Daigo Umehara. AKA "The Beast". AKA The best Street Fighter player on Earth. If there's someone who might have advice on how to improve your game, it's him.
Earlier this year, Umehara appeared on NHK (think BBC for Japan) and provided tips on how gamers can sharpen their game. His reflexes are lighting quick and his knowledge commands is encyclopedic, so perhaps it is best to start with something basic: how to hold your joystick.
Two of the most common ways to hold a joystick are cupping one's hand over the stick or operating it with an open palm and putting the stick between one's middle and ring finger.
"These two styles of holding the joystick aren't a good fit with Street Fighter," says Umehara. The other styles do not offer the precise control to execute a move like "Shinku Hadouken" flawlessly.
The Beast holds the stick between his pinky finger and his ring finger. And then grasps the stick in his palm. This play style keeps Umehara from wasting stick movements, which in competitive play can mean the difference between a win and a loss.
ウメハラのスパⅣ講座 [YouTube]