How do you train?

[Cuddles]

I used to play the 1v1 ladder matches as training, thought I was doing okay.

So this past weekend I entered a tourney and I hosted 1v1 matches for most of Saturday on loki. It's a map I was bad at, and also the first map to be played. Constantly playing the same map worked better than random maps in the ladder, the things I learned from loki helped me on other maps also.

TLDR
How do you guys train?

Ps. I didn't play loki in the tourney, skipped round one completely, started at round two, got lucky and then completely destroyed by chosen in the 3rd round

[ZLO_RD]

steal someone's build order for that map, and wach opponents replays to know his habits and adjust how greedy will you with your engineers or try to punish his greedy engies, when make air, second 3rd, or even later, build inties or bombers more, or go for transpot fast, or maybe go for tml if your opponent likes to upgraide many outside mexes to t2

You have to choose wich faction advantages you will use and how, if you play same faction it doesnot mean you can not use them...

So i guess for me traning is such preperations for game: find build order or even several build orders, to be able to surprice opponent

Know opponent habits
Know map to win race for reclime
You may even recognize wich engineer is MVP of enemy BO and kill it with 5 labs attack, or 2-3 tank raiing

If enemy not scouting ghetto, t1 bombers and jesters would be not bad choise

[Hawkei]

1. Learn some good habits and rule of thumb. Practice your openings in sandbox. Pay particular attention to stalls, and make sure your opening BO will not stall. Practice the first 5 minutes, over and over.
2. Master different openings, like these:
-3 Land (LF>>3PG>>2Mex>>LF>>2PG>>LF>>2PG);
-2 Land 3rd Air (LF>>2PG>>2Mex>>2PG>>2Mex>>LF>>5PG>>AF);
-1 Land 2nd air (LF>>2PG>>2Mex>>2PG>>2Mex>>3PG>>AF);
-1st air bomber rush (1PG>>AF>>2PG>>2Mex>>2PG>>2Mex);
-1st air land grab (AF>>3PG>>2Mex>>2PG>>2Mex);
-2nd Air GG rush;
-Mex inversion leading into early Mex upgrade (LF>>3Mex>>3PG[Adjacent to upgrading Mex]>>Upgrade mex);
-UEF Rover Rush (Rover Upgrade>>2PG>>2Mex>>1PG>>2Mex>>LF);
3. Watch high level replays and copy map specific BO's. Learn where the reclaimables are, and what the meta-game is (aka. what everyone else does).
4. Keep your tactics flexible. Get to know all your units, and what you can do with them.
5. Devote game time to understanding your opponent. Stop doing stuff and watch your scouting. Find his disposition, and counter it. Spend time thinking strategically in game.

[Voodoo]

Just spam 1vs1 ladder games and watch the replay when you lost. That was my way
You can also post some replays here, because it's also good to have a 2. oppinion.

[Cuddles]

I tried something different, had a random faction game and went air, basically completely ignored building land forces. I wanted to know if T1 air can prevent raiding/small attacking forces.

What happened was I stopped my opponent from being able to expand and I still don't have an answer.

How viable is it to use air to defend in the early game against land?

My opponent here is 2nd Tech 1 on the ladder, so I guess this play on this map was pretty effective?