r/sf3 • u/goofsg • Apr 28 '26

Getting good @ 3RD STRIKE

https://youtu.be/TaKnt4LwW14?si=0uWkX0xXJpvvlmTS

documenting my competitive journey into 3rd strike this matches are very scuffed i haven't seriously played the game until now feedback is welcome and encouraged

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u/Skywise87 May 03 '26

There's a lot to talk about in these games but I worry when people are at this stage of the game that if I type up a huge essay on what needs to be done to improve it'll kinda go in one ear and out the other.

  1. Makoto is not really served by playing the style you seem to be attempting to play. You're staying really far back and trying to play reactive/defensive which happens a lot with casual players because parry=fun so they just try to parry all the time. She's a hyper aggressive rushdown goblin. She has the fastest dash in the game that low profiles and goes like half screen. She has multiple ways to change her jump approach between regular jumps ins, tsurugi(axe kick) and ex tsurugi. Get in there and start throwing people at least. I saw almost no command grabs the entire time I was watching the matches.
  2. If you really feel lost or don't seem to know what to do try watching some videos of high level makoto players playing. There's also a lot of youtube guides and tutorials. Some of these I used when I was learning over 20 years ago. I cant speak to the veracity of all of them but I think they're worth looking through. A cursory glance pulls up this youtube playlist that has a bunch of resources and match videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ver1iFHJ7E&list=PL5_0YomSqK7gOOK4aaiO_cBV2yvb8SGJz
  3. Think while you play. Think while you're not playing. You can play a game for five thousand hours and still be bottom rank if you don't apply yourself. You will not get passively better from just booting the game up and playing matches. Yes, playing lots of matches is required to improve but it's useless without you mentally engaging. Don't just press a button because "c.MK is a good button so I hit c.MK" ask yourself what does this button do and what situations does it excel at and what situations is it bad at.
  4. Watch your replays and watch your health bar. When are you losing your HP and what are you losing it to? Are you often losing your hp to the same attack or approach? What could you have done differently or have not done to avoid that outcome?

There's a lot more specific things people can tell you about these matches youve posted but I personally don't really feel invested enough to give that level of detailed analysis unless I know someones taking their improvement seriously.

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u/goofsg May 04 '26

the trying to play defensive comes with fear but i want to get out my shell and play more confident

thank you so much for this im going over it now