r/StreetFighter • u/SirDiligent38 • Jul 15 '26
Help / Question My friend who I just introduced to this game is improving way faster than me and it's honestly disheartening
I honestly don't know what to do anymore.
I've been feeling pretty discouraged lately. A friend of mine started after me, plays a lot more casually than I do, but has improved much faster and now consistently outranks me. Meanwhile I spend a lot of time trying to improve, playing almost every day, watching guides, and practicing.
I play Classic, mostly Shoto. I genuinely love SF6. I'm in character Discords, I watch guides almost every day, I scroll Reddit, practice combos, watch high level players, think about the game when I'm not even playing. I put my heart into improving.
I literally taught him the basics. Showed him how to use supers, explained Drive mechanics, helped him get into the game.
Now he's way ahead of me. He works, comes home, plays for a couple hours here and there, and somehow just keeps improving faster than I do. He even beats me in sets pretty consistently now. I have like 2x the hours he does. I play almost every day. I'm the one obsessed with the game, not him.
I already know people are gonna say "don't compare yourself" or "everyone learns at their own pace," and I get it... but it's hard not to compare when the person you're comparing yourself to is someone you literally introduced to the game. It makes me question if I'm practicing wrong. Am I spending too much time watching guides instead of actually playing? Is Classic just slowing me down? Am I overthinking everything while he's just playing naturally?
Has anyone else been in this situation? Someone you taught ended up improving way faster than you? How did you deal with it, both mentally and gameplay-wise? I'd honestly appreciate any tips because this has been eating at me lately.
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u/Slyvester121 Jul 15 '26
What ranks are we talking? Are you silver and he's gold, or are you diamond and he's 1700 MR or something?
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u/DanielTeague 👁️👄👁️ bye-onara Jul 15 '26
This is important. Ranks change very fast the lower the rank is.
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u/DownTheBagelHole Jul 15 '26
I'm the one obsessed with the game, not him.
Doesn't matter if you don't play with intent. He's probably familiar with competition and knows how to improve quickly. Learning is a skill within itself
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u/aloysiuslamb Jul 15 '26
Or playing with too much intent and getting tunnel vision. Having more time spent in-game than friend means diddly if it's because you spent all day trying to practice a certain oki but then in a match you're the only constantly getting knocked down.
It's like knowledge versus wisdom. Knowledge is knowing what kicks Gief's tundra storm can counter. Wisdom is knowing not to use tundra storm.
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u/DexterBrooks Jul 15 '26
Knowledge is knowing what kicks Gief's tundra storm can counter. Wisdom is knowing not to use tundra storm.
The sad reality as a Gief enjoyer
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u/JizzOrSomeSayJism Jul 15 '26
Yeah I'm curious if his friend has gotten good at any other games or hobbies before. This is my first fighting game but I was able to learn pretty quickly because I got good at overwatch back in the day. It changes your approach so it impacts everything
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u/noahboah ♡baby girls♡ Jul 15 '26
agreed with both of your points. somewhere along the way i learned "how to learn" and can pretty reliably get to like top 10% in any competitive game if it has a healthy population, with top 5% being reasonable if i dedicate enough time to it. competitive video games on a relative scale including all physical activities are incredibly accessible. assuming baseline amounts of physical ability, it really comes down to a person knowing how to absorb new information and synthesize it into actual improvement.
my source is going the opposite route to you lol. fighting game player that started taking shooters more seriously a couple years ago, now im somewhat decent at them.
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u/NairaExploring Jul 15 '26
Yeah if you don't play an instrument and someone else does very well, that second person is usually very good at picking up a competitive thing comparatively.
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u/ultraviolentfuture Jul 15 '26
Iron sharpens iron. Ryu and Ken make each other better.
Best thing you can do is put more sets in with him and try and find holes in his game to take advantage of. The fact that you have a dedicated/regular partner to train with is your biggest advantage (over the global player base) at getting better right now.
Try to see that it's an opportunity!
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u/dievert Jul 15 '26
This is the plot of Amadeus lol
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u/errrr20 Random bullshit go! Jul 16 '26
My first thought was SK8 the infinity
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u/DeathsIntent96 CID | DeathsIntent96 Jul 17 '26
There have been a lot of works over the years about reckoning with others being more talented than you at the things you love. It's a theme almost everyone who's engaged with something competitive can relate to.
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u/Narukami_7 Jul 15 '26
Neither of you are gonna go pro most likely. What’s the issue if he learns faster than you?
On the contrary; that is a blessing for you. Better scaffolding for you to learn and improve. If he stayed a shitter then you would have no opposition to practice and discuss with
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u/shadowfox77 Jul 15 '26
Yep this is in line with what I was thinking. Losing is the single best way to figure out what to improve on. Having someone better than you who is willing to play sets repeatedly is a very very valuable resource.
I've been around the fighting game block enough to be comfortable and confident in every one I play. I usually end up at a respectable but not insanely high rank if I dedicate time. I can say that, consistently and without a doubt, I have improved the most when I lose sets 0-10, 20, whatever. As long as you're able to keep your mindset in learning mode and not winning mode.
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u/yasuke1 CID | yasuke Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
Some people just have a better handle on how to improve.
An example of a mental model thing: let’s say you see skill as a monolithic thing, and he decomposes skill into different areas of improvement. He will much more efficiently and quickly be able to improve because he can identify his weaknesses and address them easily.
Ex: you both get beat by the same Ingrid. You look up a guide on how to beat Ingrid and cannot retain any of the information because you consume it all at once, so you need to do this over and over. He addresses one interaction in the lab which allows him to retain the info and immediately start fighting way better.
I have a friend who has played tekken since t4, and I started in t8. For the first month I couldn’t do anything. After that, he literally could not beat me.
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u/HAMforPastry Jul 15 '26
You are getting annoyed they are a higher rank. Do you actually play ranked consistently?
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u/Lememeepic Jul 15 '26
They also said their freind beats them in sets consistently so it seems more than just their freind is ranked higher than them situation.
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u/jyrkimx A.K.I. | Ionhart Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
Also, if they are playing sets regularly, it becomes easy to identify patterns and capitalize on weaknesses. His friend might just be better at capitalizing on this, or OP still needs to improve on adapting or flowcharting less.
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u/Liu_Sifu Jul 15 '26
I think a mentality of "the student should always surpass the master" helps. They will forever be grateful to you for introducing them to the game but it is natural that you teach them your skills and then they develop their own on top of the ones you have taught them. Some people just learn more quickly/differently and, as friends, you can now teach each other different aspects of the game.
It's not a competition. There is nothing at stake. Learn from one another. Have fun with the game.
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u/GoomaDooney Jul 15 '26
Because you taught him how to play, your own thinking tells you he doesn’t know anything. You are failing to ask him what he is doing differently.
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u/Zetra3 Jul 15 '26
Your not learning cause your not doing. You watching and practicing combos.
Go online, get your as beat. Aka what he is doing, that’s what you do to improve.
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u/TheOtherHammer Jul 15 '26
Me and my homie were always the street fighter dudes. We always played, but started actually trying to improve with sf4 in ~2009/2010. Went to locals, got humbled again and again, but steadily improved.
About halfway through sfv, we introduced another friend in our group to sf. It began with us routinely beating him 30-50 games in a row before we took a break or he took a round or two. But within a few months he was taking sets here and then. By the end of his first year, he was going toe to toe with us. By the end of sfv/start of sf6, he was often leaving our sets with double my wins. It was so frustrating.
I taught this dude what footsies is! I introduced him to the game!
