been doing basic rolls and flips for a few months and im trying to figure out what to focus on next. i see the split s everywhere in freestyle lines but the matty flip looks way cooler to me. problem is i have no real idea which one is actually more foundational or if that even matters.

my rates are pretty moderate right now, running around 650 on pitch and roll with a fairly flat expo curve. not sure if that's relevant but figured id mention it. flying on a 5inch with 2306 motors if that changes anything

also is there a good way to practice these in a simulator first or do i just need to commit to it on the real quad. ive been using velocidrone but i find the physics feel different enough that sometimes what i learn there doesnt really transfer cleanly

split s first, not even close imo. its more useful in actual lines because you can use it to reverse direction without losing much speed, the matty is more of a show move. once your muscle memory has the split s dialed you'll find the matty comes pretty naturally anyway since they share some of the same input logic just executed differently. also at 650 rates you might want to bump pitch up a bit when you start drilling these, gives you more authority to snap through the rotation cleanly

i learned the matty first actually and dont regret it but i kind of came at freestyle from a different angle so maybe im not the best example lol. the velocidrone thing is real though, i always found liftoff simulator translated better for me personally for learning specific tricks. velocidrone felt off on the snap moves. either way you'll still need real quad time to get it consistent, sim just shortens the crash count during the learning phase which your wallet appreciates