I love me some street fighter (by far my favorite game to watch pros play).
Personally, I'm shit though. Terrible execution, can't even pull off so called "bread and butter" combos consistently. Feels like it takes too much work just to get to an acceptable level of play. Any shortcuts to good execution?
SF4 is a bit deceptive in that it makes some things incredibly easy (massive hitstun on jump-in attacks for easy combos, input shortcuts up the wazoo) while having the ceiling be incredibly high even by fighting game standards (there are a number of character's whose "bread and butter" combos are 1-frame links).
If you have problems with execution my advice would be:
-Simply practice. Devote a few hours out of your week hitting the training room, making sure you can do your specials and combos on each side of the screen.
-Check the controller you're using is right for you. I wouldn't bother trying to play a fighting game with a xbox controller due to its terrible dpad. It's doable with a dualshock, though I'm personally not a fan as I get thumb cramps with it after prolonged used. If you really want to go into fighting games you can get a fightstick (though its not mandatory). I also quite like the madcatz "fightpad" as I find them to be the comfiest controller to use, though I know some people feel mixed about them.
-Check your display. Make sure your display is set to 60hz, since most fighting games run at 60fps, and playing on different displays (say from playing from your tv to your pc) can throw off muscle memory for combos.
-Pick a character that doesn't require heavy execution. Play characters that specialise in mind games like grapplers, or zoning characters where you can focus on keeping your opponent out. Granted its SF4 so they'll still probably have daft combos to learn, but it'll be less important for their gameplan.
-Try a different game. SF4 can create bad habits due to how lenient it is with inputs. I noticed my execution took a noticeable improvement when I went to play KoF for a while before coming back