I bought a fightstick some months ago, and I'm enjoying it a lot, I find it more fun to play fighting games with it, but I feel like I've stopped improving.
I read in several places that it takes months to get used to it and that is true, but for some time now I've stopped improving. I think that I need to start doing some specific training in order to get better because I still play worse compared to how I played with a joystick.
I play mostly SSFIV and as an example, I loved to play with Makoto with the joystick but I can't play with her at all in the fightstick, like, I can't execute the moves fast enough. Also, with Akuma I can perform a lot of combos in training mode, but in the heat of battle I always execute the move wrong, like when I'm blocking and try doing a: c.mp -> QCB lk I'm always holding down back, so the move doesn't come out.
I'm figuring out my mistakes as I watch replays and stuff, but I feel I have become stagnant in my current execution.
Is there some kind of exercises or some daily training which I can do to improve my execution with the stick?
Best Answer
When I first made the switch, everyday when I started training I would just go through basic motions. When I say basic I mean, right, left, up, down, up right, up left, etc. Really take the time to feel out going right, going left, etct. Then practice dashes back and forth. Then what I do for special moves (since I've also had execution problems with them, especially supers/ultras), is try to do them 30 times in a row. It's hard! Start slow at first for things like fireballs, then move on to dragon punches, and then supers. It's really hard to get up to 30, but once you start getting into the teens, I think you'll find your execution has greatly improved.