• As part of the relaunch of Skullheart, ALL previous threads have been archived. You can find them at the bottom of the forum in the Archives (2021) section. The archives are locked, so please use the new forum sections to create new discussion threads.

Need some advice - blocking, blocking mixups, etc

Skymin50

Skymin50

JOIN THE BIG BAND
Joined
Apr 2, 2014
Messages
92
Reaction score
27
Points
18
Age
25
Location
Canada
Steam
ANIME SKELETON
Big Band
After about a 5-match losing spree, I'm kind of sick and tired of it. I'm literally trash at blocking - infact I rarely do it unless I remember. I've been playing so long where I just forget to block and I go for combos, not realizing how inaffective running at them for combos is. I tend to just end up getting max comboed, and I'm really, really not good at blocking mixups or anything of the sort. And secondly, I'm not too good either. BB's my best character but I'm not that good at him, at the very most I'm decent and all I do is mash to win, and honestly that's a really bad way TO win. So I'd love advice. Because I don't like losing 10 times in a row because I forgot to block once and It's just really disheartining.
 
As a fellow newbie who was absolutely trash at blocking (as compared my level now: slightly-less-trash-at-blocking) I think what helped me work on my defense the most was just... dialing back my aggressiveness. The mindset is key here, when I started I just plain didn't even try to block, holding Back to defend just felt so unnatural. Making the first move is all well and good, but if you're all gung-ho about attacking there are only two outcomes that could happen when doing so: either your attack attempt works and you get a combo in, or it gets blocked and you get punished on a risky move. And whether you succeed or fail, neither case gets you any practice with defending.

So join some beginner lobbies, join some groups with other newbies or people willing to help you train using less complicated moves than all the resets and restands and whatnot. It won't help you practice if you're dead in 15 seconds, after all. First thing to do is quit mashing. Start holding Back when you're comboed instead to see where your chances to block are. Replace some of your attacks with fake-outs instead. If you charge or jump in, your opponent will probably use a move to stop you - instead of attacking, just block instead. It'll help develop the mindset you need to start blocking with your arms instead of your face, and let you see some common moves people will use to meet your charges, as well. And maybe one of them will over-commit to their combo and present a nice opening for you to punish.

And it helps if you pick up a combo or two, as well. Doesn't even need to be a really good one, for me it just helped me a lot to have a course of action ready when I got my chances to attack, preventing me from hammering random buttons.
 
Last edited:
Skymin50 said:
After about a 5-match losing spree, I'm kind of sick and tired of it

You're gonna want to build up a tolerance to losing if you expect to be in this game for the long haul ehueheu.

Poster above has some good advice. I'm going to extend off theirs and suggest that once you find a few people (through quick match/lobbies) that are roughly your same skill or better, add them on steam. Play sets with them and after a few games you'll (probably) pick up on their habits. When you think they're going to do something based on these habits, block accordingly.

Blocking mixups (imo) is a combination of experience about that character/player and reaction.
 
Choose Goose said:
Blocking mixups (imo) is a combination of experience about that character/player and reaction.

This, but I'd say that the majority of defense is prediction rather than reaction
The "reaction" part of defense is mostly about noticing what your opponent is doing immediately so that you can adjust
Lots of mixups in most fighting games are unreactable
You defend well first by minimizing the number of situations where you have to guess on fast mixups, and second by matchup/player experience
 
No seriously though.

It depends on the character and the player.

Buut, at the start of the match, you should probably:

Filia:Block High and watch for crossups.
Val:Block High and watch for throws.
Cerebella:Block Low and watch out for armor.
Parasoul:You need to be very attentive, she has overheads into lows, lows into overheads, overheads and lows she can RC. You can button out of her mixup options.
Double:Block Low and watch for throws/crossups.
Peacock:Block High and watch for throws and fuzzies.
Fortune:Block Low and watch for bullshit.
Painwheel:Chicken Block and watch for throws.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Skymin50
Skymin50 said:
After about a 5-match losing spree, I'm kind of sick and tired of it. I'm literally trash at blocking - infact I rarely do it unless I remember. I've been playing so long where I just forget to block and I go for combos, not realizing how inaffective running at them for combos is. I tend to just end up getting max comboed, and I'm really, really not good at blocking mixups or anything of the sort. And secondly, I'm not too good either. BB's my best character but I'm not that good at him, at the very most I'm decent and all I do is mash to win, and honestly that's a really bad way TO win. So I'd love advice. Because I don't like losing 10 times in a row because I forgot to block once and It's just really disheartining.
I know exactly how you feel, though I kind of just try to learn the characters. Even though I pretty much for for cross-ups every time, I try to learn from them. An example would be, Parasoul likes to run on the other side of you while you are in the air, and they use Spiral Flare after they go over you with j.D + MK. When you feel a character is going to do a Cross-Up, maybe try doing a move like Beat Extend, or one with Armor like Brass Knuckles. Super Sonic Jazz is good too.
 
Sometimes
:F:
:DF:
 
  • Like
Reactions: gllt
I appreciate the guides and stuff but really my main problem is just I'm not in the mindset of blocking. Sure I can practice it but I just completely forget and throw it all out the window. Which is a pain.
 
