A Guide to Grind Sessions in Smash
by Mario Macchiarulo (supermario)
Improving in smash is not an easy journey in the slightest. It takes a ton of time, practice, VOD reviewing, to even be ‘ready’ for a local. And with how much talent there is in this region from mid to high level, plenty of players with lots of skill go 0-2 to 1-2. What is the thing then, that can put one over the edge, to go to a local and go on that run that cements them as a more improved seed? Grind sessions.
Grind sessions happen online in grind cords and offline in seshes. The former is, perhaps, easier to get into than the latter. There are plenty of grind cords that are available, and recently, Mind the Gap has been a great resource for many players to get consistent practice with high level, local players. In the age of Wi-Fi, I find it very important to aim to pursue grind sessions, when possible, with players local to you. In my opinion, it’s easier to measure your skill in that sense. “Ok, I took some games off and had close games with this player, and they are x level, so maybe I am approaching that level now in the context of this region.” Shieldbreaker Online is also good for this reason, since the ones that have happened mostly consisted of local Long Island players duking it out.
Offline sessions are not so cut and dry. You’d kind of need to be “in the know.” The best way to do this is simply attend locals and organize playing offline with your friends in the scene, whoever they may be, and if you make new friends that are comfortable meeting offline, that’s great too!
Now for the ‘guide’ to grind sessions. Online or offline, it’s important to have a good mentality. There is no “result” to aim for besides having fun, learning something new, and playing the game with solid level players. Some sessions you may be on point, while others you may be off point. Don’t feel lesser as a person or player all because a session is not going that well, it happens! And even when they are not going well, the experience is very valuable and learning something new. I’ve had positive and negative sessions. We know it’s not practical to treat every grind sesh like a tournament set, but it’s also not too practical (in my opinion) to treat it like friendlies and not be a little dialed in. Here’s a step process that I’ve been trying lately:
Sit down, big smiles, you’re starting to play the game and learn something! Regardless or whom you’re playing.
Maybe win some games, maybe lose some games. Think about what’s going well and what’s not going so well. Think about how you react to your opponent’s gameplay and how they react to yours. Unlike a bracket set, the window to adapt is much larger. There will be tons of mind games by the 6th-8th game. The beauty is that a lot of locals (Ultimate Rare, Shieldbreaker, Shieldbreaker Online) are a full best of 5 format, which makes getting used to these large windows of adaptations all the more important.
DRINK WATER. Underrated tip! Calms you down and keeps you hydrated.
Take time in between stocks. If you lose a stock, take a second on the top platform and take a breath. Also helps a lot! No rush!
If you’re offline, talk a little at some point. Maybe in between games (Ok those who have sashed with me know I’m not too good at this. It’s kind of a preference based thing). If you like to play a bunch of games and THEN talk, that’s fine too! Same goes for online! The whole process is learning what’s going wrong so that one could apply it in the next match.
Have fun and cherish that you get to spend time with others (maybe this goes more for offline). Before someone is your ‘training partner’ they are your friend! After a sesh, don’t feel like the extent of your interaction is limited to play smash bros. Play some randubs and shoot the shit!
I hope you enjoyed this piece. I’m going on 1 month now of properly participating in grind sessions online and offline and I think it’s helping a lot. If you have qualms about going to a local every single week (for monetary or other reasons), that configuring grind sessions is a great alternative. Feeling prepared for a local is a great feeling! And, on top of it, sessions are a great way to engage with others in the community and form meaningful connections. Thanks for reading!
