Mix-ups are so important, if you look at tournament videos for any fighting game, the best players always seem to vary their attacks and attack aggressively enough that the defending player has no choice but to find an opening to counter, rather than hope the attacker will relent long enough to give you breathing room. Low punches in particular are always annoying, they have to be blocked quickly, they do good damage, and easily are the most go to way to end a match when a player is backed in a corner and has low health.
Don’t forget to throw.
Don’t forget to throw.
Throwing exists, don’t forget about it.
Remember to throw.
Remember that combinations of buttons enable different attacks. Lots of people forget to combine punch and kick, limiting the amount of options you have. If you are doing the same thing over and over again, you’re easier to defend against, and counter attack.
Low punch, low punch, low kick, step forward, throw. The only way to reliably defend against this is to throw escape if you’re doing it right.
Learn to create patterns in your fighting that you can change on the fly. If you attack with one combo particularly often, change the ending of it from time to time, and don’t be afraid to end a combo early and low punch low punch low punch.
Slower attacks that hit overhead or in the middle are great for applying pressure as long as you have good timing.
Always assume your opponent will counter at some point if they have a character capable of doing so. Baiting failed counters is a skill worth learning.
Throw.
Don’t be overly defensive either, you’re just training yourself to cower, and that is a terrible way to fight. If you’re going to block, always have an exit strategy in mind. This is where the mighty cock punch/throw combo comes in handy.
Finally, don’t forget that button mashing causes cancer.