Skymin50 said:
I appreciate the guides and stuff but really my main problem is just I'm not in the mindset of blocking. Sure I can practice it but I just completely forget and throw it all out the window. Which is a pain.
Write "Block" on a piece of paper. And put it in front of you when playing. xD
 
- Play with people around your level, do a countless number of private matches with one of them.
- Stop mashing mindlessly when somebody is comboing on you.
- Think about resets... What kind of reset they can do on you? For each reset, you have a way to escape (block normal or low / tech throw /
jump / attack with a jab / etc) Considering these different possibilites make you more concentrated on your opponent playstyle and understand more what is going on rather than just "I'm getting hit and combo-ed again".
- The same thing applies for your opponent flaws and mistakes: when do they drop their combos? Take advantage of that for punishing.

Hope this helps.
 
Skymin50 said:
I appreciate the guides and stuff but really my main problem is just I'm not in the mindset of blocking. Sure I can practice it but I just completely forget and throw it all out the window. Which is a pain.
Play someone who has Updo/Bomber/Beat Train/Love Dart/Silver Chord.

The whole 'I should block thing' will start to sink in.
 
One of my biggest problems is air-blocking after a forward jump. I need to drill into my mind that you don't need to hold forward to keep moving after you jump. :P
 
If you're not in the mindset of blocking, the solution is pretty easy. Put yourself in the mindset of blocking.

And I'd get used to losing more than 5 in a row. No matter how good you get, you will go on tilt. You will have a losing streak. Hell, I learn more by going 1 in 20 vs a player much better than me than I would normally. Losing is rarely fun, but get in the mind set of making each loss a learning experience and get very, very zen about losing.

How to "put yourself in the mindset"? Sheer force of will. Go into the match and be willful of the entire match. Mashing has a place, but unfortunately people learn to do that before learning to block. It should be the other way around. If you really want to learn to block? Quit mashing and start blocking. Start playing vs a decent reset based character. Play them until you start blocking... you may be 0 and 20 at this point. Quit before you get "throw your stick" frustrated.
 
I'm a newbie myself and I play solo-band, and I can't block if my life depended on it.
Just block low unless the opponent jumps/calls out a high-hitting assist/or if there is a delay (I think standing high-hitting attacks have a delay?).
If you aren't in the blocking mindset, I suggest playing aggressively and just attacking whenever you can. (Don't trust this advice D: )
If you need someone to practice with, add me on steam! Though the ping might be withing the 300s?
 
Spencer said:
If you're not in the mindset of blocking, the solution is pretty easy. Put yourself in the mindset of blocking.

And I'd get used to losing more than 5 in a row. No matter how good you get, you will go on tilt. You will have a losing streak. Hell, I learn more by going 1 in 20 vs a player much better than me than I would normally. Losing is rarely fun, but get in the mind set of making each loss a learning experience and get very, very zen about losing.

How to "put yourself in the mindset"? Sheer force of will. Go into the match and be willful of the entire match. Mashing has a place, but unfortunately people learn to do that before learning to block. It should be the other way around. If you really want to learn to block? Quit mashing and start blocking. Start playing vs a decent reset based character. Play them until you start blocking... you may be 0 and 20 at this point. Quit before you get "throw your stick" frustrated.
Yeah, this. 5 matches isn't a losing streak. You need to play more.
 
Some basic advice, in addition to the good advice posted so far:

-Overheads, 9 times out of 10, have a gap of sorts before hand. If the pressure lets up, prepare to block high or throw break.

-Throws have similar ques, but may also come at the end of seemingly unsafe moves in order to try and catch an optimal bnb start. For example if Squiggly uses Silver Chord Twice, GTFO.

-Learn which moves have armour, and learn how to exploit them.

-If they're dashing towards your head, follow the knee and learn their attack angles. If the knee passes/matches the center of the head, they're most likely going to hit behind you so block :F:.

-Don't try and block airdash stuff with :DB: or :DF:. Just don't. It's not going to work until they land.

-Learn to chicken block, if you must rush to combo.

- 1/10 is surprisingly significant if you've been blocking super well in a match.

-Advice v Double: :PUN::PUN::PUN::PUN::PUN::PUN::PUN::PUN::PUN::PUN::PUN: good luck
 
my early fighting days came from the virtua fighter series, which many of you will know that it had a block button rather than holding back. i used to actively stay away from those kinds of games largely for that reason that it felt really unnatural to me.

my advice is just to keep playing and eventually it will sink in. try playing some matches online or vs the comp (CPU has a tendency to not attack though unless you are pressing buttons.) and just focus only on trying to block stuff. crossups used to get me a lot as well but the more you play the more familiar you will get with when is a good time to block and when to go in.

even the best players will not go completely balls to the wall on offense all the time, and will use assists or be ready for reversals/counter pokes etc, that kind of thing can be hard to see though if you arent well practiced at FGs though.

hang in there! it will make sense given time.
 
Sometimes try to focus on punishing unsafe moves of your oponnents. Of course, it won't work againist expert players, but you would be surprised on the number of matches that you can win online just punishing unsafe moves.
 
I mean if you're playing big band you can also just spam forward.
 
Killuh said:
I mean if you're playing big band you can also just spam forward.
This thread is more than 3 years old.
 
And that's also wrong because that only works against mids and overheads.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back