GDN: Fighting game tournaments have been around for a long time; some players have been involved since the original Street Fighter II: World Warrior was in arcades! What advice would you offer to newcomers who might want to get into the scene now?

Juicebox: Make sure you like the game first. Don’t get involved in something that will feel like a chore. If you lose a match and feel like quitting, maybe you should. Losses should motivate and inspire you.

GDN: You’ve made significant efforts to reach out to newer players. Can you share with us any resources that they should check out to improve themselves?

Juicebox: First, read Playing To Win by David Sirlin. This will teach you important things that are true of any competitive pursuit, and should help you overcome any remaining ’scrubbiness’ you may still have.

Also listen to the Juicy Bits Podcast at blgaming.com. I’ve covered a lot of the simple topics you’ll need to level up your game, and there’s a new episode every Wednesday. I’ve kept on schedule for 11 weeks at the time of this writing!

And if I had to name one skill as the most important to have, it’s Footsies. (Interviewer’s note: ’Footsies’ is a broad term for several aspects of mid-range combat) Read Maj’s Footsies Handbook on SonicHurricane.com and apply it ruthlessly.

Or if you have a specific question, I’d be happy to answer it! Send an email to juiceboxabel@gmail.com, or leave a voicemail at 602-759-0415. I may answer it immediately, or I may hold onto it to use in a future episode of Juicy Bits!

GDN: How about things we commonly see in tournaments, but look unintuitive. For example, you’ll often see expert players do what looks like random attacks that aren’t in range to hit; like they were button mashing. But there’s a deeper purpose to it, isn’t there?

Juicebox: There are two main reasons for this. One, they are trying to scare the other player into playing defensively. If I do nonsense moves and then you jump and I anti-air, you will attribute those moves with solid anti-air. Later in the match, I could do two jabs and you will not jump, because of what happened last time I threw two empty jabs. I can use this knowledge (your fear) to my advantage. The second reason is to feign activity. If Ryu is standing still, you will likely try to approach him. But if he isn’t, if he takes calculated movements and throws out lots of different-looking normals, then when is the fireball coming? Now, or maybe now? It’s very confusing to try predicting your opponent with all the “noise” he’s producing.

GDN: For that matter, competitive players often seem to take a much slower pace. They don’t jump as often as you might expect even though this might lead to a big combo, or use a cautious defense when getting up from knockdown instead of doing an invincible ’wakeup uppercut.’ What can we learn from all that?

Juicebox: Unless you are taking a calculated risk, you want to minimize risk as much as possible when you’re playing seriously. The reason is simple, because there are two ways to win: reducing your opponent’s life to zero, or having more life than your opponent when time runs out. People often forget that playing defensively has the advantage of forcing the opponent to take action, assuming you have the life lead. Play to win, but also play to avoid losing.

GDN: Moving on, there is a little ’dance’ you do when you connect with some of Abel’s Ultras, miming the motions for yourself. Is there any particular reason for it, like teasing the other player, keeping yourself psyched up, or some other purpose?

Juicebox: I just enjoy the game. Maybe you tried to do a real life Hadoken when you were a kid? It’s kinda like that. I think more people should have fun with the game. When EG Marn did his Ultra Combo at Devastation this year, I was honestly happy. I want more players’ personalities to come out, and for the community to embrace the diversity of its people. Also, Ultra animations take awhile to play out after they land. It’s one way of keeping myself psyched up for the rest of the round.

GDN: Do you have any other projects coming up that you’d like to share? Whether it’s attending a big event, or launching a new series of articles, etc.?

Juicebox: BLG will be running its own SSF4 stream very soon. It will be organized by my teammate Filipino Champ and it will be pros-only, and invite-only. It should be well worth watching for any players hoping to see true high level play in the online arena. BLG also has other plans for the future. I can’t reveal any specifics, but know that BLG is serious about SSF4 and the future of community. I can’t wait for all the cool stuff we have planned!

GDN: Thank you for your time, and good luck!

Juicebox: Thanks a lot, homie.