Getting Outside of Your "Comfort Zone"

Woohoo a blog without Smash Switch.

Kek.

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There is a sixth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and is timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between feeling safe and feeling lost, between ease and difficulty, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of Smash. It is an area which we call the Comfort Zone.

The "Comfort Zone." In smash we all have experienced the "Comfort Zone" whether it be causal or top level competitive play. It's our bread and butter combos, our kill confirms, our safe moves, our top tier characters. Our playstyles essentially revolve around what we find comfortable. The minute we break our comfort zone, the less confident we feel. We are unsure what to do, much less how to play in the situation. But when the situation calls for it, we have to adapt and improvise our play, find out what works, what might last 1 or 2 more times, and what might never work again on your opponent.

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I. Real Life Examples

Getting out of your comfort zone can be like a haunted house. You enter not knowing what to expect and what you see in the house determines your next step. When you are crammed into a corner by a ghost, we crawl into a ball imagining what it's like to be home.

Breath of the Wild could also be another example. If you were like me, I wasn't interested in a Zelda game after my experiences with Majora's Mask 3DS and people talking about how good BotW looked didn't faze me. I didn't pay attention to really any trailers or anything after the announcement. Then I decided to get the game with my Switch it was so well received. It was so hard getting used to something new to me, and this game turned out to be amazing. I learned to get comfortable in the game and eventually ended up loving the game.

Getting out of your comfort zone is like going to a new school. You start out not knowing what to expect and start off your paragraph the same way you did with your first example only tweaking a few words. Anyways, you have no friends in your new school, no idea of where things are, no clue how things work. Literally your are out of your school comfort zone and there's honestly not a better way I can explain it. You have to get used to the new environment and make things work, get new friends, find your way around.

It's like Smash 4 Mario, if down throw to up tilt isn't working out for you, mix it up and use up throw into down air into forward air. If FLUDD doesn't gimp the opponent offstage, maybe cape will. If up Smash doesn't work, keep spamming it again until it does work because somehow Ally makes it work.

There are people always labbing in your character Discord because if they find something new you have another option. Your solid options make you comfortable. If you didn't have the resort go to option in Smash you probably wouldn't like your chances. That's why people play Cloud and Bayo; They feel safer in said comfort zone with Bayo combos and Cloud up airs rather than picking a character like Puff and losing those advantages.

You can even become comfortable with something you have never tried before, maybe learn something new through playing the game. After all, that's how top players got to where they are. Most of them are comfortable playing and adapting. Yeah there are some that ittedly are never going to leave their comfort zone in one area. I'm sure Ally won't stop trying to up Smash anytime soon, but we also learn to counter specific strategies because they become straightforward and obvious, even if there is only so much you can do about it.

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II. What is Your Comfort Zone?

We all have our comfort zones in different areas of the game. Our comfortability can even make habits that you might not want, but still make anyways. That's why it's your goal to be able to break that comfort zone in the first place.

You need to identify any habits during the match whether it be a common For Glory habit or a habit that the only other known person for it on earth is some random mid level player. Look for patterns, anything you repeat match after match. Do you run up and neutral air as Roy to approach every time or are you patient enough to use Neutral air sparingly when you know you can land it? Save videos of For Glory, tournaments, Netplay, whatever matches you have, and study to see what's common for you during a match. If you see yourself doing the same thing during each and every match, make note of it even if it's just a combo or a spacing move.

As Smash players we feel safe doing whatever possible to get that win, but unfortunately that repeated strategy won't work forever. Get used to finding new, more creative ways to build up damage, take a stock, or defend yourself.

I'll give an example. Many characters have a bread and butter combos that are true for a while in Smash no matter how the combo starts off. Let's take a look at smash 4 for a second. We have characters like Luigi, Bayo, and even more characters who literally have an escape option from your precious bread and butter combo that you use in the first place. If the Luigi breaks out of your combo all the time, what are you going to do? You need to find a way to outplay the Luigi. He's gonna probably take advantage of his escapes. He is going to rack up 50% of you for free while you have to earn your every single % in Smash. It would actually be counterproductive to try and find another easy bake way to get damage. Why? That Luigi only needs to lab for a little bit to find an alternative to get out of your new little combo. Life's unfair, I know. Why do they get so much for so little? Whether you play a top tier or a bottom of the barrel character, you should get used to not doing the thing your character does best, because let me tell you right now nothing is guaranteed in Smash. There will always be a top player better than you, and they will take advantage of anything you plan on using during a match.

