The difference between good and really good players.
Okay so this is just my observations from watching tournaments and players of different levels streaming. At some point I started wondering what exactly are the really good, highest level players doing differently than other people who seem to do the same things but pretty consistently lose to those better players.
At first I imagined it's probably just reads and pattern recognition. And while that does play a part, it's not all there is to it. Ranked and tournaments are ft2 and these guys are winning consistently. If this was the only difference, surely there'd be more upsets.
Those "regular good" players also have good movement, good punishment, they duck highs that should be ducked, block things on reaction. Sidestep things. And pro players don't always punish everything perfectly either, so this probably isn't the deciding factor.
But I feel like I've noticed one real difference. The really good players aren't afraid of letting the opponent play the game. When you look at them play, they seem comfortable letting the opponent run their offense. They simply just stand there, block and observe. react if it's required. It's not the "freezing up and being helpless" block. It's the "I believe this is the best option" block.
Another way to put it would be that the really good players interrupt, sidestep, use high crush, power crush etc. only when they truly think it's the best option. The "regular good" players use those because they must. They're not comfortable with the opponent unloading their offense on them and they want to end it as fast as possible, to return to their comfort zone.
The difference in how they play is subtle but the consequences can be massive. Getting counterhit or sidestepping and getting clipped by a launcher can easily lose the entire round.
So yeah, that's my take on this. I know I will at least try to be more patient, even though the offense in T8 can be really uncomfortable. And if you disagree and think it's something else making that difference, let me know. I'm always interested to hear about things that could lead to improvement.