Today’s Centr workout was MMA: Streetfighter with Jorge Blanco. One of the combos was Jab Jab Cross Lead-Knee. I took a short video clip and sent it to my brother Kenny with a joke reference about the Streetfighter games we played while growing up: I figured out the button press to this combo!
So Kenny and I played almost every version of the game series since SSF2. The series was notorious for adding variations to the game: Alpha, Turbo, Super, Third Strike, Ultimate Championship Gold EX2 Edition… Then there were the crossovers like SF v Tekken, Marvel v Capcom, and Capcom v SNK.
Kenny was always the more skilled player, capable of chaining impressive normals into specials and animation canceling into supers that would take out an astonishing 60% of my hp bar.
Meanwhile, I oftentimes had to stick with charging characters because my precision with the controls was lackluster. And after a few minutes of play, I’d get hand cramps. Performance would plummet even further.
However, I’d still be on par on the win-loss ratio. How is that possible? Well, I understood Kenny’s fighting style after so many years playing against him. I could often turtle his combo barrages or stuff his moves before they come out. I’d play characters that had strong normals and it became a matter of spacing and timing, rather than precision of the controls.
One of my favorite characters was Geese Howard in Capcom v SNK. Geese was from the Fatal Fury: King of Fighters series and was Aikido based(which I had practiced for many years). Geese specialized in powerful counter specials that depended on timing and guessing the correct attack (high/special, mid, or low) that the opponent would hit you with.
So a few things to note.
1) I played to my strengths.
In life when you’re good at something, make it work for you. If you don’t know what you’re good at, try more things. Keep trying. Each Streetfighter game has dozens of character. You can bet that I have tried using each and every one of them.
2) Understand the challenge you are facing.
Most problems you encounter in life will have its root in people. Learn to deal with people and what they want, how they act, and why they do the things they do.
I’d watch Kenny practice these amazing combos on Ibuki. So when I see him pick Ibuki, I’d spend half the round prancing around the screen trying to get away. He wants to land those juicy combos so I’m frantically running around the screen screaming NOPE. (We shut off the 99sec timer because winning by running the clock is lame)
3) Don’t get complacent.
It’s natural to develop patterns that work. I’m no exception. And when I get predictable, Kenny would punish hard usually ending in a KO shortly after.
So after performing a successful string of pokes and attacks, I’d make a mental note to try to NOT repeat those same moves within the next 10 seconds. Occasionally I do throw it out again immediately for pure surprise value. But if I try a third time, it usually would be disastrous.
4) When you make a decision, commit to it.
This was the epitome of Geese’s counters. They are special moves you perform in anticipation of the enemy’s strike connecting. If you predicted the wrong type of move, you get hit. If you guessed right, the counter is oh so rewarding. But you have to commit to it. Also if the enemy didn’t attack, or the attack doesn’t connect, you just look like a fool waving your arms around.
But that how it goes in life. You make a prediction and decision. You commit to it. Sometimes you look like a fool and nothing happens. Other times you guess wrong and you lose. But there’re those times that it succeeds. And it feels oh so good.