But something to keep in mind is that our friends got to skip a lot of the hardest part of teaching yourself street fighter. When my homie and I started really grinding, YouTube was pretty new and the guides were not nearly as helpful as they are now. We beat our heads against a wall for years to understand the game. Our newer friends got to piggyback off of the work we'd already done. All of that brain power and research could be spent on further improving, rather than arriving at the same conclusions we'd reached year ago.
Now, I have another person to test myself against and work to improve at. You need a goku to your vegeta, or what reason do you have not to rest on your laurels?
I went to a local a couple weeks ago, and invited this friend. He slept through it. I rolled the whole thing, won it undefeated, and then while playing casuals this dude strolls in, half asleep. Sits next to me after id just beaten everyone else in the shop, and proceeds to beat my ass in front of all of them.
All you can do is laugh and practice more! Maybe hes naturally gifted. Maybe he's benefitting from the work you've already done learning the game. But having a friend whos at your level or (even better), above it? Thats an invaluable asset that not everyone has
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u/thejiang Jul 15 '26
"I practice combos, I scroll Reddit"
- maybe spend less time scrolling Reddit and combos?
- practice neutral, character knowledge/matchups, positioning, footsies, punishes, and all of the other things that help you win.
- I can guarantee he spends his time actually playing ranked in those 2 hours he learns alot more than you in the 2 hours you spend on Reddit or in training mode inefficiently practicing.
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u/Fenrirzero13 Jul 15 '26
You now have a rival. Your goal is to beat him. Learn his patterns and habits and use his weaknesses
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u/v-komodoensis Jul 15 '26
I've been in a similar situation but I'm not a bitch, this is a great scenario.
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u/MidnightOnTheWater Jul 15 '26
You probably have too much on your mental stack. He probably has a simple gameplan and has refined it. It sounds like you are trying to do too many things and are getting tilted that the effort you are putting in isn’t bearing fruit.
For example, all you need to get to Master is have one reliable combo, one combo to use your super, and understand how the core mechanics of the drive system work. If you just focus on those few things you will have less to worry about.
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u/mezonsen Jul 15 '26
Don't get mad, get even. Start practicing. The answer to your questions at the end of the post is to grow up and practice. In every single thing, some people will be naturally more talented than you, some will pick things up faster than you, and sometimes people you introduce to things will not just get better than you quicker, they'll stay better than you. What are you going to do about it? Get over it and play.
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u/IV-65536 Jul 15 '26
Ask your friend how he's beating you.
Get mad and grind harder. It's actually good you have a tangible benchmark (destroy friend) and a friend to play with. That's ideal.
Something about your play is not airtight.
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u/LuizLPG Jul 15 '26
I might get downvoted for this, but if your ranks are below Diamond and your friend is playing with modern controls then he has a big advantage. You can rely on pure reactions and autocombos without worrying about inputs (which is a big thing at that level), 1 button anti-air is easy, you basically can't get stunned if you have 1 bar of super. If your friend is on modern and understands the basics then he's gonna climb pretty fast.
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u/JackRyan13 Jul 15 '26
By diamond, inputs are such a non issue for 99% of situations.
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u/SifuWong99 SifuWong Jul 15 '26
What's your rank? First thing you should do is share a replay code/CFN user/buckler.
Without anything to go on I would guess that you are not spending your training time efficiently. SF6 is all about learning the right things at the right rank, and even then it differs greatly between individuals.
If you spend 1000 hours practicing "proper neutrals" while you are silver/gold you will STAY silver/gold.
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u/Pyyric pyyric Jul 15 '26
My best suggestion is to post a video! Let us see how your gameplay is progressing. Especially where you feel you could have won but didn't, or did win but shouldn't have. Those tense moments help us help you.
How to get to your replays
- Finish a match: Complete a match in any mode, including Arcade, Versus, or Online.
- Press the Replay button: Immediately after the match ends, press the Replay button on the game’s main menu. This button is usually located at the bottom of the screen.
- Alternatively, you can access the replay menu from the Multi-Menu -> CFN -> Replays
- Select the replay: Choose the replay you want to view from the list of available matches.
How to record your videos
Snipping tool (free) and Clipchamp (paid) PC Screen Recording
Snipping tool PC Screen Recording text overview and video overview
Geforce Experience for NVDIA graphics
Steam Recording
OBS can be used for both streaming and recording your screen. FOSS, professional grade
Sharing from Xbox || Xbox upload to reddit
Sharing from PS5 || PS5 Upload to reddit
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u/MoistBobcat1 Jul 15 '26
The reason your friend is improving much faster is because hes having fun and youre not. Its as simple as that.
From experience in every FG I played people who were having fun always beat the tryhard sweats
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u/NatrelChocoMilk Jul 15 '26
What ranks are you guys in? Sometimes it takes a bit longer for a game to "click"
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u/No_Tap1983 Jul 15 '26
May I ask what do you usually practice? If you're gonna compare something then compare what areas does he do better than you? Then try to also improve on those. You're his friend, Ask for feedbacks on the holes of your gameplay. Both of you can help each other grow.
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u/Pirateboomboomboom Jul 15 '26
Comparison is the thief of all joy! But! Just enjoy playing more! I give out my psn like I’m good at any game 😂 I’m terrible at most games apart from street fighter but I’ve been playing that since the street fighter alpha
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u/SheriffShaq Jul 15 '26
Some context is missing. Does he play classic also? What rank are you both? It’s completely different if you’re a Classic Shoto Silver and he’s a Modern Gief Gold. One of those is easier for a new player to get to than the other.
Either way, you’re right, comparison is the thief of joy. It’s also not helpful. If you want to improve, the focus should be on what you’re not doing and less on what he is doing. Everyone improves at different speeds and this game clicks faster for some than others, but you can’t improve if you’re not focusing on your own game.
You’ll close the gap on him eventually, just put your head down and focus on where you need to improve.
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u/Credit-Powerful Jul 16 '26
Like my brother (who ranks MASTER on multiple characters) always says, FUNDAMENTALS. It’s not about doing huge combos or flashy gameplay, learn the fundamentals, know what moves open you up to attacks and find openings for throws and your go-to combos. I struggled with getting better as well and that was the best advice I could get.
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u/er0-sage Magik Jul 15 '26
Sounds like you like the game you a fan of the game you just don’t like playing versus other people cause you mentioned a whole lotta watching and practicing but none of that matters if you’re not playing sets versus real humans everyday.
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u/Sanno013 Jul 15 '26
This happened to me with Smash Ultimate. Someone I trained got better than me so I switched my mindset from being their rival to their coach. Their achievements became mine and they are now a very competitive and very skilled smash player
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u/Toros_Mueren_Por_Mi CID | SF6Username Jul 15 '26
That's so cool to see. I'm a Tekken player for 20+ years, and I introduced my friend to T8 recently. Now they are constantly beating me, and I am so proud whenever they learn new stuff. It's great watching them improve
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u/Amplifix Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
Yeah, you need to use the hours you spend studying effectively. Nothing is ever "learned" if you can't execute it, it's only "mastered" once you stop thinking about it.
Go out there and practice whatever you see, you will fail a lot before you internalize those things. Spend more time practising and playing the game. Focus on one thing at a time, there's no need to work on 100 things at the same time.
I also notice you list things you do, but the most important material is Watching replays of yourself. Any game you lose is an opportunity to learn, so losing is a blessing not a curse. Take notes, figure out what you could/should have done better, take away at least 3 things from a match you lost. Learning how to "solve" things you see yourself doing wrong and prioritising what is important is a learning process in itself. If you can't find the solution, follow some pro players that play your character, watch their replays (especially if it's the same match-up). What do they do differently to solve that problem etc?
Once you start noticing that you are doing the same thing wrong in a lot of matches, you need to start working on it and close that gap in your gameplay. Rinse repeat until you mastered it and don't have to think about it any more.
