Time trialing

I know you're out there. I can feel you now. I know that you're obsessed... you're obsessed with MKDD. I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you where you're going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin. I'm going to finish this paragraph, and then I'm going to show you what I want you to see. I'm going to show you the world... of MKDD. A world with rules and controls, but without borders or boundaries. A world where anything is possible. Where you go from there, is a choice I leave to you.

So, you want to be an MKDD time trialer, huh? Know what you're getting yourself into. A world of lovely PRs and agonizing pain. You're going to waste eons of your life, trying to beat the game. Improving yourself time after time. Let me show you what it takes.

The three keywords

I'll let you in on the big secret. There are three keywords that summarize how you can improve your times. They are: practice, practice and practice.
OK, that was a bit lame. But seriously, that's all there is to it. Practice and you will improve. And over time, those seconds will disappear.

Three more keywords

(No, really three this time)
Practice. For this, you need three things:

Time

Well duh. Of course you need time. To give you an idea: to reach top 100 or so, it takes the average noob several months, playing on average at least a few hours per week. You need to be obsessed, and quite frankly, a little bit crazy.

Motivation

You need the time, but also the motivation to invest it into Mario Kart. It can be hard, especially when progress is becoming slow. The competition on the site is a big motivator, but also the community itself, on the message board for example, can give the motivation you need to get back to your GameCube and destroy your PRs.

Perseverance

Make no mistake; this game can be frustrating, nerve-racking, tormenting, almost as if it has a mind of its own, set out to make you suffer. You need perseverance to keep at it, even after many failed attempts, to go on until you get that PR. But when you do, it's a feeling like no other.

I believe that, if you manage to keep these three, you will be able to reach Hero at least. Even if you don't have the fastest of fingers, or the ability to drive constant throughout the race, Hero should still be very possible.

What makes great times

There are four aspects that separate the good times from the bad:

Mini-turbos

This is what makes the game special. These mini-turbos, exceptionally strange in the world of racing, make those fast times. Start doing them around corners. As you get faster, do them on straightaways. The more you practice, the faster you can do them, the more they benefit you and the more you can do them.

Strat

No good times without a good strategy. If you're not a top player, the best strat may not work for you because of difficult things or things that require precision. So look out for alternatives. Look at my strats-page for instance. And if you're not sure about something, or want a suggestion, ask on the message board.

Feeling

This comes automatically with practice. You will develop a feeling for how the kart behaves. This will help you control your kart, and predict how your kart will react to a certain action. It will help you take the bridge with the zippers on Dino Dino Jungle successfully, or slide between the fireballs on Bowser's Castle.

Consistency

Last but not least: consistency. This is the ability to drive constant, without too many mistakes. An essential ingredient, especially for 3-laps. Often it's a good idea to build up consistency for a course first, like an autopilot, before trying something new. So then if you pull this new thing off successfully, you are more likely to finish the rest of the course well.

That's all

Well, that's it, at least from the mental point of view. You'll be playing each course over and over again. You'll be watching videos over and over again. You'll have moments of glory, and hours or suffering. But... you will improve... again and again.

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