Why Your Fireball & Zoning Game SUCKS!

[@MannyGrey]

I agree with this because [ i ACTUALLY KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT STREET FIGHTER] But i'ma trust you tho

[@Zaferino1]

I have no choice but to pin these biblical words

[@Zaferino1]

What did you think of the video? I'd love to hear your feedback. The Fireball game is something that's rarely understood and even less so, taught. I've been hesitant to release this out of fear of failing to deliver. I'm glad I did it though, at worst, I'll learn from this.

[@Lee313FGC]

I love the vid zaf wish there was more content like this. I play ken and sagat so I can def put what I learned from here into my gameplay. I been thinking recently about how to throw much safer and smarter fireballs so this video def helped. Alot to think about.

[@Lee313FGC]

Maybe why your fireball game is good is next up

[@Quintessa_77]

I'm liking this deep breakdown of the mindset and habits involved in the process, but as a Grappler main.. I think there's actually a lot that can be gained by applying this to both handling being zoned AND in our in close game in a way. Great work and I look forward to future videos. definite subscribe from here on in.

[@grasshopper30000]

Great video I am indecisive when I throw fireball thank you for the video.

[@commdaofighting]

This is the tech I wanna see 🙏 Really appreciate the level of depth you take this. With all the things I worry about improving in fighters, gotta admit my projectile awareness is really low unless I'm spamming at low health.

[@tatenda1803]

watching this in 2023 man with the music it feels like the middle of a training arc in anime haha

[@antwerp7970]

This the type of video that's when you watch it, it's so obviously good and coming from a master of the craft that I can't wait to go home and get on the grind

[@Zaferino1]

Damn…this comment warmed my heart. Thankful to receive such praise. 🙏🏻💙

[@randymartin9040]

I remember meeting Kaizen Master in forums back in sf4, and I remember his eccentricities when he spoke, my own mindset towards winning, and sometimes the way he talked to others in the group really made me take a dislike to him, never quite sure from his videos like hadouken magic were supposed to be accomplishing etc. It's definitely cool to know that I was wrong about him, giving that you hail him as your mentor, and were willing to listen to the message and not the delivery. Your videos like this on mindset, remind me a lot of what he used to talk about, but I feel you break it down into a very engageable manner which is incredibly informative, so thank you for that. Your content is amazing, looking forwards to seeing you in 6 (I remember your fei in tournaments from 4) and learning a lot from you. Thank you for putting this fantastic knowledge out there and sharing it with us.

[@proggy86]

glad you took a break Zaf, even more happy to see you back

[@jahighansam5444]

This is one of my favorite videos ever. You have no idea how helpful this video was for me.. for fighting games sure, but more importantly for my own life. Thank you!

[@Zaferino1]

Thank you so much for taking your time to watch and then commenting. I appreciate it dearly.

[@opssoldier3316]

Rythym is so important in Mortal Kombat where slides, teleports and divekicks exist. I’ve seen top players like Foxy throw fireballs and rarely get jumped on or punished by a teleport, and now this video has helped to figure out why

[@Zaferino1]

Awesome :-) lmk how your progress goes

[@DragonflySwamp]

I clicked on this video on a whim and it was surprisingly informative. I knew most of these ideas already, but it was nice to hear them explained from a SF perspective rather than an airdasher perspective (where pre-empting airdashes and air movement is way more important to worry about than fireballs). I can tell that you understand the game well, but what would improve this video and future videos a lot is to provide some examples of how people can mindfully practice the strategies you describe. Regarding wasted movement, for instance, a player could give himself the restriction "don't move unless I specifically have a goal in mind to accomplish," or "whenever I want to move forward and poke, I'm just going to move forward instead." Looking forward to part two. EDIT: have you ever tried getting into an airdasher aside from Strive?

[@demonkingnobunaga]

Thanks to your video I can now time my fireball EXACTLY when my connection spikes to 200ms and force my opponent to block or they have to take the ambiguous fast/slow fireball mixup due to how laggy the fireball travels.

[@Zaferino1]

Genius 🤝 You

[@OscarG787]

How do I improve my banana peels and my Red Bull cans bro?! Please and thank you. 😊

[@Zaferino1]

I'm still in the Himalayan mountains meditating to figure this out

[@XxImStarvingxX]

Most sophisticated birdie player right here^

[@OscarG787]

@@Zaferino1 🤣🤣

[@Zetaku3]

I loved the insight you give on things like recognizing shifts in your opponent. It's some of the hard truths that one realizes while playing but when you verbalize it it's like WOW yeah that's so important.

[@myboy_]

My man straight up just said the fireball game is the ever changing images in the reflection of a river. Based sensei

[@iZonkGaming2021]

Good stuff Zaf, this is what I tell myself is the Nike style. Just DO it. If you hesitate to throw shots then the fireball character loses his strength. I like vs2 more for Sagat than vs1 but I play vs1 more because it forces me to play the fireball - dp game. Thx for the wisdom ✌️

[@MumTheWeiser]

this is excellent. i really like the way you explain the mind state and the emotional state parts of the game

[@noep7604]

To always assume that your opponent is going to jump in when you throw a fireball kinda blew my mind ratatouille style

[@Zaferino1]

Lmao 😂

[@HeavenlyPress]

Damn, bro spitting. It’s cool to hear someone else share the way I think about FGs

[@brianjohnson9423]

Good stuff. It's always good to talk about the mental aspect of your opponent and how to take advantage of it.