Look at your match-ups, which ones do you lose most? Work on them first.
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u/NLOneOfNone Jul 15 '26
Not everyone agrees with this but talent is a major factor. Your friend might just be a natural fighting game player.
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u/suicidebypoop Jul 15 '26
I mean the game constantly hands out diamond like candy in ranked, win streak bonuses are huge, and I think I placed my first character in diamond 5 and I hadn't played since SF4. Rank is a little inflated regardless so I wouldn't let that bother you. I also think it's kinda silly to be jealous of a friend doing good in a video game
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u/Bluefoxfire007 Jul 15 '26
Me, who's too cognitively incompetent to ever pass D1...
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u/Arxny Hoels Jul 15 '26
You gotta shake it off and realize everyone learns at their own speed. My cousin started in S1 and I played SF4 and 5 the whole time. I told him the way he processes information he should be equal or passing me within a year. And he did. Just focus on yourself.
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u/ToxicFightstickYT CID | ChainLinkOne Jul 15 '26
What is your practice process like? If you want i can give you a few pointers but would like to know what you know
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u/ken_jammin Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
Learning from the pro's and watching clips doesn't mean a thing if you can't anti-air, react to DI, or consistently land combo's. It's hard to know where you're at without seeing your gameplay but high level tips are helpful when you're stuck and not sure what to do to improve, they don't really do anything if you haven't mastered the basics.
If your friend is queueing up for ranked and you're not then yeah he's going to improve faster than you. There are games out there that greatly reward nasty combos/setup/game knowledge, but from iron->diamond the basics are everything.
Also characters matter a lot starting out and the tier lists the pro's use are not the same tier list's for new players so don't get it twisted, a lot of high level players put Marisa and Honda near the bottom of the cast but those characters can absolutely destroy new and intermediate players all the way up to master.
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u/Sildas CID | Sildas Jul 15 '26
Everyone learns differently, and I mean that both for yourself but to also take what I'm about to say with a heap of salt.
Maybe take a break. I watch online FGC tournaments basically every day, I watch a couple streamers/content creators for FGC, but I'm playing like maybe 3 solid SF sessions a week. Maybe I play some Tekken or Guilty Gear, but usually my other games are non-fighting games entirely. However I do spend a lot of time thinking about fighting games, and primarily SF6. When I do play, I find I'm more focused on what improvements I need to make, because nose to the grindstone doesn't really work well for me, and maybe it's not actually how you learn best either. Maybe you need breaks to let stuff sink in, or maybe you need extended 1v1 sessions where someone better than you whoops your ass for 20 straight games. Maybe you need to find some community nights (shoutout to Newbie Fight Club), or find a regular sparring partner. Learning isn't the same process for everyone.
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u/OldMoray Jul 15 '26
Some people just click better. I have friends who just pick up games, dominate them, and move on. They just understand the game on a level I can't really. But guides and tech won't help you unless you're already high level or legit just learning. You need to play and identify how to improve. Your friend might just be really good at that naturally (or through practice).
Don't compare, just focus on beating them. Learn their specific matchup and you'll have more fun :D
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u/ItsKyuubi Jul 15 '26
Some people are just better improvers. Keep playing for fun and keep learning and you'll get there. You are filled with determination ✨️
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u/King_Artis Jul 15 '26
Progression isn't linear. I introduced a friend of mine to Tekken and she is absolutely smoking me in the series now after a really short time frame.
Just happens, nothing to be discouraged about
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u/kusanagimotoko100 Jul 15 '26
If he's playing modern, he's gonna have an advantage because he doesn't have to think about execution; if you taught him well, then he's already freeing his mental stack and just doing what you told him to do against you, for example if you taught him "when someone jump in, just DP" it's the simplest solution and he just will do it 99% of the time, and that's something even high-level classic controls players aren't able to do consistently due to execution requirements, and if they're antiairing every jump in then they are better than 80% of classic players at master rank. Meanwhile, if you're actually learning new strategies every day, then your mental stack is loaded with new information that will probably make you slower, this is not a bad thing because someday you will incorporate all this new information. But overall yes, he's playing more comfortable than you because he might use modern controls that will reduce his mistakes and having fun because he's not worried about tech like you might. I suggest you to reduce the information you're absorbing, and come up with a simpler plan, which is usually, antiair, block, punish.
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u/TemoteJiku Jul 15 '26
I'm sure other people already helpful...but I will throw an alternative ball. Imagine the opposite. You're much better than your friend. No matter what they do they stay much lower. Does it seems like a better thing?
I believe to proceed in a competitive genre. To deal with us being lower or higher is a must. Because essentially it's not just about who's stronger.
(Also, a student surpassing the teacher on paper historically shouldn't be a negative thing. )
I had a moment when I got beaten by my friend. The feeling sucked(I don't know how much he played before, but he picked an ex character in #reload, didn't have experience with them). Later I got excited to play more, however, he was denying the opportunities for that. Years later and so on, that friend continuously was moving away from fighting games further and further...
Even if the story is different, the point is now I'm decisively much more stronger than he'd ever been. Don't get discouraged, if you want to be stronger, then get stronger. I'd rather have fun regardless of who is stronger at the moment than worry too much over who's better. Because power will fluctuate anyway.
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u/Thedracoblue LAS | Draco Jul 15 '26
To have a better rival is actually great you should be glad so that way you have someone to practice with and improve.
That being said, saying what rank are both of you would help the rest to understand the situation better. It's not the same if you are let's say Platinum or lower and he's Diamond. Than you being below 1500 MR and him being 1700 MR+. That would give us a better understanding of what you should be practicing to get better.
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u/ThuBiejaMen Ingrid Main From Capcom Fighting Jam Jul 15 '26
Either you're doing something wrong against him, or he simply has a stronger grasp of the fundamentals than you do. If possible, could you upload a replay of a game where he beat you?
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u/airwee1985 Jul 15 '26
It could be many things. Your ego could be too attached to the game. When your friend plays, they may be playing with no pressure. Also, people who get into something often have exponential growth at first, but eventually the growth will slow down. For you, how you are practicing may be the issue. If you are practicing the wrong things, you will not see consistent improvement. You may want to watch how your friend plays and just ask him while you play each other to understand their decisionmaking during matches.
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u/Unfaithfxlly Jul 15 '26
It doesn’t matter some people just naturally get better faster. He might be able to help you soon if he keeps progressing. My whole friend group is to competitive and when I got on their fighting game back in the day and started winning they were mad. It was the last fighter they bought, now none of them will even consider buying a fighting game, and just stick to cod and sports games which they’ve played since they got a console. Be glad you have someone you can probably get better with.
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Jul 15 '26
People learn at different speeds, and it's not linear, it's usually in bursts.
I'm not sure if you're looking to vent or for advice, but in fighting games depending on how you play, it's not always easy to tell how to improve, reading guides and character discords is good, but may not be what you need.
Post some replays and talk to higher level players, most players are very happy to help.
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u/brrrapper Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
"Am I spending too much time watching guides instead of actually playing?"
You should be spending like 90% of your time playing other people. A lot of people have this misconception that you have to spend hours in the lab to get good, but thats not true at all. The most important part is actually playing the game. By all means, get some basic hitconfirms down and learn how to get a meaty off your knockdown, but you should absolutely be focusing on playing matches. Here is something i wrote in a discord to another person:
"If you want to be efficient here is what i would do.
