Welcome to the first post in a series I'm calling Practice Makes Perfects, in which I chronicle my journey from fighting game failure to scrappy upstart, fierce opponent, and beyond! Follow along as I test my mettle against players online and at my local arcade ranking battles! Be there for the exultant victories and tragic knock outs! Ready? Fight!
A few weeks ago, after years of excuses, I finally set out on a quest I've been contemplating ever since 2008, when the release of Street Fighter IV heralded the beginning of a fighting game renaissance and reinvigorated the genre's competitive scene. The goal of this quest: to turn my arcade-scrub self into a competent joystick jockey--no easy task. As a wise man named Sagat once said, "Until you see the fight as more than a wild free for all, you are no fighter." Actually, he's probably said it thousands of times, but in any case it's an apt observation of the spectrum of skill separating the glorified punching bags from the tournament champions. It can take years to develop the execution, quick reactions, and adaptability that are necessary at the highest levels of play.
