction

From Scrub to Pro Vid-Lucien and Germ

Character Angles

What stops Dash Dancing, WD backs, full hops, dodges etc.

Reading comprehension

Conditioning

Correct ways to use shield

Zones or Bubbles

Baiting Dodges and grabs

Drive

This a great insight into a winners mentality.
From ESPN.com(All ownership) On the eve of MJ's Hall of Fame entrance.

Stuff

Alex Valle ProTip: Your opponent is only as good as you let him be. Take away his fun and see his gameplan fall apart

The many uses of the dancing blade

Foward B...A move marth player often forget to use. Here I will go over its many uses. I'm kinda lazy/tired right now, so this may be incomplete. I have to write so much for school this year, writing almost seems like a chore.

Most common use: Predicting side steps. F-air -Foward B, Dash Dance Foward B in place of a grab. Down tilt etc any ground move or aerial move basically
Platforms:The fist hit has a very quick almost 90 degree angle in which you can hit people on platforms blocking or fishing for a side step. This puts a ton of pressure on the opponent without the risk of being punished.

Continuing combos: Ever get that weird angle where you know your aerial wont come out before your opponents? Easy solution foward b and beat them to the punch, if they double jump..you have plenty of time to follow it up.

Zoning: Marth can keep people that approach at bay with Foward b. The timing is strict to hit them but throwing it out there during pressure is another tool he has to bait jumps and rolls.

Anti-Airs:

Shield Pressure:

Back into it

I'm pretty comfortable with the game now. I just need to get back to my combo abilities. This means taking my time during combos and anticipating DI.
I am also trying to clean up my dash dancing. So I started to Wave dash down.It's been kinda weird to get used to but it's nice for following forward throws.

I also need to stop having anxiety for catching rolls. Dashing away/through is important for retaining spacing and avoiding hitboxes.

I forget sometimes how important it is for Marth to react..playing vs Nicks ganon reminded me.It's not enough to space but it's also being able to recognize your opponents moveset and capitalize.
Example: Dash up to Ganon , Ganon jumps back. Now here I could Sh fair, but that move will only cover one option, sh fair from gannon.Now If I dash up block or duck then I can see what gannon does (D.Jump back, Sh fair Waveland etc). Then I can react occordingly.
Reacting/anticipating you opponents move after a dash away is important too. You shouldn't dash away just to dash away. You loose alot of opportunities this way to grab and fsmash/cut through moves,which is what marth is good at. You don't need to dash away half of FD
to get a grab. DON'T BE AFRAID. Of your opponent. Don't be afraid to block/roll if you know something is coming
More Later

Chuga Chuga chuga

Smash...Sometimes you're into it..and sometimes you're just not..

Time to start practicing and getting over mental barriers.
One way to do that is...writing about them. I guess I'm the kind of person that releases alot of anxiety by writing. I start to get very ''Pent-up'' if I don't play everyday.

Lucien (Best Shiek in Norcal) has done a great job of pointing out flaws in my game.
For example Fox vs Marth.

As Marth it's very easy to respond to approaches the same way.WDB Fmash,DDGrab.

But as Lucien stated I am giving up too much stage as Marth with those answers and movement.
Which is true.

Ugh sometimes I hate thinking about smash but you have to make thought into reality by practicing the thought. Refining.