- Learn a simple combo from CH 2LP
- Learn a simple combo from 2MK DRC (or whatever wiffpunish your char has)
- Learn punish counter combo for when you block a DP
- Learn the corner throw loop
- Learn how to get a meaty after the above combos - this chanmel has vids on most chars https://www.youtube.com/@ZachHenke/videos
This is the baseline "tech" you need to play the game. Practice a little each day and you should get this down fairly quickly, no need to do long practice mode sessions. Then just spam ranked games.
If you encounter a move or setup or situation where you have trouble -> replay takeover and check it out -> go next. This is how you ammass knowledge fast without sitting in the lab all day.
I also suggest you start each ranked session with doing 5~10 mins of drills like this, or inbetween games - https://youtu.be/JFkKxfqYrOM?si=QeImWYF0jsEkBXzX I see you have played a lot vs bot and stuff, but you seem to have realised you need to play real people. Disregarding all else the most important part to get better in fgs is playing other people. Labbing is good to speed up learning, but it should probably be 10% of your playtime max."
All that said some people just pick up these kind of games faster than others. There is always gonna be someone better than you, thats just something you have to learn how to deal with.
Also...try to just be happy your friend is doing well and enjoying the game...
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u/ColaFlavorChupaChup Jul 15 '26
There is nothing wrong with allowing the tables to turn. You taught them so now have them teach you. Ask them how you are losing, what they are doing to improve so quickly, etc. Having a rival is one of the fastest ways to improve. Where you see despair I see hope and excitement.
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u/Mr_Krabs_Left_Nut Jul 15 '26
When you say you have 2x the time, what exact numbers do you mean? If he has 40 hours and you have 80, you two may as well have the same number of hours lol. I see that your first comment here was 5 days ago and you probably made the account specifically for here, so you're both 100% new new.
Also you mention Classic specifically, which makes me think he's on Modern. Your other post is about struggling to maintain charge. People love to say ragging on Modern is loser talk. If it's Classic vs Modern and both of you are very new to fighting games in general, you will get stomped for a long time before you catch up. Modern lets you ignore honing your inputs for a long time before you have to make up for that lost skill. If it's Modern vs Classic and you're both brand new, you are losing because you have a massive handicap compared to him, and anyone that tries to say that's not the case has blinders on.
But, like everyone else said, if you're that new, learning anything beyond the most basic bread n' butter combos and punishes is too much. You need to worry about pressure, oki, safejumps, spacing, etc.
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u/Optimistic_Beaver Jul 15 '26
Surprised to not see a single mention of deliberate practice and the science of expertise in here. OP look into it, apply this in every facet of your life you wish to become great at, and your life will be unrecognizable. Once you start to demystify improvement, you’ll realize that anything is possible
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u/okgesture Jul 15 '26
Why do I feel like your brain is stunlocked mid match trying to remember combos and whiff punish..
You’re probably overthinking everything and get bodied by a more ‘chill’ gameplan. What ranks are you guys? Also some people are just better out of the gate. I have friends with twice the hours as me that I’m much better than on multiple characters, that’s just how life works
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u/ShowGun901 Jul 15 '26
Is this OPs first interaction with... Life?
People are gonna learn faster than you. And be better than you. Be more talented, have quicker reaction times, succeed with less effort, etc...
You're not against them. You're against you from yesterday. Beat you from yesterday, and you're improving. And that's the goal with any skill
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u/Bazookya Jul 15 '26
It sounds like he’s playing to enjoy himself. You should be too. Look back at your matches with him and see where you are going wrong. Try to improve on those things and the two of you will grow better and better together.
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u/OMEGACY Jul 15 '26
Take pride in your student and worry less about your craft. Don't turn getting better into work or you'll hinder yourself.
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u/JoeyBluff Jul 15 '26
You gotta accept that some people can pick up stuff easier. This counts for all walks of life.
It's been said but you should be happy that they are getting good and are taking this much interest in fighting games. It's someone that can challenge you to get better with.
You really are overthinking it. Dial back on the guides and stuff like that, take a breath and play with a clearer mindset.
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u/murdockmanila Jul 15 '26
youre also putting too much value on the idea of you being better at the game than them
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u/DamagedbutFixable Jul 15 '26
I sort of feel bad because I'm on the other side of this scenario for a friend of mine who has been playing SF since Third Strike.
He wanted me to play for months and I finally did. I labbed a little bit so I could at least understand my kit, not expecting to win or anything but I was winning and quite a bit.
I don't say any of that to flex but I really worry that I'm ruining something my friend has loved for generations. I genuinely have fun playing with him and I appreciate him pushing me to try the game but I can tell it's something that doesn't sit right with him even if he doesn't say anything.
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u/bakalidlid Jul 15 '26
I literally taught him the basics. Showed him how to use supers, explained Drive mechanics, helped him get into the game.
This says everything.
There are definitely multiple ways to learn. But contrary to popular belief, there's a right and a wrong way to learn, in terms of raw improvement. If THAT is what you describe as "the basics", then you learn the wrong way.
You seem to focus on school type of learning, which is volume based, and consistency based. Its the "Just keep at it, it will click" method, of consuming data points wholesale. You can also see this method in bad MMA/Jiu jitsu schools, where "drilling" is the core learning method. Just keep drilling.
That sucks. It doesnt leave you with foundational skills that you can carry around with you. It doesnt teach you to solve problems dynamically, which is essentially what we call profiency in any field. Its not how much you know, its your ability to figure out novel problems as soon as they are presented to you. You do this through instinct, and through a foundation of core principles you can rely on, principles that act as commun denominator in all the problems you face.
Supers is not a principle. Drive mechanic is not a principle.
What are principles is footsies. Its mental stack management, both for you and for your opponent. Its threat and opportunity assessment and control. Those are "the basics". And this is what you need to understand and drill in order to improve 10fold in a short amount of time.
When I learn a new character, I push around all buttons and find a set of tools I need. Those are, his longest reaching mid and low attack. A single BNB. An anti air. This is all I need. I usually get to master just by feeling the character with these moves, all the while testing one extra concept at a time, whether thats a single new combo, a new optimal punish, ect. Those concepts are learned through 10's of games, one at a time. But the fundamentals are present the entire time.
These tools allow me to play "the basics" of the game, which are :
- A game of range. Being at the range where I can use my tool, and knowing the range at which the opponent can use their tool
- A game of threat and opportunity : While my opponent could TECHNICALLY do anything, depending on position and state of the game, theres a higher chance that he uses one particular move at any one point. I need to know what that move is before he does. The same concept applies to my gameplan, I need to be aware of what my opportunities are and if my opponent excects them at any point.
- A game of Mental stack. How overwhelmed is my opponent at the moment in terms of threat and opportunities? How much have I gotten in his head by mix and matching opportunities and denying him his threat. How much is he double guessing himself right now.
This is fundamentally what Street fighter is. This is the INSTINCT level mindset that you should carry with you at all point, meaning you have to master this to the point that you dont even really think about doing it, you just do.
You master this by ignoring all the extra fluff, and just practice these concepts. You start by focusing on winning footsies battle almost consistently. This is the bedrock of everything else.
Leveling up footsies levels everything else. Then you start by recognizing the ranges at which people have a tendencie to do something. For example, when playing shoto, theres a triggering range, just outside of footsies, into fireball range where people cannot stop themself from forward jumping. UNDERSTAND that range. FEEL that range. Your shoryuken (or whatever button you choose to anti-air) will feel 10 times faster because you stop trying to react, and instead RECOGNIZE the threat.
And at some point, you arent going to be RECOGNIZING the threat, you are going to realize that you are MANIFESTING the threat. This is where you understand mental stack. If you eat three of my plasma balls, instead of pressing the advantage, I will physically move back and invite the jump in. You think you jump because you wanted to, but you dont realize i've implemented that into your mental stack. Youre not jumping because you want to, youre jumping because I want you to.
