The best advice I can give is to go back in time and play a ton of fighting games in arcades so to you, playing a fighting game with a stick feels "right". I could never play a fighting game on 360 controller (maybe a SNES controller back in the day, but still wasn't "right") so when I tried playing some HD Remix with friends, it was not fun trying to throw a fireball and getting nothing but a punch. When I finally took the plunge of trying to get back into fighting games in a somewhat serious way and bought a stick, it just felt like I was home, albeit a new home with some slightly different furnishings (ball-top instead of bat, convex buttons instead of convcave, ergonomic buttons instead of straight, and square gate instead of round). But it felt good.
Failing that, practice, practice, practice.
The stick is going to be similar to an analog stick but with a square gate (which is what comes stock on most joysticks and is standard in Japan), which is a tough transition. Even for me, when I first got my stick, it took some getting used to because American arcades use Happ parts, which have circle gates (like the analog stick on a 360 controller). I was used to pushing the stick to the edge of the gate and rolling it around to execute moves. That doesn't work so well on a square gate. You have to kind of get used to rolling within the gate (if that makes sense), especially for those quarter circle movements which are so important to so many characters.
For the buttons, think of them more like a keyboard than a controller. With a controller, you're used to using your thumbs to do most of the button presses, but with a joystick, you're using mostly your first 3 fingers.
It's a little like learning to drive a standard transmission, I think. It may take some getting used to, and you may have to suffer through some frustration, and an initially steep learning curve, but in the end, it'll make you a better driver. Once you've gotten used to a stick and using it has become second nature to you, (IMO) you'll be able to perform moves much quicker and with more precision and consistency. Not that you can't be good with a pad, but I feel that if you're going to spend all that time to get good with a control type, it may as well be a stick. Unless you're already a pro at fighting games on a pad, it's not going to hurt too much to relearn what little you do on a stick. It'll help you in the end.
I might suggest playing a charge character like Balrog or Guile to start with, just to get you familiar with the stick. Initially, charge characters are much easier to play with on a stick, especially on a square gate. Once you feel comfortable with the stick and buttons, etc. try a character like Dudley who uses rolls, but all half circle rolls. It will get you used to the more reactionary style of play of that type of character and get you used to how to properly do a roll motion on a stick with a square gate. From there, you can move on to a "shoto-type", like Ken or Ryu who has lots of quarter circle movements, which I think are the hardest to learn to pull off on a stick with a square gate. It doesn't take forever but it's certainly trickier than a Sonic Boom.
If you REALLY can't stand the square gate thing, you can always switch to an octagonal gate, but that may not be the best idea. I've heard it said over and over that it's worth the time to get used to a square gate, because then instead of relying on the shape of the gate to guide your motions, you're actually controlling the motion yourself. This will reduce the throw distance needed to perform the moves, and make you faster and more efficient with the stick. But don't take my word for it. They cost about $5 and are really easy to swap in and out, so it's not too hard to try one out if you want.
Most important is to keep practicing and try not to get too frustrated. In the end, it will be worth it, if you stick to it. Unless of course you have a time machine handy...
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