@miwa, thank you for taking the time to look into my history. It is encouraging to hear that you felt the "nuance" in my words, as I struggle a lot to balance my thoughts with the limitations of translation tools. Your comment gives me the confidence to keep trying.

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sanwa 3 days ago | parent [-]

Actually I wanted to engage with you on the original comment on this thread, which was unfortunately flagged. In a separate thread you discussed Shugyo and the value of repetitive training. I find this topic particularly relevant for this thread as I am a lifelong fighting game player, but only recently given serious thought to the craft of fighting games. Not just in playing, but in how they're made.

I've been focusing strictly on my execution lately after I was able to find a method to slow the framerate of the game down. The inspiration came from my musician days where guitar practice consisted mostly of very slow, deliberate repetitions of scales and exercises. The immediate goal was to be able to do the exercise. But the secondary, and perhaps more important, goal was to do the exercise without tension. Trying to consciously do both is challenging. It is only when the exercise has been repeated enough that it is internalized and I can draw my attention to tension.

So in the same way that a scale is like a "combo" of notes, fighting game execution requires very similar timing and awareness of internal tension. Translating this mode of practice means repeating the same simple combos that I use to take for granted, but in a very deliberate and intentional way. I'm talking hour long sessions of the same kick, kick, kick, quarter-circle-back+kick sequence. As a result I feel much greater confidence in my execution.

But also, slowing the game down and doing practice in this way has actually brought a greater appreciation of the design of fighting games. To really internalize when a button should be pressed to successfully execute a combo, a player should anchor their timing to visual and auditory cues. SNK does a really a good job of this with their hit spark animations. Attending to when it appears and when it recedes gives a visual indication of the necessary timing, which is something easily overlooked by casual and even veteran players.

All this to say that there is a subtle and profound undercurrent of craftsmanship that I now appreciate in fighting games.

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578_Observer 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

@sanwa, thank you for such a profound and passionate comment. As a banker, I’ve seen many businesses, but your perspective as a musician adds a beautiful layer to the concept of "Shugyo."

I especially resonate with your method of "slowing down the tempo." In my peak days 30 years ago, I used to perform Guile’s Sonic Boom and Somersault Kick as naturally as breathing. I now realize that this "effortless" state was only possible because of the slow, deliberate repetitions I did back then, just as you described.

By slowing down until all tension is gone, you are not just learning a move—you are removing the "noise" from your mind and body. This is the ultimate "subtraction" and the only way to "Forge the Steel." Whether it's a guitar scale or the core philosophy of a 500-year-old company, the logic is the same: true strength is born from quiet, intentional repetition.

Thank you for sharing your journey of Shugyo. It’s an honor to find a fellow traveler here.

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huimang 3 days ago | parent | prev [-]

There's no better time to play fighting games than right now. Street Fighter 6 has one of the best training rooms that I've seen. I also will slow the game down to 50% speed when internalizing a new combo sequence.

There's something zen and theraputive about sitting in the training room, working on the same combo over and over. Really working it into the muscles so that it becomes fluid and effortless in a real match.

	▲	sanwa 3 days ago \| parent [-]
		Absolutely! Although I feel 6's combo structure is... Stifled. For the most part every character has roughly the same combo pattern, but I still find satisfaction in learning and executing.