Additional Topic: Exploring the Power of the Instant Focus Technique (AKA How to Make Your "Inst-Foc" An Integral Part of Your Rhythmic Footsies)
otherwise. More accurately, I choose not to dwell on the ways in which it is substandard but instead the ways in which it can be utilized to up Dee Jay's game for the better. Lately, to this end, I've played around with the idea of using an Instant Focus (or what I have come to call the "Inst-Foc", for short) as an innovative component of Dee Jay's movement and footsies.
What is an Instant Focus or "Inst-Foc"? Generally speaking, it refers to a raw Focus Attack that you cancel during the first frames of its animation (or very near to it), followed by either a dash forward or a dash back. Unlike the way many players use the Focus attack, Dee Jay's Inst-Foc is not meant to crumple the opponent (not intentionally, anyway) . . . but instead to allow him to laterally move to a better position for his pressure game relative to the opponent. In this regard, the Inst-Foc is a more effective technique than either walking or jumping, since you can use the charge buffering technique to start charging Down/Back earlier than either of these two other forms of movement would allow you to. Also, the idea is to Inst-Foc an opponent's single-hit attack, so that they can't easily retaliate against your change of position and potential follow-up hits. In a perfect scenario, you actually Inst-Foc an opponent's slow-to-recover attack early enough that you can hit them before they can protect themselves. But, at the very least, a successful Inst-Foc will put you in a better position for all kinds of additional Dee Jay hijinks.
When using an Instant-Focus, though, there are quite a few things to keep in mind:
a) You want to be doing this tactic at a range where the opponent can only hit your Focus with a single strike. This usually means either Instant-Focusing a single-hit projectile or a single-hit, non-cancellable attack from the opponent at the maximum distance where it would still hit you. That is imperative because, any closer than this, your foe can potentially cancel their attack into a special or super which will almost always hit you after you Focus absorb the initial hit.
b) Note that there are characters like Gen who can do these types of cancels into specials (or worse yet Supers) from a long distance out, so this tactic is not equally useful against all opponents. Which means you can't use it mindlessly, only when it can be employed safely and in ways which can set up a better situation for you poke-wise.
c) Whereas some characters like Gen will be very challenging to use an Inst-Foc on, other characters are tailor-made for this type of technique. In particular, charge characters like Blanka and Vega have many aggravating long-range pokes that hit only once and are therefore perfect to use the Instant Focus tactic against as a means to get to a better range for your attacks (rather than theirs). They have ways around this technique as well, of course, but they can't do it as freely as a motion or multi-input character can. In addition, against characters like Blanka, the Inst-Foc is one of the only ways to get closer to your opponent for better footsies since he can slide under any Air Slasher you do as a shield to cover your forward dash. Meaning, the Inst-Foc becomes an imperative means of changing distance effectively when fighting such characters.
d) Using Instant-Focus mindlessly and repetitively is a bad idea, since you will rack up a lot of grey damage quickly and take a massive damage hit if your opponent subsequently strikes you before it is recovered. So, once again, use the attack strategically and not over and over just for something to do on screen. You are asking for trouble if you choose to use this technique with no real plan behind it.
e) The key use of the Inst-Foc is to change your position relative to the opponent in a way which allows you to start charging earlier and cover your tracks safely as you do so. When doing your Instant-Focus, you want to be trying to finish any forward dash in or around Dee Jay's optimal zone - that is, slightly inside the opponent's low sweep range. Instant Focuses that put you right up against the opponent are not advised since this sets you up for a potential maul situation. This is important because, while you will have a good portion of your next charge completed by the time your forward dash is completed, you still need a little time to reach a full charge. Therefore, if you cavalierly use the Instant Focus to push in right on top of your foe, you stand a good chance of not being able to deliver the goods following your sudden moment of bravado.
f) A good combination of buttons to use after the Instant Focus and forward dash is a low Short, Low Jab, followed by a Standing Forward (either for two hits or canceled into a special). This combo can be used to put pressure on the opponent and can also be stopped early if you suspect your foe will try to reversal halfway through it. If any part of it hits, you can then translate that string into some pretty hefty damage once you know how (see the bottom video in my input mechanics post for some ideas on that one). Note: Against certain characters like Blanka, the stand Forward sometimes misses their tiny hurt box, so you may have to change this up in order to effectively pressure and/or hit these particular street fighters.
g) When completing an Instant-Focus into a forward dash, don't always throw an attack at the first moment when you finish the dash. That makes you predictable and sets you up for an easy reversal if you are consistently headstrong. In contrast, watch how your opponent reacts to your sudden position shift and then implement your next attack based on what you think they will do. This is also part of why you want to do such dashes into Dee Jay's optimal range . . . so that you are not put into a pressure situation upon landing where you have to initiate an attack just to get out of it (which is merely a maul by another name).
h) While you will not always get a crumple from an Instant Focus, it will on occasion occur, so be ready to follow-up with heavy damage in the rare cases where it arises. Some of these can be pretty creative and devastating BTW. For instance, I once Instant Focused an opponent's jump in attack, sent them into a spin afterward, and then managed to dash forward and get both hits of Dee Jay's Double Hit Roundhouse as a juggle. That was almost 200 points damage for a random event that could have easily been missed, if I hadn't been aware of it.
NOTE: These are just my initial thoughts on this relatively new technique (new to me, anyway). I'm still in the early stages of exploring it and assessing its overall viability . . . but anything that allows Dee Jay to move more freely and effectively - while also better maintaining charge - can only be a good thing, in my books. Play around with this tactic yourself to see if you agree.
