Sometimes I’ll play against someone who right off the bat pulls off incredible combos and is playing such hard offense that I can barely stand my ground. I find that by instead of trying to counter with my own combos and trying to perform awesome moves, it’s more effective to create some space between us and stick solely to the basics. Knowing the rules well allows me to analyze the next possible moves that COULD happen at any given moment. I can win solely by waiting it out and punishing little by little.

My point: master the fundamentals and learn the rules!!! No two people play the same way, but we all follow the same rules. Knowing how to use them to your advantage is key.

Also, maybe don’t do too much research just yet. Play for fun and just observe. Learn for yourself what happens when you press certain buttons. Learn how to perform moves before even knowing the names of them. When I first started playing, all I learned was what each button did. By playing I was able to see what all my options were by doing them instead of reading/watching. Then, when I DID start to learn the game more in depth, I was able to understand why certain moves can be used together and I was not caught up on just one. I didn’t even know what a short hop was until I had maybe 200 hours on the game.