[@Balrog6x]

Do my eyes deceive me? Is this THE zaf fireball video? I may need to get back into SF now...

[@Zaferino1]

In the flesh

[@MrJuzJoe]

Wow! It is hard to explain in words but whatever you just mentioned in the video while i reminiscent my past gameplay as you talk makes alot of sense. 😮

[@co81385]

Great video, and great topic for a video! I never really thought about to check for how your opponent reacts when a fireball is about to make contact with them, and not just when the fireball makes contact! I also liked that you used Guile in this example. Most guides on the fireball game feature characters like Ryu or Sagat who can throw their fireballs instantly, which is something that Guile can not do. I must say that it was only a couple of months ago that I started to think of fireballs as something that you can use as a "second" version of yourself, or as something that you want to use more to take of space and force a reaction out of your opponent, as opposed to something that you want to strike the opponent with. Most of my fighting game experience is with the SF2 series, where fireballs can be used as something that you want to strike your opponent with, and as something that can be very damaging to your opponent, so I had been thinking of fireballs more in that regard than as objects to take up space on the screen with.

[@durant3248]

A year later but I found this video. Subscribed.

[@chatjayasuriya7567]

This is some real wisdom brotha. The Oro track is 100% appropriate here

[@GrandmasterX]

Zaf on his Daigo bs with these metaphors lmao i love it

[@simondiamond9628]

Zaf over here tossing Fireballs like Bob Ross tossing paint on a piece of canvas, waiting for happy little accidents to happen... 😛 😁 All kidding aside, solid vid Zaf. Definitely good to learn and re-learn these lessons. Certainly looking forward to part 2. 👍

[@Zaferino1]

LMAO you sunk my battleship

[@jaymillerreal]

dude actually no meme I've been stuck at plat for a week and a half and I watched this video and the literal next time I sat down I broke through to super plat. Thank you for your help I will continue to ponder the mysteries of the fireball

[@connorpinzon]

Always love to see new content bro, lookin forward to more n be safe

[@vitortoninimachado86]

This should be a new entry at Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy as Philosophy of Fireball Game.

[@21leowheeler]

man im mid video and you touched my soul already, thanks for the talk, big fan.

[@birnbaum9852]

Thank you very much ma man, high quality content like always. Good to see you and see you healthy 🤘

[@axidlike2540]

wow this is every good video on deeper levels of zoning never thought of I don't play sfv but I'm try to apply theses ideas into smash

[@Zaferino1]

Nice!! Stay in touch and let me know your progress (I'm on twitter @zaferino1 or hmu on my streams when Im live)

[@axidlike2540]

@@Zaferino1 for sure

[@Fiox789]

I've been waiting for this video for so long

[@lucasyoshida9180]

Awesome guide dude thanks a lot. Finally a really in depth guide about zoning beside, "just throw fireball and fk if you think they are gonna jump"

[@Zaferino1]

Thank you for taking your time to watch 😎👍🏼

[@JohnDiazKingpin]

I love the comments here coming from all over the fgc. The biggest take away for me is “accept that when you throw the fireball that they have already jumped” like I do get caught off guard like “oh I didn’t expect them to jump” wtf else should I expect them to do 🤦🏽‍♂️ So good to change my mindset.

[@xNightMareEffecT]

I have now been blessed with a good fireball game 🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽

[@Xiaobla]

Hey bro great job at nlbc, it was fantastic to watch

[@FightingFoxTK]

Dude i needed this so bad.

[@osmancoolkid5003]

This video was amazing bruh this stuff isn't even just applicable to street fighter this video was relevant to my entire existence deadass

[@georgeelliott6877]

The speeds are perfect based on the distance.

[@JustPokey]

Great choice of music at the start, Zaf 😊

[@Zaferino1]

Just for you bb

[@RoyArkon]

Excellent video dude. As a Zoning player myself I really appreciate seeing a video like this that can help me for my game. Thanks a lot dude. 😊

[@ssbpleb]

This was awesome dude

[@Zaferino1]

Thanks friend :-) What's your favorite part? (or main takeaway)

[@teenealz9910]

This is not tutorial this is a card pulling cuz you telling bout myself and you don't even KNOW ME!!! Great video, you earned a sub!

[@Zaferino1]

lmao nah your humor is too clever, join my stream and we dance sometime

[@teenealz9910]

@@Zaferino1 cool!!

[@alkalinemk1588]

I need to watch this bad my chun li gets jumped in all the time I got the replays to prove it lol

[@Zaferino1]

Enjoy the video, it’ll point out a lot of psychological blunders that lead to low quality play for any character, just through the perspective of a fireball.

