Steven “Coach Steve/Insaynne” Delgado is one of the best players in Street Fighter, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, Pokken Tournament, and Mortal Kombat. Unlike most pros, he juggles more than one game. 

With tournaments like the Evo Community Series and Open Series featuring a variety of fighting games for players of all levels to enjoy, I decided to interview Steve on the risks and rewards of competing in multiple titles.

How do you juggle so many fighting games at a high level?

It was a little easier back then when I first started. I think it’s harder now because the games are easier to get into, the playerbases are a lot bigger, and overall the average skill level has increased across every game. I was lucky to live in New York with a wide variety of very experienced players who helped me learn a lot of things in all different aspects of play. 

With a playerbase like that surrounding me it was a lot easier to branch out because I’d end up taking an idea I just learned from one game and somehow bring it to the next and so on. For example, I’d see a certain scenario in one game and be like “Oh this is just like this in another game” and then things would just click. Even in games that are vastly different from one another like Street Fighter and Injustice, or games with a few similarities like Marvel 3 and Street Fighter X Tekken I’d find things that I could use and then bring over to the next. 

It honestly made it easier to learn things faster.

So would you say juggling multiple games made you a stronger competitor?

I think so, yeah! For some people it might be overwhelming but in my case, playing one game always felt like I was handicapping myself in certain areas. I knew that I could learn things faster by having more things available to me.

Would you say there are any drawbacks to juggling games competitively?

There’s always the danger of spreading yourself too thin. Now I don’t see myself being able to play more than three at a time. Back when I was younger I was playing like five games at once, along with side games here and there. But you really have to know when you’re spreading things too thin and that varies from person to person. You just gotta see what’s good for you.

Are there any times you found yourself dropping a game competitively?

I usually drop games I don’t enjoy as much. I’m not the type to keep playing something I don’t have fun with. There’s also the case of the competitive aspect with player numbers dying down where I don’t really need to focus on a game like that cause the reward isn’t really there. Otherwise, not really because I typically enjoy every game I’ve competed in.

Do you have any specific examples of two games you’ve played affecting one another?

Let’s say like when I first started and the two games I was playing were Street Fighter 4 and Marvel vs Capcom 3. Now, those two are very different games with different movement options and neutral, but you still have the concepts of spacing, how to preserve yourself, and things like that. But Marvel taught me about meter management and overall being careful how I spent my resources because there resource management is really important. You can’t just burn X-factor, you can’t just throw away all your meter, and you can’t do the wrong combo or you will probably lose a character. 

After playing that and going back to Street Fighter I found myself playing a lot more conservatively and being more mindful of every bar that was on the screen. With that realization I also found my results became a lot better cause I used to just go crazy with my meter when I didn’t really need to. 

Do you think there are things you can learn in one game that can mess you up in another? For example, the way Dragon Ball FighterZ is played versus going into another fighting game.

100% yes. There are certain aspects of the fighting game genre that I think Dragon Ball tries to throw out the window, but it’s because companies have to try to cater to everyone and let everyone play and feel good about playing. 

I’m fine with this because it’s opening things up to a wider playerbase, but if you’re not careful on the competitive side then you won’t notice that you’re developing bad habits from games like that. With newer games I tend to catch myself noticing when I get the hit that I’ll think, “Yeah I just got away with that one because the game allowed it to happen.” That really started happening with newer games like Street Fighter 5 where things were all over the place with everyone whiffing buttons like crazy for that high reward. So you can develop those bad habits if you’re not careful. Just be aware of how you’re winning and losing in general.

Would you tell a new player that wants to juggle multiple competitive fighting games to go for it or to limit themselves to one?

I don’t think anyone should limit themselves but they should be able to realize when they’re overloaded and overwhelmed. After that you can see if you need to cut down on maybe one or two and see how your progress goes from there. But also just keep playing the games.

If you’re not having fun with the games you should probably reevaluate how you’re approaching things. Maybe you picked the wrong character or maybe you found the game that you want to put down because no matter what you’re trying you’re not having fun with it. And with juggling if you’re playing another game you can always go back to that dropped game with newfound knowledge that might lead to you approaching it differently with things clicking more.

Coach Steve is going to continue juggling games with the release of Guilty Gear Strive and more on the horizon. You can keep up with him on social media @FightCoachFight, catch his content on YouTube, and watch his Twitch streams.