Theory - Mental Guard Break

One of the underlining weaknesses experienced by every fighter, veteran or newbie..

We've all had to sit through that situation, coming into a fight only to be overwhelmed or outclassed (we feel) in the first few minutes (or even seconds in some cases). Getting styled on by another player is the worst feeling; even a few goo combos’ can be enough for a player to mentally abandon the match.

Pretty much Mental Guard Break simply means a lack of focus.

A good example of the guard break is to be 'perfected'. The absolute worst outcome for any player, showing not only that you were beat good, but also you were unable even to inflict chip damage on your opponent. The hole your in just got deeper, and that stab of humiliation lingers.. Guard down.

Even the most veteran of fighters has a limit as to the amount of mental defeat they can accept. Once this limit is reached, the fighter will not only be making simple mistakes, but will lose the confidence in their own techniques, mess up inputs, begin to second guess their inputs, and generally dwindle into oblivion.

According to many MGB is perceived in the mind of the player receiving the damage. The one inflicting the damage has no idea or concern about the impact on your game; to them it's simply styling and taking the win.

Justin Wong vs. GamerBee in 2010 Evo is an excellent example of a guard broken, top class player taking a beating.

'The minute you think about giving up, you’re properly guard broken.'

Mental guard break is something any player will experience to some degree. Obviously some people have a higher threshold than others, but always there is a limit.

Check some of the experts advise via www.sureyoucanfight.com

"Don't fall into the trap of spamming buttons." Freaking out, especially in a game center, will tell your partner all they need to know. Hearing someone just mashing buttons will give you everything you need to know.

"It's important to stay focused."

"Don't dwell on (the last round). New rounds are new rounds... Even losing to a perfect means nothing. What matters is (who takes the match)."

To build this threshold many gamers agree it's simply down to experience (sorry, not short cuts!), you gotto go in and take the beating like a man..

Let us know what you think.