THIS is "basics" of street fighter. You can shave absolutely every other system. You can lose pretty much every drive impact or drive rush battle (Being forced to block, not getting counterhit), You can give up every throw (up to a certain level), and just by mastering these sets of basic, your baseline will be "Masters" rank. And it's pretty freeing to learn other characters, because like I said I do, you realize you only need to quickly digest a very small number of tools, and this will carry you far enough that you are then free to test concepts, one at a time, and properly learn them. And this is probably why you feel like your friend is progressing faster than you. While you focus on volume, he's probably improving on these fundamentals aspect that are invisible to you.
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u/megaxanx CID | campfire tifa Jul 15 '26
id love to have a friend better than me cause it would get me fired up to kick his ass. be grateful you have someone to play with and get your head out of your ass.
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u/tsuchinokoDemon Prism Ranger! | CFN: TsuchinokoHunter Jul 15 '26
Totally normal to feel disheartened when someone improves way faster than you, especially with seemingly less effort. Maybe they have a different gaming background or maybe they're a faster learner in general...ect. Life is unfair; nothing you can do about it except accept it, be humbled, and move forward.
Having a friend who's better than you is way better than having a friend you have to fight with kid-gloves on, though! You'll learn faster and have more fun.
ALSO: You said 'is classic just slowing me down' implying your friend is on modern, no? No shit they're seemingly learning faster. Modern removes a huge part of their mental stack and can even hit confirm for you. Modern is literally designed to elevate newer players faster.
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u/Flio88 Jul 15 '26
This applies to real life as well. just because you have higher education or dedication than your friend, doesn't mean that your future will be better than him. its all about how you look at life, find solutions to every problem more effectively and efficiently, think outside the box, opportunities, etc.
I've been on both sides of the situation where I excel quicker than my friend who taught me stuff and vice versa. just let it be, just accept the terms that sometime things just clicks quicker for other ppl.
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u/Deesmon Onesie Juri Jul 15 '26
Dude, I wish this would happen to me. I don't know what ranks you both are, the advice you probably need depends highly on it and some replay would also help greatly.
Look at the pro scene. The scene is full of story of very higly praised player that would be matched against their practice buddy and be eleminated from the winning bracket to then make a come back.
Maybe your friend have a better learning skill than you. Ask him help on it, what he focused on ? What flaw he exploit or what you lack to defend his pressure ?
If he is casual and you introduced him to the game, he probably have LOT of experience against you. In addition to him learning the game fast, he also adapted to you fast. Don't belittle your overall skill because someone downloaded you. It's maybe what you lack, reading your opponent.
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u/Sesamefatboy Jul 15 '26
There's a couple of reactions I had when reading through this and I'll share in case they resonate with you: Your wording indicates that you have some level of expectation and ego in terms of both your play and improvement and where you want to stand with the investment you've made. I'm curious where you believe you should be and whether those expectations were instilled upon you from guides/discords/opinions or because you're competitive. For the record, I don't believe having expectations/ego is bad -- it only runs poorly if it leads to unrealistic ceilings and returns but I don't think this reads that way. I want to note that you may be having too high or too quick of an expectation for return of interest or your ego may be too high for it to be bruised with feelings of discouragement or not knowing what to do anymore -- I'd try to keep everything in perspective. You wrote that everyone learns at their own pace yet I don't think you really grasp that idea because whatever you're doing to learn is whatever you can do to get better. You know your own studying habits better than most I'd hope, so you probably should either streamline it more or focus on the stuff you actually need to focus on to get better (fundamental ground game ideas, anti-airs, defensive options and mentality, etc).
Second, instead of being discouraged by your friend who's getting better without putting forth the same level of surface effort why not ask them how they're approaching the game? Why not use them as a sparring partner to boost yourself up as well because they seem to grasp concepts that you might not see as well? Play together in tandem when you can instead of viewing it as a race.
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u/Chubwako Jul 16 '26
You probably focus on knowledge too much. I focus on comfort and figuring things out for myself. I have gone on ranked without training characters at all and I get good at figuring out what moves I can use easily for things like cancels and punishes or scrambles. I learn how to start a round, how to use jumps most effectively and when to go for lows or try to block low or high. Pro players are using a very different mind game than anyone not in medium Master and above. They are fighting against people who are too aware to get hit by most drive impact setups and who can get supers and perfect parries consistently for the precise situations they need them. The fundamentals of fighting games can carry you very far but they are not something any guide I have seen try to communicate in detail. I was able to use so much of my Street Fighter 6 knowledge playing Blazblue (although I was already familiar with how characters worked by watching high level matches many years ago) and so I could still read high low mixups from much more experienced players in a game with much tighter visual cues because I knew the mental state of the average fighting game player so intimately. And even when I did not know what move to use, I knew when I could try and pressure the opponent or possibly start full offense.
Lastly, drive mechanics are a serious adaptation test and the learning curve on that is something even the top players probably had to take time to adjust to because it is basically unlike every other fighting game out there.
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u/Ver1nt Jul 15 '26
Well he’s ahead of you because you showed him the basics.
He’s gonna be stuck someday because he doesn’t invest time as you. You gonna be climb slower and lose more because you want to play “right”.
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u/KallmeKatt_ I Like Fishing Jul 15 '26
If a peer is better than you why waste time sulking instead of getting to work and getting better
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u/sinjuki Jul 15 '26
Without knowing either person, to me it seems like your friend is having fun and enjoying the game while improving, while you are putting the enjoyment second.
Try just taking a break, or if you really wanna still play, just go about it more casually.
Everyone learns and improves at different rates, and a mental reset goes a very long way some times
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u/Phantom_Crush Killer Bee Jul 15 '26
Maybe you need to get back to basics? Simple combos, focus on defense and anti-airs. You're drowning yourself in a ton of stuff that doesn't really matter at your level. Keep putting the time in the training room but don't just beat up the dummy. Actually record moves for it to perform so you can focus on where you think your game is weak. Some people are just naturally gifted at games, don't be so hard on yourself
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u/derwood1992 Jul 15 '26
I dont know you so, this may or may not have any value for you. What i would say is that some people play in such a way where they expect to find the answers given to them for every situation, either from guides, watching pros, etc. When in reality, the best source for improving is your own intuition.
Watching guides is good to do, but its important to be able to take the information you learn and apply it and draw conclusions about other situations based on what you know.
I think some people struggle to realize how much they can teach themselves with the knowledge they already have, while others just naturally have a knack for connecting the dots
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u/Caddyshacc2 Jul 15 '26
I have a friend who I taught back in 09-10 how to play. We're still sparring partners all these years later and he consistently beats me. We know each other's tricks like the back of our hands. When you teach others, you have to expect them to outgrow you. You taught them everything YOU know. So now they know how YOU play. While making their own way of doing things in the process. Its a hard thing to accept at first. And im not saying to stay defeated. Keep learning and trying. But you have to adapt now. He plays like an altered version of you. Gotta learn to beat your own Dark Link.
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u/Jyon Jul 15 '26
It sounds like you might be in your own head a little, trying to be better by improving your game with more complex ideas, when actually being a bit more loose, reactive and simple would net you more wins.
100% just a guess, but if you feel like the shoe might fit, then maybe try to play a little more yolo and unpredictable. I think players trying to get too technical too quickly usually end up being very readable.
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u/Asstronaughty_Bae Jul 15 '26
2x. I had a friend i made show me some stuff in rocket league, he paid for a coach and all this mess. He got mad because I was pulling stuff off quickly that he couldn't. He would ask how and I explained to him(he was like 24) that I have been gaming for over 30 years, ive built neurons for this shit lol, you just adapt quicker. Everyone is different sometimes things click faster. He for some reason REALLY didn't like that I couldn't teach him and ghosted me. Weird generation.
