I guess what I said kinda came out wrong. Obviously if you're playing a fighting game with a different engine than the new one, a lot of the things you're accustomed to doing (kara-throwing in 3s, setting up VCs in A3, etc.) are going to be for nothing when the game you're preparing for (SFIV) won't have any of those.
If anything, SFIV seems pretty laxed as far as the intricacies and features are concerned. I'd suggest playing Super Turbo. Specifically, Super Turbo HD Remix.