Training mode's uses

After spending quite a bit of time in the arcade and practicing at home, a couple new developments have come up since that time. First of all, training mode has a few neat features to get a player up to speed in any game.

For SF4 in particular, you can use these ideas, but it transfers over to any other fighting game.

-Watch the " X hit combo" text that pops up after you do a set of attacks. That tells you if you have executed the combo time correctly. If you haven't, it will show a smaller hit combo than you anticipated. Any missed frames in that combo means that somebody can reversal you, so keep that combo hit reading handy.

-Each of the blocking modes is important. Auto block will tell you if you missed a combo, because the CPU will start blocking as soon as you missed one of the hit timings. Random block is a new one that I found that lets you do some interesting work - Hit confirms. Because it blocks randomly, you have to make sure something hits before continuing your combo, or if you do a follow up move, or if you will back off and block. This also allows you to practice execution in that any time you get an opening, you bank on it. Any let go opportunity can very likely mean a loss in a match.

-Finding hit priorities and quirks about the game are pivotal in training mode. Does this normal beat out this special attack? Can I jump to avoid the ultra/super? Will this EX attack beat out this ultra? Training mode helps with finding these things out.

-Execution, execution, execution. You CANNOT play mind games without having decent execution to go along with it - and winning in fighting games is heavily dependent on it. Practicing execution in training mode and/or casuals is a must.