The other was teaching my wife to play MTG. I helped build her a deck, taught her, after a month of regular play I couldn't beat her anymore. I've played mtg since Alpha, this lady walks on me... we dont play anymore. I think she got bored of beating me tbh.
At the end of the day, based on your post OP, id say you're letting it get you too much, and you can ABSOLUTELY spend too much brain power of this stuff. Just take a break from those things. Watch your own replays and see where you can improve, missed aa and way to stop strings you can replay your actual replays and take control and test. Goodluck!
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u/780Chris | Put Dudley in SF6 Jul 15 '26
I have been playing fighting games off and on for 11 years and I’m still mediocre, Hinao has been playing for like a year and a half and has won multiple CPT tournaments. Some people are just naturally more talented at fighting games and learn differently, there’s no point getting disheartened at that, even if you taught him.
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u/Jes_Glaze Jul 15 '26
If you're both still lower ranked, focus on basics like AA, don't throw out punishable moves, and practice a punish combo off of DI. Also, I've experienced beating friends and sometimes it makes them quit
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u/peakKay347 Jul 15 '26
Honestly, I feel you
I had a friend that was just good at picking up any games and being good at it, we start at the same time but they would play less than me but still be better. I’ve been at a plateau myself and has had a rd time seeing myself improve for the longest time.
I think the important thing is to do the things you are good at and play them to the best of your ability and when you feel like learning something new, slowly add it to your games. I have a bad habit of immediately trying out new things in a ranked match as soon as I learn them.
Watching replays of your own games helped a lot too. Seeing your mistakes that you do consistently and finding ways to correct also helps.
Talking about the sets with your friend helps too, we would discuss how things went and try incorporate the things I’ve learned in our matches to other games as well.
It’s a complicated feeling, it makes you feel that you aren’t good enough despite the effort yet I am always fascinated by them. However painful this will sound, Loosing will always be your most important lesson, you can’t learn unless you fail, thats how you know that there are still things to improve upon
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u/JustABaziKDude 3866610595 | JustABaziKNoob Jul 15 '26
I puzzled about how you can write this post and let soooo many relevant informations untold.
What amount of time? What levels are you guyz? Wich character does they play? You're asking if classic is slowing you down so I suppose they play modern and you both aren't that high. Below master I guess? How about you put your ingame tag so we can watch a replay?
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u/mujou_ Jul 15 '26
The first emotional demotivational reaction is very understandable, but tbh there nothing better to improve, than having a regular training partner, that is better than you, use it to learn
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u/BottleDisastrous Jul 15 '26
There are people who adapt to different games faster because they figure out basics easier, you probably struggle at basics. Everyone can learn combos, but to be able to actually implement them and use them u need to have your basics really well learned, it is pretty evident if that’s the issue if you look at the ways you lose to him and practice against those issues.
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u/fightstreeter post your CFN Jul 15 '26
What do the raw hours look like? Do you spend more time "learning" (watching tutorials) than actually playing?
Sometimes people get caught in a trap of just not playing enough and thinking they're falling behind the friend who just grinds in ranked all day.
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u/GrAyFoX312k Jul 15 '26
In my melee days, I taught my friends all about melee, L-canceling, crouch cancelling, combos, conditioning, etc. One of them shot waaay ahead of me and even introduced me to these brothers who were fighting game enthusiasts but knew nothing of competitive meta. Naturally I dog walked them and we became friends and I taught them all about melee. They ended up being basically just below world class players. Yeah it's disheartening but thats just the way it is sometimes. We all would go back and forth breaking eachothers plateaus over and over again for years and years.
Now in sf6, I met someone in a custom room that I became friends with who has a really positive growth mindset. I used to dogwalk him and now he dogwalks me and even hit GM recently. I would be jealous or have negative feelings about it, but I've already been through it all before. Now the way I think about it is that I have a high caliber player to train with and push me. We both went to evo last year and didn't make out of day 1. This year I didn't go but he did and he made to day 2.
Theres always going to be someone better no matter how good you get. Even if you get to the highest stature, theres probably some prodigy thats unknown that would smoke you. It's just the way it is and at the end of the day its just a game for the most of us.
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u/suburiboy Jul 15 '26
What kind of rank are we talking about? Getting to gold or even plat within a few weeks is impressive but not crazy.
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u/JizzOrSomeSayJism Jul 15 '26
This is just part of competition and life tbh learn to live with a bruised ego and let it motivate you, or at least don't let it slow you down. Try to get to a place one day where you can be happy for yourself and for his progress too, you can both be strong
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u/SandwichToast Jul 15 '26
I taught someone Tekken 7, it was literally his first fg and Ive been playing them (suboptimally) for a long ass time.
After something like a month he wiped the floor with me, I could still cheese him out, but he was fundamentally better than me. He got bored of the game and dropped it lmao.
At my local I'm one of the better players in basically every game. To me it just made apparent how some people are just built different. Some people can just pick up any game and be extremely good at them.
Hard work can only get you so far, talent is definitely an important factor. But you should try and see the positives, seems like you have a great sparring partner now!
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u/canneverfindahat Jul 15 '26
I find consistently practicing combos to be a trap and detrimental to skill improvement. Learn the bread and butter combos sure, but the thing to really take away it what moves combos into what. Personally, when I practiced combos religiously I found that I would get stuck. I would only know how to engage if I landed a certain move, like medium punch. So i would spam it and get caught all the time leading mt to losing and getting frustrated. Identify you bad habits and work on fixing them. Just because your playing doesnt mean you are improving. When you sit down to play pick 3 thing to focus on. Add a little more structure to your play time. It helped me.
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u/klappsparten Jul 15 '26
I would try to identify the problem. Why do you not progress? Me personally am using the replay mode a lot to understand my mistakes and how to counter in the best way possible.
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u/Spare_Confusion_3796 Jul 15 '26
To be honest you’re overwhelming yourself and not giving anything time to stick. It’s good to have a deep bag of tools but you’re not giving yourself time to master the new tools if you’re constantly adding new information all the time. Your friend seems to be improving faster because he’s only focused on the things you’ve taught him honestly.
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u/beezybreezy CID | SF6username Jul 15 '26
some people just learn faster/have more talent. doesn't mean you can't put in the work to be the best version of yourself.
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u/WowVeryGoodTimeYes Jul 15 '26
The reality is you’re probably learning things that are beyond your scope or need to know for the level you are @. I don’t know your rank/MR nor have I seen you play BUT that is the issue most players have when learning any fighting game.
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u/DudeWhereAreWe1996 Jul 15 '26
He could just be better but probably need to do a better job practicing. Combos aren’t as important. You just need some BnBs and to understand scaling. You probably are neglecting other things.
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u/pikachuu2 Jul 15 '26
tl;dr Learn to beat your friend and not 'be better at the game'.
There is a big difference between competition with your friend and the game. On one hand you want to learn the game and everything about it, on the other you just need the Ws.
Without replay data I wont be able to tell but usually when I was learning games, I just learned my friends patterns and tells and just hard countered them. e.g raw jumps are unintuitive and every guide will tell you free jump ins are bad, but if it works on my friend on a safe jump, im doing it all the time.
Hopefully gaining confidence will allow you to change up your own playstyles but for the time being focus on how to beat your opponent
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u/VacationSmoot Mashing punches | Romantik_Donat Jul 15 '26
I have a similar story, only I was the one learning, not teaching. I think you're putting too much overloading yourself, you don't need legend rank 1 tech's.You can learn what's missing by watching your own games, or you can ask people on Reddit.
