I'm actually new blood. Obviously I'm nowhere his level but I'm above average. I just studied a hell of a lot... Especially by getting my hands dirty and getting my ass whooped a million times before understanding it. That and watching a LOT of tourneys. Except from James Chen... He makes the most obvious comment that I knew from day 1.
Also, I strongly encourage everyone to lose a thousand times because that is the fastest way to learn. It's the same reason why I would play someone even if they lose 20 in a row even if they don't think they understand why. Ask Q... He'll tell you how many times I had to lose in MvC3 and how much I cried about how the system doesn't make sense until one day it clicked. I'll also play someone even if I lose 20 matches in a row because if I'm losing that badly, there must be a reason why and I'm trying to figure out... even if it gets me frustrated.