[@alkalinemk1588]

@@Zaferino1 Yeah man I've def learned a lot from you already. I've been watching your footsie series everyday this week while I ride the exersicr bike during workouts. You have a unique mind man you'll be successful no matter what you do. I picked up fighting games a couple years ago as a hobby when I got sober , got a long way to go but I can honestly say I can't wait to get home everyday and learn something new. Thanks again.

[@Zaferino1]

@@alkalinemk1588 hell yeah bro!! Hopefully I’ll catch you around the stream. I can introduce you to the community. It’s a bunch of minds like ours but from different parts of the country and world. Come thru :-)

[@alkalinemk1588]

@@Zaferino1 hell yeah that is awesome to hear and will 100% catch one soon bro, appreciate that!! Will keep training in the meantime 💪

[@lol1013]

This video is hidden gem

[@Kitzioj]

so useful in every fighting game! thanks

[@Zaferino1]

Joiztik the 🐐

[@georgeelliott6877]

Light is slow. Heavy is fast. Light starts slow with slower recovery. Heavy comes out faster and travels faster with less recovery.

[@Zaferino1]

That's not true. Most fireball characters have the same total recovery regardless of strength. There are some exceptions though (Ex. Luke) but there will be a trade off like slower startup.

[@Jeffeffify]

Awesome video! I tend to struggle when I'm on the right side and my dp's are inconsistent, do you have any tips to get more confident?

[@Zaferino1]

Return to being a baby. Forget that you know how to play on the left, and that it’s your first time ever learning. Take it slow, enjoy the process and don’t be harsh on yourself. Love yourself good sir. Have fun

[@Jeffeffify]

@@Zaferino1 appreciate the advice, love the sagat vids ❤

[@Zaferino1]

@@Jeffeffify how did your DP practice go?

[@Jeffeffify]

@@Zaferino1 definately better, I think its more of a confidence issue on the right side. When i see the jump, my fingers twitch and my joystick wiggles get inconsistent cause I get scared

[@Zaferino1]

@@Jeffeffify the key is to train yourself to ~believe ~ it’s possible. Practice ALWAYS DP’ing even if you block jump ins you meant to Anti Air. This will help your brain make the associations of them jumping with your AA. Then one day it’ll be automatic. And then big bird will say you have a DP button 🌝

[@thex-filesfgc4277]

Saw it live on stream, enjoyed it again here. I just have one question: How do you adjust the machine gun strategy in matchups where fireballs are easily nulified with V-Skills or simple special moves? (Balrog, Ed, Bison, Falke, Dhalsim, Nash and others). How do you remain confident?

[@Zaferino1]

Make them lose their confidence, make them consider things they normally don't.

[@adequatekyle796]

I always love the great content but I don't feel like you touched on G's fireball. It's definitely has slow recovery, so how do you use it?

[@Zaferino1]

More so as a poke to entice people to jump.

[@adequatekyle796]

@@Zaferino1 Thanks man. That makes a lot of sense. Idk why I couldn't wrap my head around it lol.

[@Zaferino1]

@@adequatekyle796 the answers aren’t always obvious, it happens. That’s where your community comes in to help you think differently :-)

[@lilfoxbot]

great video, thank you lord zaf

[@Zaferino1]

No thank you for watching :-)

[@ericyu650]

master zaferino, please allow me to be you pupil, what you are saying is full of zen and needs time to digest one word at a time.

[@Zaferino1]

Come by the stream sometime :-)

[@Student_DBFZ]

I study your videos and try to apply it to dbfz.

[@Zaferino1]

Hell yeah fam. Rooting for your success! 🔥

[@loogatdisdood]

i love when people jump lol

[@bungusbajablast2877]

hmm yes very useful (plays 2 parry games and an anime fighter)

[@MeVsZolVlBiE]

Bruh I have been playing fighting games for 11 years and I have no idea what you're saying(I do but it's weird). Like you're trying to explain the higher level principles that dictate how you apply fireballs/zoning as strategy, and I feel most people will miss the trees for the forest. Like *what* is the difference between playing for information and playing to capitalize on what you learned. What *does* that look like in terms of zoning play. You have to give people some little insight into some basic principles by showing them examples of shit, like just showing them how there are spaces where blocking a sagat fireball and jumping gets you smacked in the mouth by a high tiger on jump startup. Maybe give them some idea of where the "mix" is and how to leverage the low risk/high *information* return zoning demands you to understand. Sure I get you want to teach the men to fish, but to the absolutely uninformed this has to feel like nothing but random platitudes. The way you structured this/the script was really cool though. For mid levelers/perhaps even really strong players maybe this is the next big step for sure. Deep dives into how different fireballs zone/ interact with other fireballs would be a DOPE idea for a vid and you'd probably be really qualified to make it.

[@Zaferino1]

This video was for the mid-high level players. Most of my content is tbh. I don’t want too much topics and skill levels being touch on in a video. Attention spans and retention being the main reason

[@bambino-sama]

Great Video Try to use in the fighting games I play… good fav knowledge… check me out bro… thnx for the word