Blogpost 2: Punishment, The Fundamental skill of Retribution

      Ever wondered why pro players never throw out those flashy moves anytime they wanted?
 Why competitive players move much often than attack each other? The reason is because they don't want to get punished for making hasty and unplanned decisions or doing something at the wrong time. We will now get into another very important skill when it comes to fighting games, the fundamentals of Punishment.

Mr. Ryan Esler tries to explain what is Punishment and it's advantages when used in conjunction to your gameplan in the article "Levelling Up - Punishment". First up, the article introduces us to the two types of Punishment namely the "Block punishing" which involves defending against an unsafe move and "Whiff punishing" which involves the fundamental skill of movement to force your opponent into missing their moves for a punish. He then reiterates that knowledge is a big part of playing these games.



"Punishment is a big thing in fighting games. It’s a means of showing a player that they should not be playing in such an unsafe manner and that certain combos are unsafe on block.". A statement by Esler which couldn't hope to agree more.



Punishment is present in any fighting game and just like movement, shouldn't be taken lightly. Which means that playing carelessly and ignorantly will only net you a defeat in a competitive environment. So you shouldn't throw moves out of the blue just because you feel like it. Of course, learning how to punish yourself will help you gain the respect of your opponent and force him to re-evaluate his playstyle.

So to back-up the idea on the importance of punishment. I came to Aris' site(Aris is one of the top American fighting game players) Avoiding the Puddle looking for an article which talks about Punishment. In his article "Iron Fist 101: The competitors Guide to playing Tekken". As the articles name suggests, it talks about some of the more important aspects of the game that players who plan to go pro should know.



"Knowledge is a natural byproduct of gaining experience and is also extremely valuable in Tekken. Ducking the second or third hit of a string and punishing correctly can literally change an entire match.".


As what Aris has stated, learning how to punish correctly has a tremendous effect on any fighting game match you're currently playing. Landing a punish and riding the momentum can possibly turn the tables against the opponent.


As a final word, knowing how to punish your opponent's mistakes and capitalize on it will be a huge asset in your journey to the top of the competitive scene.  I for one has seen what learning this skill can do to your game. So if you're itching to give your enemies a taste of their own medicine, there's no better way than punishing them for their mistakes!