optimizing skills

[Findarian]

To help you figure out what division you belong to, please feel free to compare scores to what other people in your division have gotten on various songs. If you feel that any of these are incorrect, please let me know.

All scores are done by raw scoring (not total score, which is mainly combo-based)

D1
low
mid
high

D2
low
mid
high

D3
low
mid
high

D4
low
mid
high

D5
low
mid
high

D6
low
mid
high
elite


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(hi19hi19's version)

D1 - Difficulty PAing 8s and lower.
D2B: Able to PAs 8s and can read many 9s and possibly low VCs.
D2A: PAs nearly all 9s and can read VCs.
D3B: PA the lower VCs well, can read up to the low FMOs.
D3A: Able to PA nearly all VCs, can read mid FMOs well.
D4B: Can PA low and mid FMOs well, can possibly read a few lower FGOs but difficulty PAing them.
D4A: Can PA high FMOs and possibly the lowest FGOs, but struggles with higher FGOs.
D5D: Can PA low FGOs, can read mid FGOs well.
D5C: Can PA low and mid FGOs, can read high FGOs well and PA them somewhat.
D5B: No problem PAing mid-high FGOs, can read and decently PA 13s.
D5A: PAs 13s extremely well. The usual elite.
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^ this will be removed after sufficient data has been collected from the community to make the other one more applicable.





==revising to fit exact divisions soon==


I'm just taking a stab at what is the best way to improve from division to division. I need help as to how to climb up the D6 ladder at an optimal rate, so that would always be helpful if you've done it and want to give advice, or share what you did.

I would love for this to be a general guide, but I need a lot of input (and im typing this out on my phone) so help is greatly appreciated!

-I'll add in a list of general requirements for each division in the morning






EDITED VERSION:

General Rules to follow to improve no matter your division:

-Play charts that are slightly above your level, just out of your reach on being able to pa well on.
-Take breaks if you're needing them. You won't lose that new skill boost if you wait 5mins to rest your hands.
-If you're having an off day, it won't kill you to just not play that day. If you're having an off week, go find something else to do and come back to it later.
-If you've taken an extended absence, it will take time to get back up to where you were, but it will come much faster than it did before, just keep improving as if you were worse again to get there faster. (if you were D3 and now feel like D1, don't play songs that you did as a D3 player, it will only lead to frustration and not getting back to your original skill level as fast)
-Give SM a try, it seems to help almost everyone improve vastly. I personally wouldn't recommend it until at least high D2, just because the timing is more strict.

Improving tips for each subdivision:

After you have figured out your division, and where you stand, these are some useful tips to improve at a more rapid pace than you would probably otherwise.

Low D1 -> Mid D1: Play until you're at least able to pass every song. After you're able to do this, work on the lowest levels trying to fc them with having as few boos as possible.
Mid D1 -> High D1: Try AAAing some level 1-15 songs, mainly focus on playing level (old scale 6-8 = ?? 1-99 scale)
High D1 -> Low D2:
Low D2 -> Mid D2:
Mid D2 -> High D2:
High D2 -> Low D3:
Low D3 -> Mid D3:
Mid D3 -> High D3:
High D3 -> Low D4:
Low D4 -> Mid D4:
Mid D4 -> High D4:
High D4 -> Low D5:
Low D5 -> Mid D5:
Mid D5 -> High D5:
High D5 -> Low D6:
Low D6 -> Mid D6:
Mid D6 -> High D6:
High D6 -> Elite D6:








From low d1 to high d1, playing focus on muscle memory, and reading patterns. 99% is just playing focused though

From D1 to D2, Main focus should be reading ability, followed by speed or accuracy (preference)

From D2 to D3, main focus should be accuracy (able to aaa 300-500 notes in a row on easier songs) and speed (able to move your fingers without having them get super tense) with a secondary focus on reading ability, followed by stamina

From D3 to D4, main focus should be consistency with vc's and a preference in either speed or accuracy (you should be able to tell vs others in you division which you lean more towards) and have a secondary focus spent on optimizing scores on songs via looking at how you play and figuring out what you're doing wrong, or finding patterns you suck at and improving them for weeks on end. (I personally couldn't vibrate at all until high D4. The way I figured out how to do it was to control the muscle used when making a super tight fist that it begins to shake uncontrollably. It took me 3 days and 15hrs to be able to do it decently well I practiced solely on dossar's engine on his vibrating files) Play files that are a little bit above your level until they click with you and you're able to do them well.

From D4 to D5, accuracy and consistency is a must, if you don't have them, go practice until you do, or you'll be stuck. Speed is essential as you move up, js and streaming abilities should be 260/200 bpm 16ths about. Practice anchors and walls if you haven't already. This is where dumps should become your friend. learn vibrating if you haven't already, and hopefully you're beginning to realize that you can still improve your reading ability. It should be your main focus along with speed.

From D5 to D6: (Thanks Dossar)
- Be in good health. I myself don't exercise much at all (I tired out fast when I played DDR at 8 on the break) but I rarely eat fast food and I instead have a wide variety of foods. If your body isn't nourished very well and you aren't getting much rest, it won't be surprising if you tire out faster.
- Look at files more closely. That is, don't mindlessly whore files anymore. Isolations aren't magic, but they help with timing and give a hands-on approach to certain sections. Take advantage of these; I personally am still not able to do sections like Crowdpleaser's 64th cluster part consistently, but it's better than wasting your time. FFR is 30 fps, so frame placements matter a lot. I've done a lot of manipulation for files like Grist, grind2, Rave7, and so on.
- You need an operating system that runs the game decently and a responsive keyboard that isn't physically burdening you. I myself can't play on bulky keyboards. This is very crucial at this point as it does make a tremendous difference, so find out what works best. I'm currently handicapped with legacy on the official site for now, so I'm still a bit stuck here if I don't want to play offline for harder files.
- Play a variety of files. VERY IMPORTANT. The same file from what I've observed will almost always give you bad habits. If you notice you're doing worse, stop. When I was whoring Rave7 one day and got a low SDG, I was doing worse and worse and went to 9 goods, and stopped and played it later.
- Learn to manipulate. Jumptrilling, etc. you still may not be able to AAA a file, but it's better than dumping like 10 goods in a section that you can read but still aren't hitting remotely close.
- Be able to full combo jacks at a moderately fast speed. Most files on FFR don't require much vibrating, but a lot of the longer jacks are at a pretty fast speed.
- Be confident when you play. Yes, I myself still sometimes have nerves when I'm playing files like Scrap Syndrome and have an AAA to the last 100 notes. If you don't AAA the file in your run, you at least will be able to finish knowing you did what you could, and just weren't as lucky that time.
- Play through an entire file a few times. Most players will quit out of a song after seeing they have 1 good or whatever. I do this too, but sometimes even if I have a good or two I get to have a feel for the entire file and remember combo marks.



==revising to fit exact divisions soon==


This is just a general outline for now, tomorrow when I have my computer I'll be posting scores for low/mid/high of every division and general skills to check along the way, and optimization for moving up in D6 if someone shares any info