After playing for a couple of hours now, it seems like some characters' ultras can only be used with a focus attack dash cancel. For example, I'm trying to main Cody and the only way to link his ultra 1 is to do his launcher kick and FADC out of it. The problem is, by time I hit the ultra, the guy already falls halfway down and I have no chance of connecting the ultra. It seems impossible to input the moves that fast, no matter how hard I try. 
 
So i was wondering, is it because I'm using the 360 controller? Is it easier with a fightstick? How much practice does it take before you can FADC?
 
This is only my 2nd day playing but it seems essential for some characters.

I FADC'd all over this thread.

It'll take more practice. When I first started and went "Ok, what's all this FADC business, I wanna learn that". I couldn't do it. And I literaly thought I could never ever do it. I couldn't get my head around all the motions. But after a couple weeks I got better and better and then eventualy I could do it 100% in training mode simply by muscle memory.
 
Basicaly just keep practicing. That's the only real advice. You'll get better and better and more consistant at it. Eventualy you'll be able to do it 75% of the time in training, prehaps only from 1 side but at that point try it in a real match. The first time you land it it's a really sweet feeling so you practice it more and get better at it.
 
Another good thing while you're learning it is to learn and get into your muscle memory each seperate part. First try the SRK (shoryuken or equivelent ie. criminal upper, launcher kick), then practice the SRK - Focus attack without the dash. Just cancel the SRK with the focus and let it go. The learn how to SRK - FADC, spending as little time as possible in the focus state. Then try adding the Ultra at the end or if you can't get the double fireball motion for the ultra down just yet try and land an EX fireball or EX srk instead.
 
Just keep practicing, you'll get it eventualy and it's worth it.
 
Also about the controller. I first heard about FADC's around the same time I got my first arcade stick and of course I tried it with that, it worked but I could also get it to work just as easily on the pad so it's really a tossup of what you want to use.
 
Hope that helps. Also this should probably be in the begginner thread.

I would check out the Shoryuken Cody forum. They're a lot more technical over there with this kind of stuff.

Thanks guys, very helpful. I didn't even know there was a whole forum dedicated to Cody.

Some people think of it as holding focus, dashing forward, then releasing. Once I learned that you can just tap focus+forward, forward -- it became clear.

Using the 360 pad  shouldn't be a problem

" Some people think of it as holding focus, dashing forward, then releasing. Once I learned that you can just tap focus+forward, forward -- it became clear. "

" Some people think of it as holding focus, dashing forward, then releasing. Once I learned that you can just tap focus+forward, forward -- it became clear. "

" Some people think of it as holding focus, dashing forward, then releasing. Once I learned that you can just tap focus+forward, forward -- it became clear. "