Interview With David Sirlin himself

1. How much dedication does it take to get into the pro circuit?


There is no formal pro circuit for fighting games. You just go to tournaments if you want to go, so you have to have the dedication to actually show up. Actually winning at these tournaments is another matter though.


2. Can just anyone become a Pro?


No one really knows how much nature vs. nurture is involved, but probably anyone can become a pro. It's mostly about setting up an environment where you can improve, meaning you have access to good competition and time to play. You also should have genuine interest in the game, otherwise you won't learn enough and won't stick to it. Finally, everyone has different strengths, so you need to play to your strengths. Some people have high dexterity for performing combos, others are good at precise distancing, others are good at reading the opponent's mind. There are many different possible skills, so in time you learn which you're best at and try to enhance those.

3. What are ways to get better?

Already answered above. Find good competition, practice, and find your strengths.

4. Is it possible to teach someone what it takes?

A good teacher would probably speed up the process a lot. An expert could tell you the basic combos you need to know with a character (if any!), the basic attack patterns, and a he would know which specific moves are important to use in certain matches. Those things alone could save you a lot of time compared with figuring it all out yourself. He could also watch your gameplay and tell you what you're not doing or what you should have done here and there.

5. How often should people practice?

I have only ever practiced when I wanted to. Practicing more than that seems bad to me, because why are you even doing it? I practiced less than ever for the last two years of Evolution, almost zero, and I did better than I had in a very long time: 5th two years in a row at ST. Earlier in my life, I played A LOT, almost every day. Most of it was in SF Alpha 2, but a bit was in ST. That time gave me the background knowledge needed to succeed in fighting games in general. So now, for a game as well-understood as ST, it's just as important to get into the right mindset and physical state before a tournament as it is to actually practice.More practice is better though, as demonstrated by Tokido. He lost a match of Blanka vs. his Vega, then he practice that specific match a lot so he'd know everything about it and not lose it. I didn't know this when I chose Blanka against his Vega last year. He won by a wide margin, and played extremely well. Practice helps!

6. What are the best ways to learn an opponet?

I don't know of any conscious ways to read opponents. Also, gameplay decisions often happen faster than 0.4 seconds, which is about the lenght of time it takes for conscious awareness to coalesce. It seems that an unconscious process is going on when you see these sudden psychic dragon punches that are just at the right time. I don't really know how to develop that skill, other than playing a lot and making an effort to guess, then see how often your guesses are right.

7. What is the best way to practice?

If you are bad at the game, it probably helps to play some opponents near your level for a little bit to gain basic familiarity with the game and the moves, and try to put together some attack patterns. Once you have basic familiarity though, you really have to find players better than you and play them. Otherwise, you just learn bad habbits, thinking you can get away with things that a pro would never let you get away with. Play as many different good opponents as you can. Also, it doesn't matter if they are your friends or if you personally hate them. If they are good, play them anyway