Is it no point playing anymore if I cant react to DI

[Dalollypop]

I'm just a noob(gold5), but I still have 1% reaction rate to drive impact even when I am looking for it and know its coming, and even predict it, and still fail. Seems impossible for someone with very slow reactions like me.
played a few hours today and not one DI counter in 20+ games. (on purpose)
I dont think its possible for me to improve my boomer reaction times any better.

[Peddie]

What made it click for me was an opponent who just loved to use drive impact all the time. At that point it's basically a slightly more interactive and unpredictable version of the Drive Impact simple training scenario.

[X]

Its very normal as a new player to not be able to react to DI. Not reacting and getting hit by DI are very different though. Blocking DI is not the end of the world. As a new player try not to throw out a lot of slow normals and get blown up by random DI. Also incorporate some nuetral jumps and you will blow up the DI.
Finally I always throw this out there, go to sound settings, you can turn up the DI sound and matbe that will help que you to react better. GLHF.

[Lysamus]

There's a training mode module that you can use to help practice your reactions to DI.

Be patient with yourself. You don't miss out on any prizes for solving the issue within any particular deadline, so allow yourself time to learn and absorb without letting it impact your self image (as best you can at least).

I'm also old (90s World Warrior), and I'm by no means good, but I have gotten better at reacting to DIs then when I first started. I'm confident you can improve as well, given time, patience and practice.

[Cokonaut]

also make sure you have a shortcut set for DI for one-button activation

[Suntorias]

Reacting to raw DI is not that easy, but most of the time you don't have to.

There are blockstrings where you can cancel into DI at any point, or well spaced/timed pokes that recover just before getting hit by DI, in all those cases you get plenty of extra time to react to a defensive DI.

Offensive DI isn't much of a threat outside the corner, you are meter positive compared to the opponent even if you block it, and if you happen to parry because you were doing that anyways, you're way ahead of them.

[Tr3m0r]

Another point that doesn't get discussed much is the ability of expecting it with a high level of reliability.

Its similar to how frame generation works or rollback netcode as odd as that's gonna sound. But there are so many autonomous things occurring simultaneously that our brains will be sorting through. Its a matter of time when the instinctual gut feeling of "they are gonna DI" where it may be accurate a portion of the time or at least then prime you to look out for it at the times it's most likely to occur.

Its a neurological process but does hold weight not just for games but anything that is done over and over again with repetition. It's pretty crazy to think about it. Driving is a good example. After years of driving, its easy to be almost day dreaming going through the motions and still doing very complex visual calculations at the same time. Some of my best gaming moments have been when I was talking to someone else or just in my head about other stuff.

[Dalollypop]

Originally posted by Cokonaut:

also make sure you have a shortcut set for DI for one-button activation

oh I have it set like sf4 controls since thats what im used to. I should put it in quick reach tbh but then my triple PPP KKK buttons are changed for EX attacks.
would be unconfortable what im used to. But I guess i can try

[Suntorias]

Originally posted by Dalollypop:

Originally posted by Cokonaut:

also make sure you have a shortcut set for DI for one-button activation

oh I have it set like sf4 controls since thats what im used to. I should put it in quick reach tbh but then my triple PPP KKK buttons are changed for EX attacks.
would be unconfortable what im used to. But I guess i can try

There's not much point in PPP KKK here, Parry + DI is the way to go.

[OgichiGame]

It just takes time to get used to it.
What you're going through is the same thing everyone does with any new tech they have to learn. You practice it, try to keep it in mind and look for it, and even when you know it's coming you choke. Happens to everyone trying to learn something new.
Just keep trying, and being prepared for it, and eventually you'll just sort of have it down. I don't even really think about DI anymore. I almost always hit the counter DI now. I even actively bait it out my opponents sometimes.

[Doc Holiday]

I think I'm the only one that still press 2 buttons for DI and Parry

[thenazavr]

Originally posted by X:

Its very normal as a new player to not be able to react to DI. Not reacting and getting hit by DI are very different though. Blocking DI is not the end of the world. As a new player try not to throw out a lot of slow normals and get blown up by random DI.

Good point!

The thing that helped me a lot is to make more DI checks by cancelable buttons if you always losing no-brain DIs at neutral. You can't use DI if you already made special cancel or uncancelable move. Some chatacters can do checks even with special cancels like Rashid, Marisa and Terry in some cases (list isn't full) - they can interrupt DI by fast 3 hits or armour but will not get counter DI combo. So yeah, more fast buttons, more checks, more patience, less instant damage intentions. LPLP confirming is a good tool - special if hits, nothing if block, counter DI if DI.

Also modern controls can make the checks harder, because of stupid buffer on auto and target buttons. Like you may rapidly press it 1 time more and get the continuation of your series which you will not able to cancel to DI in time. This is pretty specific modern thing so don't multi tap autos.

The corner pressure DI is reactable only and even pro players losing it from time too time. You may create the mindmap for in-corner situation where exist the only 2 buttons: DI or Throw and both can kill ya if pressed wrong time. DP exist too but it's is yolo btw. You don't need any other thoughts in corner, because your opponent in the most cases (matchup specific situations) will try to bait you to throw whiff, do exDP or do DI. So if you will clean your mind of other thoughts and scenarios it will a way easy to react.

Hope it helps!

[Double Jump]

A lot of good advice has been given already. I'd like to add a bit to boost your confidence and motivation a little.

TL;DR: One Button DI, train muscle memory, anticipate only in situations that matter

First off, I'm old, I have in general slow reaction speed. But this does not keep me from reacting to DI. Here is the "secret":

The magic words are muscle memory and anticipation. As mentioned above put your DI and maybe even your parry on a single button! This way you are only required to twitch a single digit, which helps with muscle memory. Then practice, practice and practice reacting to it in the lab. While reaction time per se can not be improved, muscle memory can! You have to get to a point were you do not think about pressing the button anymore. Like when you touch a hot surface your hand snaps back, without you thinking about it.

For anticipation, only load DI on your mental stack, when it becomes important, namely when you or your opponent are in the corner or you are burned out. When you are in these situations actively look out for it and have your SINGLE finger hover the DI button. For starters force these situations in matches and only concentrate on DI counter and ignore the rest for the moment if they get a jump in on you, so what, you are practicing DI anticipation. In neutral just deal with it like you'd do with any other attack and block or parry it. Don't burden your mental stack with it. The worst here is you beeing pushed back a little and lose some Drive Gauge. Both should not change much about the match at your Rank. If you did not block, the DI did not make any difference. You would've eaten any other attack as well.

A final thought might be to look into your approach, when you tend to poke with slow uncancelable normal or stecials, you can have the fastest reactions but the DI will not come out, because of the recovery frames of your initial move. It is worth checking replays here and see in what situation you eat a DI and what your inputs where at that time. You have a 26F window to react. When you pressed DI in that window and it did not come out, reaction time is not your problem, your approach is.

[kuaikukia]

Most of all us probably can't react to counter DI within just few hours of play. Just saying after my 800 hours, I still sometimes can't react on draw DI when in the corner. Just don't beat yourself too hard. You will eventually get hang on it in time if you constantly keep playing. That's the problem most every beginner. They just telling themselves, they are actually not good enough to give themselves a reason on early giving up.

[Starcross'd]

I'm 45 and I thought the same thing. I can do it now. The trick for me turned out to be playing against platinum v-rivals, about the highest level of v-rival that will still spam DI. Much more random and more match-like than anything you can do in training mode.

[Skama]

Hey OP, just another tip for you - try using more special cancellable moves in neutral and pressure! It's a lot easier to react to DI when you have a couple jabs in there to give you a heads up.