Anything you repeat even once during a match could mean taking that loss in your next set. A good player will be able to latch onto your habits and abuse them. That's what separates the top player of your top tier main from the 4th or 5th best. Ally knows what to do over top Mario #5. You always have to be weary of what you are doing during a match. Don't just reuse the same strategy against everyone.

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III. Your "Comfort Zone" Isn't Safe

Some of you may be saying that you have the safest move in the game, that no one can punish it if you throw it out near them. While that may be true, you have a flaw with that. If said character has the best move in the entire Smash 4, why don't their mains abuse the move to win majors easy?

They can't.

You become predictable, even if it's the best move in the game. The best moves are often the most predictable ones because you use them so often which makes it easier to react to especially if you are facing any other good player. If Cloud's up air is Cloud's best option in the air, it would become extremely obvious if he only used up air. That's why you have to move the best move sparingly. It's good for a reason. Don't waste it.

If you don't use your best move you have to play like you don't have that move, and move outside of that comfort. People can study your play and tell what you rely on most for every situation no matter what move you are using. There is going to be a time where simply you can't use a good move so you have to be used to going without it. There's gonna be a time where you can't use Bayo combos simply because your opponent successfully DIs out of your combo. And it's not just weight dependent. Nojinko is considered to have the best SDI in the world, and he mains Ike. He's shown that he can get out of Bayo combos with every heavy weight or fast faller. Every heavy and fast faller.

There is always a way to answer your opponent even if it's not the way you want.

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IV. Examples of "Comfort Zone" vs. the Outside

There are so many instances of the "Comfort Zone" and we rely on it too much. Want to know why Falco or Dedede aren't as good in Smash 4 as Brawl or Melee? Because they don't have that chain grab or shine option to effectively beat your opponent.

-Your character will lose advantages that eliminate a need for a certain fundamental in your gameplay from game to game.

"Spike why don't you just learn all of your fundamentals then. Bruh, get gud at smash 4."

...

I'll explain it with a topic we all know well. In school, we normally all have a summer vacation. What happens when you don't use your Calculus for 3 months?

A. You forget a big portion of your math.

B. You it all clearly because you learned it previously.

If you answered with letter B I don't know what you do over the summer besides studying.

The correct answer would be A. You don't use that info so you just naturally forget it. This can be applied to Smash as well. You don't have a reaction engraved in your muscle memory.

How many of you have taken a long break from smash?

If you have, you most likely agree with me that you weren't as good as before you took that break. Or you are technically "out of shape." You know how good you can be, but you aren't there anymore.

That's what happens to a fundamental you don't practice for a while. When your character eliminates the need for an essential in Smash, you forget how to do it, no matter how important it is. Once you get to the highest level of play you can manage, you will start to realize that you will need that fundamental again. Your character can only do so much to eliminate that need for something in your gameplay. That's why you need to work on improving your main's weaknesses.

If you think about it logically, you spend the whole match making up for you and your own character's weaknesses and the more of each there are, the worse of a player you might appear. That doesn't exactly mean main Bayo either. While Bayo can certainly negate some of your weaknesses as a player, she certainly does not get rid of them. The only way you can do that is practice. That's why in some regards, it's easier to learn and improve with a character in the bottom half of the cast and then preform with a character in the top half. That way you are used to the mentality of eliminating your flaws during a match.

That's why there is no safe way to play any smash.

-We forget how to actually play defensively.

Okay I'm gonna talk about Brawl and Smash 4 specifically here because it applies a lot more in this situation.

We have forgotten how to dodge as Smash players.

Most of you guys realize you can airdodge as long as you want while you are in the air. You can spotdodge and as much as you want on the ground. We don't get out of our comfort zone and rely way too much on dodging out of that combo.

We get so used to this, that it's actually super predictable yet hard to punish. Why should I be punished for getting a hard read on a Mario and missing them by a single frame? Don't just say "get good, it's a read. You should have released it earlier to land it." Top players have become too reliant on the dodging mechanics of smash 4 and Brawl to the point where I could drastically tell the difference between Mew2King and his opponents in a smash 4 major because he wasn't dodging as much as they did. Even against top players.

