Playing Routines (In-Depth Guide)

[Dynam0]

This is a lengthy post so if you aren't a serious player, don't bother reading this, there is no tl;dr version, sorry.

Not to be confused with "weird routines you have while playing", like setting up your lucky troll next to your keyboard. I'm talking about developing a strict routine that allows you to get warmed up for the kind of performance you're looking for.

I'll start with the basics; in order to perform at your maximum for ANY discipline in the game, you must ensure you've gotten a reasonable amount of sleep and have eaten something nutritious and thus have both the mental and physical preparation needed for awesome playing. Common sense but some people don't think about this sometimes.

Now, I'll also say that this guide will not be the magic formula for every SM player, but I'm hoping it can help some players out so they can develop some kind of routine to follow and keep things balanced. If any other players would like to toss their knowledge in, it would be much appreciated and help make this 'guide' more complete.

The big question you need to ask yourself before playing is:

What kind of files will I be playing today and which skills do I hope to develop?

I'm positive that most players don't even consider this before they open SM (after all this game is just for FUN), but for serious players it's important to think about since playing the same file a few times every day can present mind-blocks very quickly. In terms of the skills you aim to develop, I divide them into four main disciplines: Accuracy/Control, Speed, Stamina, and Vibrating. Although I am not an expert, other skills could be reading and mine avoidance (dodgeball), however I didn't include these since I dislike mines and I think serious players are already very proficient in reading patterns.

I'll now attempt to give insight on the best ways to warm-up and go about improving in these areas:



Accuracy/Control:

This is a crucial skill that every player -even the fast ones- need. Although you can separate the two since accuracy is essentially MA and control is the ability to not cb-rush or develop mind-blocks/nervousness, I put them together because the routine required to improve these is the same.

Experienced players will agree, your accuracy will always get better and will only worsen when going on a hiatus or breaking from the game for a while. Even then, upon returning to the game, your timing should naturally come back rapidly. Control, specifically of your mind, is difficult to improve and requires patience if anything. Simple rule of thumb is to not be frustrated; the second your mood starts declining, your scores will see a similar fate and you should take a break. You NEED to be confident and thinking positively in order to achieve the best results.

Warming up to improve accuracy and control is simple and the least stressful in my opinion. Start with simple files that you can AAA with ease, this will loosen the fingers up and allow for proper technique. Playing files that are too hard early will force you to tighten up and technique will be sloppy. Only move to trickier files if you think you're ready for them. The rest is easy as well, just practice practice practice. Many players will train using a higher judge since this allows them to receive feedback even when they would normally get a marvelous. Control can refer to tricky sections or difficulty spikes where small bursts or quick sections require steadiness. My experience with this is that you want to attack these files shortly after you've warmed up. Playing StepMania for over an hour or so leaves your hands/fingers too tense/strained to perform quick bursts with proper technique. If you are training for control of burst-type patterns, you shouldn't play warmed up for longer than an hour. There really isn't a specific time limit when you train for accuracy, simply STOP playing when you notice the caliber of your scores start to diminish. You'll find that even if you work on the other disciplines (save for vibrating), your accuracy and control will also improve slightly.

In short, take your time warming up and make sure you don't play easy songs with difficulty spikes too late into your session. Practice!!




Speed

Most players (myself included) strive to increase their raw finger speed. Of course all of these disciplines are connected in some way and there are grey areas between them. Stamina is related in that it is essential for maintaining speed, so perhaps it would be wise to alternate between a speed building session and a stamina building session. Speed has been derived from fast execution of patterns in a variety of forms; streams, jacks, trills, jumpgluts, jumpstream, handstream, etc. Really though, there are only two basic motions that define finger speed: Alternating notes on one hand (one handed trilling), and repeating notes on one hand (jacking). The combination of those two motions on one hand and performing them in concert with both hands simultaneously defines overall speed. Finger speed in addition to coordination is what gives raw speed in StepMania.

Warming up to build this skill can vary largely depending on the person (experts help here). I like to start out simple to allow the hands to loosen up and fall into proper technical form. From there it's just a matter of increasing the difficulty one step at a time. Once you are warmed up and your finger speed is optimal, this is where the tricky decisions come in. Do you play files more suited to build one handed trilling or do you play files that test your abilities with repeating notes (jacks)? My experience has always been that you will be able to one handed trill more effectively with relaxed hands. Everyone knows that wrist-jacking forces the fingers to tense up. Once the fingers are tense, it is very difficult to return them back to a fluid, relaxed state which is why building speed and accuracy in the same session is problematic. Many players will practice building speed by using higher music rates. This allows them to gauge their improvement, for example last week you were only able to AA Quasar 1.7x but this week you managed to AA Quasar 1.8x. Staiain has suggested that when you reach pinnacle playing speed to increase your speed mod slightly as well (I have yet to try this but it works for him).

My advice is to warm up quickly while keeping the hands relaxed until you've reached your optimal finger speed. Play files that are prone to one handed trilling early in your session with files that require jacking later on. Alternate this speed building session with a stamina building session on every other day in order to maintain your speed over longer periods. If you notice your hands becoming too tired and your level of play is slipping, simply end your session or play easier files. You don't want to cause damage, this is important for stamina training as well.

I don't consider myself an expert with speed so hopefully others can give pointers that I can add.




Stamina:

~Coming soon



Vibrating

~Coming soon









I've been writing up this post for over an hour and need to go to bed now...I won't be able to finish it until tomorrow night or so. Sorry! Feel free to suggest things and discuss what works best for you.

Routines are extremely important for optimum performance and I encourage everyone to try and develop their own. Peace!