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!

Blogpost 1: Movement, The most important fundamental skill

    Movement is an underrated skill a beginner in the world of fighting games tend to overlook. But in reality, it is looked upon by high-level competitive players as one of the most important technical fundamental skill a player should possess. In some games, it is literally what separates the pros to the scrubs when it comes to games that rely heavily on this aspect  like Super Smash Bros and the Tekken series.

In my quest to shed light in this subject, i stumbled upon an article that touches upon this aspect of fighting games entitled "Fighting Games and the Power of Motion" by Mark Filipowich. The article itself isn't that in-depth about the aspect but it sure made it a point that movement is a universal fundamental that is present in this genre of videogames. He explained in the article that no matter how unrealistic these games may seem, it is still based from the realisms of the human body and physics of martial arts.


Filipowich said two things in the articles that caught my attention regarding the subject of understanding movement as an integral part of fighting games anyone aiming to play at a competitive level shouldn't miss. "To play a fighting game, a player must have a deep knowledge of their character’s range, hit boxes, mobility, and use of space. In short, the player must come to know the strengths, limitations, and movements of a human body." and " Fighting games are more deeply centered on physical movement than any other game and that highlights the myriad of ways that motion can be presented."



 Mr. Filipowich clearly made it a point that the movement aspect can never be underestimated in the realm of fighting games. First of all, no matter how unrealistic some of these games may look, they are of course based on reality and reality seems to be saying the same thing. Anyone who knows the successes of the man called "The Dragon" in the world of Mixed-Martial Arts will definitely agree as well. Lyoto Machida is known for his elusiveness and excellent movement that is regarded as the World's best.

 

  
 
Another article i've scouted is written anonymously by the Fighting game community based in Sonic Hurricane dot com that goes with the title "Footsies Handbook". A collection of information about footsies, a slang term used to refer to the ground game strategy involving movement. It covers about the simple and the complex things on how to utilize movement to stay relevant in the cruel atmosphere of the meta in any fighting game,

The article supports my first claims about movement not being given more importance despite how important it is from these words."Nobody really talks about footsies in concrete terms because it’s seen as a complex and elusive subject. Hopefully these articles will help change that perception, because anyone who wants to compete at tournament level absolutely needs to know this stuff. You don’t have to use it but you have to be aware it exists."


I can't stress enough how important movement is to be learned and understood if you have plans of playing fighting games in a competition level. Despite how complex and mind-boggling this aspect of the game sounds, it is an inseparable part of it that tends to be looked away from.If you have plans to go pro though, have no fear in exploring movement as it is actually one of the most fun and interesting part of matches once you have understood the meta. Get those sticks rolling and practice those amazing and fluid movements now!