Footsies Handbook question

#1

I’ve read through the footsies handbook on sonichurricane.com quite a few times now and it’s definitely improved my game as well as helping me appreciate high level play even more.
However, there is one part which I don’t quite understand, which is Element 02.
The reason why I find it confusing is that I don’t understand why by creating a blockstring that puts your opponent just outside of reversal range will achieve anything outside of catching out mashers. The clip shown with John Choi and Alex Valle doesn’t help either. Is it that Choi is attempting to chip Valle out with the Super, but misreads the range? Would Valle have been able to counter the super with an uppercut had the super been performed any closer?

All I’m asking is, what are you achieving by putting your opponent out of reversal range? Surely a good player won’t attempt anything unsafe, especially after a series of blockstrings.

Thanks in advance, I hope you understand my problem.

#2

Hm, well, i guess it’s a little more complicated than i made it sound. Valle kind of put together the perfect storm there. He built up an insane amount of comeback momentum. He did a combo that didn’t knock down, so it looked like he screwed up. It was only three hits so it was tough to judge the distance in such a short period of time. It ended in a fireball which caused funky slowdown and messed with Choi’s timing. And it ended with Sagat standing up, which made him look like a really tempting target for a Valle CC. But of course it was a trap.

I mean, this isn’t something you can do on a regular basis, but it’s certainly something worth looking into from time to time. And it requires a certain kind of combo, and even then it requires a certain lifebar/meter situation to make the gamble worthwhile.

Although what’s actually more useful than using combos in this fashion is using block strings in this fashion. Because if you start from a jump attack or a crossup, you’re basically starting from a controlled point. So you can use a specific block string to give yourself exactly the right position and frame advantage that you want, down to the pixel. This can be an advantage if you’ve figured out all your options from this position and know them better than your opponent. It’s a lot easier than establishing that position from neutral states, where both you and your opponent are mobile.

I hope that’s a good enough explanation.

#3

Wow Maj, never expected a reply from the author himself. Thanks very much I completely understand now, it’s basically placing your opponent in a position that is completely under your control, therefore making it easier to be IN control of your opponent. That’s what I’m getting anyway.

Thanks again, keep up the brilliant work for the entire FG community.

#4

Yeah it’s just a little trick to establish spacing under your rules. When you’ve got them in hitstun or blockstun, you get to determine where they end up. If you do a little research in Training Mode, you can find button sequences to put them exactly where you want them. It’s much easier than claiming that spot when your opponent is free to move around.

That’s the thing with footsies. A lot of is mental, but a lot of it is technical too. If you learn a new trick every day, suddenly you’ll have a sophisticated offense.

Btw you can always post a comment by those articles on Sonic Hurricane and i’ll answer the best i can. It’s just more likely i’ll see it there than here. (I have no idea how i happened to catch this thiread.)

#5

Yeah I was going to post it on there actually but I wasn’t sure how often you checked the comments, and I thought I’d get a quicker(though undoubtedly not as good) answer by posting here. Next time I’ll do it on SH, thanks again.