While it can be hard to punish in certain situations, the reality of it is that people are going to be pushing the meta to find out a way to deal with how you get out of a combo. Bayos want to learn how to take your stock without trouble and they will make sure you can't just simply airdodge.

We as players have to learn to get out of that comfort zone and find alternatives to get out of combos rather than dodging in the same manner or standing and sootdoding every time someone comes at you with a dash. There's going to be that one situation where you spotdodge and they read the dodge and pivot grab you into a 50-50 in which they take your stock. Find new ways to get out of combos.

-Relying on 1 option for every piece of the game: This one is easy to point out. Building up damage as Bowser or DK? Grab. Need to take a stock as Mario? Up Smash. The answer seems relatively simple, right?

Your opponent will likely find a desperate countermeasure to ensure you can't land that up Smash or grab to achieve what you want at certain percents so it's up to you to find alternatives to your most optimal situation. You need to lure your opponent into a sense of security, their comfort zone. Keep them believing that you won't use your best option until the final match where you go all out. They most likely won't be expecting it or they will be in a worried mindset that you will use your best option putting them into disadvantage.

If you know a Bayo always goes for a heal slide to start a Bayo combo, what will be different the next time you try. Although it might be harder to avoid in your case, you are prepared and know how to get out in some cases. Trust me, it makes a differences gravely mixing up your options.

Mixups are a huge part of leaving your comfort zone, but many mixups include many of the same moves that make up true combos which means that it's still going to be somewhat more predictable.

Now I'm not telling you to go out of your way to try and start linking forward Smashes into each other and then complaining that this blog isn't helpful. That's something you don't want to try during a set at all. Make it somewhat realistic, but don't make it too predictable.

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V. When Should You Stay Within that Zone?

I'm not going to lie, there are times where you need to stay with your most comfortable situation because it's the best you got. You might not have a situation where any other option is safe so you need to use something you are used to. 50-50s only allow you two options; you are going to rely on one of the same options multiple times during a set assuming they consistently land the 50-50 setup.

If nothing is working, try and find something that works. Use that as much as possible because you probably don't have another option. Get used to not having options and make the most of them if you have them. Make sure to get in damage whenever possible. Keep pressure as long as you can. Make sure they are fighting in a disadvantaged or pressured state.

The "Comfort Zone" is how top players are upset. They become too comfortable that they often let themselves down in mentality during a match offering the opponent a huge advantage. No one expects top player 1 to get beaten by some rising or skilled player. They get used to doing the same thing so much to their opponent that they often let their guard down when someone knows how to deal with it or know how to get the upper hand.

You are never safe in Smash no matter how much you believe it. Picking Bayo isn't a guaranteed win against Hungrybox in Smash 4 just because he plays Puff in Melee a lot more. A good player knows how to beat a Bayo no matter their main. That said, being a top player does not eliminate the chance of you being upset by some random Bayo.

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VI. How Much Time is Left?

You normally have a set amount of time before your opponent will catch onto your habits and latch onto them. You need to use your best options as sparingly as possible. Make sure you aren't predictable in any shape or form. Eventually there's gonna be that day where people learn how to get out of your combos and deal with you. It's not gonna be pretty on your end either.

You need to play according to a few factors:

-How good is your move/combo/setup/mixup? How difficult would it be to deal with?

-Is there an easy alternative to get around or do you have to think of ways to adapt?

-What is the most optimal way to use that move and can people get out of it?

The better the player, the faster they catch onto you. That's why FG players and not top level players are easier to beat. They don't catch onto you as easy as some top player. Don't get used to pulling the same thing unless it successfully works on them consistently and they don't change their play accordingly.

The more experienced the opponent is with what you are doing, the less times you can preform it. It's tough, but come up with alternative scenarios to win.

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VII. Closure

Hope you enjoyed reading the blog! It's good to post something every so once in a while. I'll try to post more, but I don't know how possible that is in the future. It's almost Spring which means Easter time woo hoo!

Also I hope you enjoyed my cheesy conversation gif edits. ;3

Thanks for reading!

Dang it, I don't know why but this blog feels unusually short.