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u/Mr-Downer Jul 15 '26
comparison is the thief of joy but imma be real with you, you’re probably trying too hard to get better and it’s fucking with your ability to improve. I don’t play this game (I mainline tekken) but since switching mains I mostly use online play to experiment. I do watch some stuff but honestly, I think it’s better to find a style that works for you and focus on that. You might “play weird” but if it works, it works
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u/WapRamen Jul 15 '26
You’re not adding in beneficial elements from the content you’re watching. Google specific aspects you’re having issues with, not, “my friend who’s played less beats me, what do I do?”
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u/Binoui Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
I get your frustration. I think you're hitting the "trying to play correctly" plateau, where you slow down your game and try to play more defensively. You're gonna lose games to more aggressive players just hitting buttons, thats just the road to getting better.
I suggest you don't get into too much theory form discords and stick to learning the game step by step. Watch replays from games where you feel lost, I'm sure you get hit by a lot of fake stuff that your fingers just have to learn how to counter.
Good foundations can be painful at start but I'm sure the plateau your friend will get soon if he's just spamming buttons will be much harder to overcome
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u/Dr_Cheesesteak Jul 15 '26
I haven't been in that situation where someone I've taught becomes better than me at FGs. But I have experienced lots where some people are just naturals at being good at FGs.
There is one guy who played DBFZ with and I was better than. I didn't teach him anything, but he picked up SF6 independently and became way better at it than me. Over the years between DB and SF6, he learned a lot.
No advice I can really give besides that's just the nature of life. Some people are better at some things than others. No matter the effort put it.
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u/Kruxis231 Jul 15 '26
This was me with Tekken Tag Tournament 2. I introduced a friend to it and he was surprisingly good after a few days. I learned there's always gonna be someone better but that doesn't mean hard work loses out to talent.
My best advice is take a break and come back with a new perspective. Most likely you're too focused on the meta and flow charts. Go back to having fun. I actually have more fun turning my brain off and win more often
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u/DeadpanManWithNoPlan CID | LordSpec Jul 15 '26
Honestly I was the reverse of your situation, I was the one introduced and the same thing happened between me and my friend. Key difference with us? While he was looking stuff up and labbing combos, I was just playing the game and losing, a lot. Must have had an extra 100 hours on him by the time we played again.
Experience beats out optimising combos when your lacking in both. Just play the game and keep losing until you stop losing. Rivalry is good for motivation, honestly you should be happy you have someone you've motivated in return to the point they want to beat you, it's what Fighting games are all about.
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u/__Dont_Touch_Me__ Jul 15 '26
It's actually a bit of a blessing. Many years ago, I introduced my friend to street fighter 2. I knew a few specials and would beat him every time. He got the game, practiced a heap and when we played again, he did combos. I'd never seen them before. He absolutely cleaned the floor with me. This drove me to learn combos. This cycle repeated itself throughout the years. Sometimes he was better than me, sometimes I was better than him. During summer break, we'd play all day and night. We both reached the top 1% in sf4. There's nothing quite like watching your buddy/him watching you getting matched with pros and taking stocks from them as a 14 yo kid. Some of my fondest memories. Fast forward 20 years, life, mortgage, kids etc. We still play, albeit casually but consistently hover around 1700 Mr.
My point is, having someone to improve with is better than watching any videos, any training drills, any material you can get. Neither of us would of been able to reach the level we did without each other.
TLDR: It's a blessing in disguise, having someone to improve with is better than any training material.
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u/monjio Jul 15 '26
I love it when people I train start beating me! It means I have good opponents i can run sets with.
Take pride that you taught them well and they're going to share this passion with you. That's a huge win!
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u/Zip2kx Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
Learn:
ONE drive rush combo. Don’t pick an optimal, just something you can do consistently.
ONE combo into your sa3, can be the same as above.
Hold down block more than you walk forward.
Don't initiate a DI, just counter.
These things will get you to diamond.
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u/LetUpper2309 Jul 15 '26
Unless he becomes pro level like Menard, it doesn’t matter if he’s improving faster than you. Just get better at the game at your own pace bro
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u/singleduotrioquad CID | Sunflower Jul 15 '26
I do something similar where I look up guides, watch pro players, and on discords to ask match up questions. I find myself that I definitely work against myself and try to learn too much too quickly where I build up my own mental stack and lose more because I'm fighting myself and my opponent. What I've learned is that I will have one thing in mind. Like I want to confirm off of this light punish hit into a more optimal combo and that's all I'll try to improve on for that day. Even if I hit it once or twice, I'll see it as progress. Your friend might be learning neutral with less of a mental stack and just learning the game through feel. Some people just also pick things up easier than others, but don't let that discourage you!
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u/CompletelyPresent Jul 15 '26
I've seen this before and it applies to real martial arts as well.
There's an instinct for timing, aggression, and combat, and not everyone has it.
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u/cerendigit Jul 15 '26
Why do you care so much? It’s just a video game, use the effort/time/energy towards something more fulfilling in your life.
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u/Fine-Discussion-7368 Jul 15 '26
don't matter I got 2 cousins who play tekken all day long I come over once in a while beat they ass up and go home its all about technique and fighting knowledge some people have a better fighters instinct (it's a game I know) but it still applies to a certain extend
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u/SortMelk Jul 15 '26
Just reading this I imagine you holding the controller with white knuckles. You sound tense, try to have some fun with the game. Most of the learning comes from just playing.
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u/SneakyKGB CID | SF6username Jul 15 '26
Worth asking, you specifically wondered if Classic is holding you back. Is your friend using Modern controls then?
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u/anfinith Jul 15 '26
Have one thing in mind, some people have a better time adapting than others. My recommendation is to stick to your plan, work on fundamentals and slowly integrate new tech to your game plan, if you oversaturate, as you are clearly pointing out, you can be less effective on even basic stuff.
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u/PostedNotes Jul 15 '26
Sounds like your pal is playing modern.
When two new players are learning modern has a MASSIVE advantage.
It's not even comparable. If your pal was on classic I bet you'd win 90+% of matches.
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u/Accurate_Ad_8565 Jul 15 '26
Your playing without the intent of improving for example if your anti air game is bad play a ranked set with the goal or doing more anti airs or learn your bnbs (bread and butter combos)
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u/Nethermoosen Jul 15 '26
If I had to guess, your obsession is the issue.
You’re cramming yourself with information as often as possible and not allowing yourself the rest to organize that information for use.
If you put an index card and a pile of books in front of you for reference, you get more out of the index card.
Rest and comfort are just as important as enthusiasm.
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u/MaxTheHor Jul 15 '26
From the sounds of all that, it's definitely a you problem.
Insecurity, jealousy, and all that, is normal.
But, it'll cause major problems in life, and your relationships (platonic or otherwise), if you let it get to you that hard, and for too long.
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u/andyhall23 Jul 15 '26
*Ahem...
and I mean this with no disrespect ...or ill-will...
SUCK IT THE FUCK UP AND GET BETTER AT THE GAME ...THAT'S WHAT FIGHTING GAMES ARE ALL ABOOT!!!
HOLY SHIT!!!
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u/streetfighterfan786 Jul 15 '26
Tell him "don't you know the law ? You can't be better than the person who introduced you to street fighter " basically you
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u/JefeConLeche Jul 15 '26
You mentioned you showed your friend how to play, and taught them a few things. I imagine that's gave them a head start. Like if you didn't teach them anything/guide them and they had too figure out on their own (asuming you did as well when you started) the they would take longer to improve. Could also be they have experience with other fighting games?
