my execution is better, but the biggest change is I've stopped trying to play the same way every match, and instead figured out what the opponent wants to do to me. I'd get wrecked by Bison, but why was I standing in range of all his plus-frame normals the entire match? I should be just outside that distance, try and counterpoke him, while making him come to me with unsafe slide or telegraphed dashes/devil reversals.

this sums it up perfectly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSdzzAWblVs

if someone can make super silver, they can make ultra. if they can make ultra silver, they can make gold.