Proactive Interference Blues

I'm not going to sugarcoat it. My transition from the directional pad to my new Hori Fighting Stick 3 has been abysmal. I've been using the stick for SCIII and Third Strike, and though Soul Cal isn't quite as jarring a shock, the rapid fire inputs neccesary in Capcom's 2D fighters have forced the realization that I need to retrain myself to an extent for which I was unprepared. I'm thinking a hyperbolic time chamber may be in order to solve this dilemma.

I've read a handful of threads on the subject, and expectedly they all give me the old "practice, practice, practice" advice. But goddamn, it has been rough. My Dragon Punch input (f,d,df/623) is getting to the point of reliability, though my RDP (b,d,db/421) has been pretty hit or miss. Oh, and the Super Art motion (qcf,qcf/236236) I hit about once in every ten attempts, which is unmistakably a match-losing percentage.

On top of that, my strings are too disconnected to combo. I don't think I've hit Akuma's crouching forward, short Tatsumaki, fierce Gou Shoryu once yet. Shit, I can barely throw Zanku Hadous on my first attempt. My parrying is virtually non-existent. If I recall correctly, in my latest set of 3s matches with Legoman, all of which were against his solid Ryu, the only match I eked out was with Dudley, with whom I am only peripherally proficient. (Luckily for me, Lego was completely unprepared for Dud's Cross Counter. ^^)

Take for instance one of my favorite Cervantes setups. The Dread Charge (qcb+B/214B) into the dash cancel (f+B+K/6BK) into his Phantasmal Fleet command throw (qcf,qcf+B+G/236236BG). I had hoped this would become easier with my new stick, but I am even further away now than I was before. My fingers are clumsy, and my stick control imprecise.

My Killa style... I mourns it!!

I do not doubt the sage advice of my fellow fighter fans, that there is a glorious glowing light shining at the end of this arduous tunnel, shining brightly with the promise of faster inputs and kara cancels. Right now, though, that light is a dot. It is a motherfucking dot.