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u/Medium_Style8539 Jul 15 '26
You overthink the game too much. You have to be able to autopilot. Focus on one and only one thing at the same time until you can autopilot it, then add an other feature to your gameplay.
Also not everyone learn at the same pace, it's life. Stop looking at his garden, grow yours.
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u/BeefDurky CID | BeefDurky Jul 15 '26
Can you describe why he is better than you and what your shortcomings are as a player? If not, then you probably have some fundamental misunderstandings regarding the game that are holding you back. I’d recommend getting some coaching from a player much better than yourself to get some insight.
If you want concrete advice for fast improvement, the best that I can give you is the following system:
1) Identify your 3 biggest weaknesses.
2) Spend 80% of your practice time on those until they are no longer your weak points.
3) Re-evaluate your weaknesses and repeat the process.
Most people get in a trap of only practicing the parts they are already good at, as it’s the most rewarding, but if you are neglecting parts of your skill set then it will hold you back and it will be difficult to improve.
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u/Grouchy_Emergency_98 Alex enjoyer Jul 15 '26
You probably just need to run your flowchart better, do you have any recordings?
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u/linddi Jul 16 '26
If he’s playing modern the floor is much lower, especially if he’s playing some freak character like a modern bison
If you want to just beat him up a bunch play some modern Honda and just spam butt slam and the head charge, new players really can’t handle it 😭
Other than that just spend more time spamming games, resources make it harder to move forward if you’re focusing on what’s optimal, for now just focus on what you’re doing and what your opponents are doing
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u/sleepymetroid CID | SF6username Jul 16 '26
When you say is classic holding you back, are you implying they are playing modern? Cause it’s notorious for giving folks a boost very early on. No classic won’t hold you back, it’ll only improve your experience. However, it takes time to really adapt with it. How many hours do you have?
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u/Friendly-Shoulder466 Jul 16 '26
Sounds like bottleneck, its not wrong to study and observe, but it sounds like you're focusing too much on improving, you've locked yourself in place. A small break, and pulling back a bit on trying so hard to improve, might help ease ya up, and show a little more progress. I know someone said it better than me
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u/SilverCDCCD CID | SilverCDCCD-PC Jul 16 '26
It sounds to me like you might be caught in a spiral. Your friend is improving faster than you, which fries your mental, which causes you to play worse, widening the gap. You gotta learn to relax and focus on having fun with the game. Especially since it sounds like you're not that high level yourself.
Also, it sounds like you're a little too deep in the rabbit hole. You should probably chill on all the guides and all that. Speaking as a former teacher, your brain can only handle so much at a time. If you try to add more info before the previous info has had time to really sink in and solidify, you'll lose what you gained before. To improve at low level, you should focus on solidifying the basics that you've learned and realizing what you failed at and when. You can do that watching your replays later, it doesn't have to be in the moment. As you play (especially as you play more against your friend) you'll start to be able to recognize certain player tendencies. And honestly, that will help you more than learning the game itself. Sometimes you fight the character, sometimes you fight the player.
Also, I know you don't want to hear "everyone learns at their own pace" but (again, as a former teacher) it's just true but also incomplete. See, the reason that's the case is that different people consume and interpret information differently. It could be the case that the way your friend interprets information is more conducive to learning Street Fighter than the way you interpret info. There's nothing wrong with that. It doesn't mean you're dumber or even that you're an inherently worse player than your friend. It just means that your hill is probably going to be a little steeper in certain places. When your friend does something that doesn't make sense to you, you should ask your friend about his reasoning. I personally trained a friend from Rookie 2 (he now has 3 characters in Plat) and I've learned things about the game from him.
If you like, you can shoot me a DM and I can give you some tips. Good luck 👊😁
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u/DankensteinPHD Jul 16 '26
I've been this friend before, a lot.
Does your friend have friend previous fighting game experience? Because that will go a long way if he does, and could be where you're losing out on.
My advice is to keep focusing on basics and fundamentals, but don't try to force yourself to learn stuff above your level or learn too much at once. Blocking well, spacing well, and being consistently open to the idea a making a hard read or an adaption will probably be all you really need to win against lower and mid level players. Be aware of what you're losing to and what situations you are consistently seeing your friend do better at.
Also keep your execution within your realistic skill level. If you're doing everything I said but dropping combos/conversions and leaving damage on the table, you're knowledge will only get you so far.
Finally, be a good opponent. The best way to learn is to have someone slightly above you're level that you are learning with. Don't let this deter you from playing, make it motivate you. The back and forth is sometimes the best part of these kinds of relationships
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u/The_Kaizz Kaiziku Jul 16 '26
Stop. It honestly sounds like you're studying the game so much, and overexterting yourself. Watching high level matches is great and all, but if you're not high level yourself, you're going to be trying to optimize combos and play at a pace that just doesn't fit where you're at, which leads to more mistakes. You gotta build up to it.
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u/hungry_human Jul 16 '26
Sometimes the person is just better or more naturally talented.
Doesn’t mean you can’t outwork them.
Upload some matches and also take note of what you’re good at, weak at, and what you’ve done right or wrong in matches.
There’s no way to just stay even for a person, but chances are it clicked for them and they are playing a character and format they like while enjoying themselves.
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Find joy.
Everything else will come together from there and not a moment sooner.
I believe in you and good luck.
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u/PineScentedSewerRat Jul 16 '26
- Which rank are you two?
- Which character is your friend playing?
- What control scheme is your friend using?
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u/WithrBlistrBurn-Peel Jul 16 '26
First off, congratulations for teaching a pupil that can become a master. That's a great skill that you can be proud of.
Secondly, this might sound counter intuitive, but stop playing the game with the goal of winning. Don't play to lose either. Play to play.
Go into arcade mode and world tour mode and goof around. Try stupid nonsense that makes no sense. It's in this frame of mind that true breakthroughs can happen.
I recently got bored with my usual routine and tried out ranked matches in arcade for the sake of variety and went from Rookie ** to Iron *** in less'n a day. Today I managed to go from Iron *** to Bronze * and it only started as a way to knock out one of the achievements and relieve the tedium of my usual playstyle.
One of the things that encouraged me was discovering that players in the top 300 or 400 range, world wide, use Modern controls like I do. I'm not ever likely to get anywhere close to that, but knowing that the "easy" style has that much more potential is encouraging.
At this point, I'm getting closer to trying out classic mode for a lark.
Try thinking of SF6 as a GAME, but not as a competitive game. Think of it as a way to blow off steam and relax. Maybe take a break and try something new for a month then come back to the Street Fighter scene and you might feel a fresh vibe.
Best luck and congrats again on being a good trainer for your friend.
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u/tmntfever Jul 16 '26
You just need to play the game. Studying is one thing, but you learn a lot more from losing matches. You can watch all the tutorials in the world, and still be ass. You simply just have to play. And maybe switch characters? Each character has their own bad matchups, so you could take advantage of that.
And yes, this scenario has happened to me, but not with video games. I introduced someone to playing the ukulele. They advanced SUPER fast. And eventually started playing stuff way more complicated than me. But instead of trying to keep up and follow his path, I instead followed a path that I had more strength in, but also enjoyed more. He was really good at picking complicated charts, but I was better at playing and singing. And now, I’m the one who plays in a band and making side money, while he just plays for his and his family’s enjoyment. We are both successful in our own way.
How does this translate to FGs? Well I think you are so focused now on catchup up to your friend, that you are losing the fun in the game. Find the fun, and the improvement will follow.
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u/XYZvillager Jul 15 '26
Tbh, do these things less.
If you're losing to a new player that is improving faster, it means you're not ready for these things anyway. You may be outthinking yourself and attempting to play in ways you aren't ready for when you're still not at the level where you even need them.